Comments on: A Taste of Thanksgiving

By: kathleen schumacker

kathleen schumacker — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:42:53 +0000

Need help with brining turkey. Remember all the tips from On Point discussion Monday 11/23 – except the part about taking turkey out of brin after 6 or 8 hours and allowing to “air dry” in refrigerator overnight…did anyone get that part of the directions? Not sure if turkey should be covered when air drying (and if so, tightly or loosely). Or if I should just forget the air dry and leave the bird in brine all night.

Thanks for any help here. kathleen

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:02:06 +0000

I think I enjoyed this “On Point” program as much as or more than any other I have heard. I always enjoy the ATK folks and their tips, and this program inspired me to do a bit more experimentation this year. Thanks for a fun program.

By: shanti bennett

shanti bennett — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:29:27 +0000

i really wanted the ladies brunswick stew recipe. with the v8 juice does anyone know it???

By: I’m Thankful for…Smart PR around Thanksgiving « Communicate Good

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:20:58 +0000

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By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:07:22 +0000

Thanks, Elisabeth for the link to the mashed potatoes.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:03:26 +0000

Another sauerkraut-supporter! Like Vicki’s mother-in-law, my parents grew up in Maryland, so our spread always included sauerkraut. To me, Thanksgiving is the smell of a turkey roasting in the oven while the sauerkraut simmers slowly away on the range with the turkey neck (and now that I’m the cook, I get to enjoy those delectable bits of neck!). While so many of the traditional dishes lean towards sweet, the sauerkraut provides a welcome bite.

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:51:28 +0000

okay – real simple in my house — these are our much loved traditions

mashed potatoes with onions and lots of garlic and butter

prepare turnip and carrots together
(even turnip haters LOVE this)

we flip our bird a total of 4 times – cooked side to side every half hour (usually a 20 lb bird) then final flip is breast up —- so moist and tasty!!

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:49:27 +0000

I don’t know how you’re listener spelled it when he mentioned the fricasee of coney but Coney derives from a Dutch word for rabbit. It is the origin of the name Coney Island because when the dutch arrived they found a large population on what was at the time an island.

By: Michael Carmody

Michael Carmody — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:49:17 +0000

a mouth-watering show for sure, I was surprised no one knew what the pilgrim “fricasee of coney” might have been. Every devotee of Lord of The Rings movies knows the scene where a penitent Gollum impresses Frodo and Sam by eagerly bounding home with a couple of bunny rabbits in his maw, whereby Sam chides him on the proper way to prepare a “brace of coneys.”

By: Putney Swope

Putney Swope — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:00:00 +0000

They should rename this program White Americas test kitchen. I like the show but man is it ever a waspy show.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:00:09 +0000

I need the Beer Butt Turkey recipe!!!!!!

By: Dan Doughtie

Dan Doughtie — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:42:24 +0000

This is “Dan from Augusta” who called in. I posted the recipe on my website, bottlereport.com. There are two versions. The War and Peace version that goes through the whole process including the moral dilemmas over what to do with the beer from the beer can and pictures of the bird going through the paces. Then there is the Cliff Notes version that’s just the recipes for the brining and the turkey itself. I’m doing a repeat on Thanksgiving Day and might try injecting some cajun spices.

By: Brett

Brett — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:27:54 +0000

This was a fun show…for some reason, maybe it was because I listened to the show while hungry, I felt inadvertently subjected to a kind of Pavlovian experiment hearing Tom sample the different dishes…:-)

I tried brining a turkey six years ago, and I will never NOT brine my turkey again!

By: David

David — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:52:22 +0000

I loved the description of the “beer butt Turkey”. Is there a post with the recipe?

By: Elisabeth

Elisabeth — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:52:12 +0000

For those listeners who wanted the make-ahead mashed potatoes, it was an easy google search:

http://media.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2006/nov/test_kitchen/mashed_potatoes.pdf

By: Claire

Claire — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:45:19 +0000

We’ve been smoking brined turkeys for years on an old charcoal grill and they are wonderful. We cook the turkey directly on the grill (no pan), tent with foil, use indirect heat (adding charcoal partway through) and add a few chunks of fresh cut cherry wood for the smoke. Even without wood, you’ll get a smokey flavor from the charcoal – less so with a gas grill. The cooking time tends to be similar to an oven or perhaps a little longer. A good thermometer to check the bird is essential! I will never cook a turkey in the oven ever again! This year we are going to the in-laws where they always do the turkey-in-the-bag method. Oy!!

We’ve never tried spatchcocking a turkey but I’ve done dozens of chickens that way. I use a direct grilling method (with or without smoke) with great success – really nice and crispy. I don’t know if trying this with a turkey would just speed up the cooking or cause more drying out because the juices drip out more.

Since the grill method doesn’t allow for good pan drippings for gravy I get some chicken thighs and/or turkey legs and cook them ahead of time, saving the pan drippings and using the cooked meat for excellent broth.

By: Ruth Hiller

Ruth Hiller — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:08:29 +0000

I never serve mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving . . . always roast potatoes along with a sweet potato casserole. It always wows my guests and I can’t imagine a Thanksgiving dinner without them!

By: Leslie

Leslie — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:47:28 +0000

Thank you so much for airing this show before Thanksgiving day – it gave me lots of ideas and the time to try them.

By: Henry Lafferty

Henry Lafferty — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:45:52 +0000

I like the discussion about food. Plan to try some of these recipes.

I personally think the fear associated with “cooking the turkey” etc. comes from all the discussion on shows like yours and in the papers about how hard it is to turn out a good turkey and thanksgiving meal. I have been cooking the turkey since I was in my early 20’s some have been slightly dry – the worst is the undercooked on, but at least it can be cooked longer. The key is the meal, the fellowship with family and friends, and an attitude of gratitude – for life and the opportunity to give thanks.

By: Pat

Pat — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:44:17 +0000

I second Ellie, above, in requesting the recipe for the make-ahead mashed potatoes. Anything that can be made ahead should be.
Thanks.