Non Traditional Ways to Serve Turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner
The traditional Thanksgiving dinner features a nice, succulent, roast turkey as the main attraction. Many people love conventional turkey roasted in the oven, and wouldn’t have it any other way. At the opposite extreme are people—vegans, for example—who won’t have turkey at all for their holiday dinner.
In between are the people who want to stick with turkey, but are open to trying other means of preparing and serving it. For them, there are many intriguing options. We’ll look at three, starting with those that deviate least from convention, and finishing with a Mexican turkey recipe that is quite a departure from the Norman Rockwell traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
- Deep Fried Turkey *
Deep frying a turkey for Thanksgiving was almost unheard of until a few years ago, but now it’s really not even that uncommon. People have discovered that it doesn’t make the turkey taste greasy as they may have feared, but just makes it nice and crispy on the outside while retaining its juices on the inside.
Deep frying a turkey is a fairly simple method of cooking, yet one that is not without its challenges. It requires equipment many people don’t have, and it requires using extra caution during the process since you’ll be working with very hot oil.
Place your turkey in a fryer large enough to contain it. Fill the fryer with enough water to just cover the turkey. Take the turkey out, and measure how much water you used. This tells you how much oil you’ll need. Pat dry the turkey, and remove the water from the fryer. Put that same amount of peanut oil in the fryer. (If peanut allergies are an issue, use a corn or canola oil with a high smoke point that is good for deep frying.)
Heat the oil to 375-400 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub the turkey inside and out with your choice of seasoning. For deep fried turkey, many cooks favor a Creole or Cajun style seasoning. Slowly and carefully lower the turkey into the fryer. Cook for 3 to 3 and a half minutes per pound. Remove the turkey and let it drain. Use a meat thermometer to make sure that it is cooked all the way through (at least 170 in the breast and 180 in the thigh), as undercooked poultry can have dangerous bacteria. Wait at least 30 minutes to carve the turkey to allow it to continue to cook and distribute the juices throughout the body.
- Smoked Turkey *
Whereas deep frying turkey takes considerably less time than conventional roasting, smoking a turkey is a several day process. Plus of course you’ll need a smoker. But if you have the time and the equipment, just like the deep fried turkey it’s really a pretty simple process. And the result is a richly flavorful bird.
First you’ll want to prepare a sweet pickle brine. Thoroughly mix together the following:
1 gallon of water
2 and a half cups of salt, preferably rock salt
One third of a cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of liquid garlic
1 ounce of pickling spices
(This should be plenty for a 10-12 pound turkey. If your turkey is substantially bigger than that, you can bump up these amounts.)
Rinse your turkey thoroughly in cold water and pat dry. Place the turkey in the brine and let it soak for several days. If you can leave it in for five days that will really allow the brine to fully permeate the turkey. Remove the turkey from the brine, and again rinse it thoroughly in cold water and pat dry. Refrigerate it for another 24 hours.
Counting backwards, try to time the process so that you’ll be ready to cook the turkey on Wednesday, a day in advance.
Lock the wings behind the back of the turkey, and tie the legs and tail together. Baste with maple syrup for a little extra flavor. (While it’s cooking you can baste it with the syrup again every two hours or so.) Place the turkey in the smoker. Cook for about a half hour per pound, but be sure to check the turkey carefully with your meat thermometer for doneness, as cooking times are a lot more unpredictable with a smoker than with an oven.
After the turkey is done, refrigerate for another 24 hours to maximize the smoky flavor.
By preparing the turkey in advance, you’ll free up time and space for all your other Thanksgiving cooking on Thursday. When the time comes, heat up the turkey and serve.
- Turkey Breast in Black Mole Sauce *
This is definitely the most complicated of the three, and the least familiar to most Americans. But it produces a delicious, unique turkey dish of a Mexican style.
Start with a 4 pound turkey breast. Place it in a stock pot with:
1 peeled head of garlic
1 peeled and quartered Spanish onion
4 bay leaves
8 black peppercorns
Aromatic herbs to your taste
Add enough water to cover it. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover it, and let it simmer 45 minutes to an hour, until the meat is tender and there is no longer any pink inside. Strain the stock to use for the sauce, and refrigerate the cooked turkey.
For the mole sauce, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Stock from the turkey
One quarter pound each of dried pasilla negros chilies, mulatos chilies, and ancho chilies
The removed seeds from these chilies
1 pound of tomatoes
1 pound of tomatillos
2 peeled and sliced ripe plantains
4 peeled and quartered Spanish onions
1 peeled head of garlic
1 bolillo or French roll
4 stale corn tortillas
One half cup of sesame seeds
2 dried avocado leaves, or 3 tablespoons of chopped fennel bulb
One half cup of corn oil
4 ounces each of almonds, peanuts, and walnuts
1 cup of raisins
5 whole cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
5 dried allspice berries
2 tablespoons each of dried thyme, oregano, and ground cumin
1 pound of hard Mexican chocolate
One half cup of brown sugar
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Toast the chilies in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the seeds. Toast for another two to three minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Soak the mixture of chilies and seeds in the turkey stock for about 30 minutes to soften them. Use a blender to puree the mixture until very smooth. Set aside.
Place the tomatoes, tomatillos, plantains, onions, garlic, and cloves in a large roasting pan, with enough corn oil to lightly coat them. Roast for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bolillo or French roll and the corn tortillas. Roast for about an additional ten minutes until lightly charred. Set aside.
In the large cast iron skillet, toast the sesame seeds and avocado leaves or fennel over medium heat until the seeds are golden brown. Remove to another container and set aside.
In the large cast iron skillet, heat a quarter cup of the corn oil at medium temperature. Fry the almonds, peanuts, and walnuts for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the raisins, cinnamon, allspice, thyme, oregano, and cumin. Fry for another 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.
Place the mixture with the tomatoes, etc. in a blender. Add the mixture with the sesame seeds, etc. Add the mixture with the fried nuts, etc. Puree all of these together until completely smooth. If the mixture is too thick, gradually add turkey stock to thin it.
In a large sauce pot, heat a quarter cup of the corn oil at medium temperature. Add the mixture from the blender. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking. Add the mixture with the chilies. Cook over low heat for another hour. Add the chocolate and the brown sugar, and cook until the chocolate is fully dissolved.
Reheat the turkey breast, and carve it into slices. Pour the mole sauce over the turkey, and serve.
If you pull this one off, you’ll end up with a non-traditional Thanksgiving entrée that’ll be new and different for your guests (if they’re not from Mexico).
Try any of these ideas if you want a little less routine version of turkey this year.
Sources:
Laura Reiley,“Turkey, three ways: brined, frozen, nontraditional.”St. Petersburg Times.
Gemma Swansburg,“Unusual Turkey Recipes - Non-Traditional Ways to Prepare Your Holiday Turkey.”Ezine Articles.
