Alright, Thanksgiving is a week away. Let’s get to it. Now, I am going to share all of my pro chef tips in this Thanksgiving dinner-prep like a pro post for you. I have cooked many Thanksgiving dinners in my day. Believe it or not, this is the first year I am actually hosting Thanksgiving at my house for my family.
Now, I know what you are thinking. Umm… Chef Steph, didn’t you just say that you have cooked many Thanksgiving dinners in your day? How can this be the first year you are hosting? Yes, you read correctly. I have cooked 100’s of Thanksgiving dinners in my day, they just so happened to be at places of work and for the masses. This year I am cooking it all at home for our families.
With all of that said though, I have a lot of experience cooking all of the Thanksgiving items for small and large quantities of people. The biggest tip I can give right off the bat is don’t freak out! You’ve got this. It is not as hard as you may think it is. Just have a plan for the week leading up to the holiday, (which I am going to give you today), and you will be just fine.
1 week before Thanksgiving
Some people think that you need to start planning Thanksgiving in October. You can, but if your life is anything like mine, hectic and kid centric, this will not work at all for you. It is good to have a plan or an outline of how many guests you are inviting and if you would like to do fresh or frozen turkey. Yet, all the other details are fine if they are executed in the 5 -7 days leading up to the holiday.
Buy your Frozen turkey or Call for your fresh one-Â
You want to make sure that you know how many guests you will be serving so that you can decide on the size of the turkey you will need. This year it has been more difficult than ever to get a fresh turkey. Which is fine, I will break down the pros and cons to a fresh turkey later in this post. Just know that now is the time you want to either buy the frozen one or order your fresh one. Most people believe that you need to order a fresh turkey way in advance. That is actually not true. Most markets will be getting them in a week prior and are not sure all of what is coming in. So, they will not pre-order too far in advance anyway.
We will talk turkey a little later in this post. How to keep it moist and delicious and get that beautiful crispy skin. Also, how to treat a fresh turkey versus a frozen turkey. Yet, for now, make sure you get a turkey!
How about Ham?
We always do a turkey and a ham. Let’s face it, not everyone likes turkey. Plus, it gives you another star so that the turkey doesn’t have to necessarily feed everyone. I love a good spiral ham. You can do bone-in or boneless here. I actually opt for the boneless spiral ham. They usually sell them in half hams and this is the perfect size for my group. Otherwise, you may be left with half a ham and although there are a lot of things you can do with ham leftovers. It is like anything else. You can have too much of a good thing.
Now, I will say that the packet that comes with the spiral ham is a great cheater step in helping make a great ham. Yet, I also like to jazz mine up a bit more. I use half of the packet to glaze the ham. Then, the other half of that packet, I use to mix with pineapple juice and 7up and then pour it in the bottom of the pan. This is an old school trick and keeps the ham super juicy and delicious.
Let’s Dish about sides
Although the turkey and the ham are definitely the stars of the show, you cannot have a show or in this case a dinner, without the sides. I also feel like this is where things get very personal for each family. It was interesting to me to see what sides my husband’s family enjoyed and how they were different from the sides that my family always enjoyed. Luckily we have always gone to both sides for this holiday, so I got the best of both world’s. As I mentioned earlier, this year we are hosting. So, there will be a mash up of both sides, sides on the table. Which I totally love.
My side has always done the classics, but done them really well. Oh my goodness, my aunt makes the best green been casserole. My uncle makes the most amazing bread sticks. My mom has a way with sweet potatoes, that I normally do not even like. Yet, I can eat a pan myself of hers. I make the best mashed potatoes and I have a knack for making the gravy.
My husband’s mom makes these peas with bacon and mushrooms that only make there way out on holidays and are truly the best peas I have ever eaten. They also throw corn into the mix, which I love to mix with my mashed potatoes. And because they are Italian, they start the dinner with passed cold cuts and cheeses along with bocconcini and green olives. So, this year we will have it all. I am so excited.
If you are bringing the sides for your Thanksgiving dinner or doing it all yourself, I have linked a bunch of amazing make ahead side dishes here for you. Less stress, no less flavor. Here you go. Thanksgiving Sides
Last but not least, we cannot forget dessert
Again, I feel like this is very personal to each family. I started a tradition 12 years ago when I began spending Thanksgiving with my husband. I wanted to make a dessert that would impress him and his family. He loves pumpkin pie and also loves French silk pie. So, I decide I was going to make a chocolate pumpkin pie. It was such a big hit with them and especially him that I have been making it ever since.
The recipe makes 2 pies. So, sometimes I do two pies or like last year, I mixed the second pie filling into a cheesecake and made a chocolate pumpkin cheesecake. It was just as incredible and we had pie at one house and cheesecake at the other.
We always also have apple pie and my other aunt makes the most incredible peanut butter cookies. I think we are also going to have my Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies in the mix this year as well. Or maybe my Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. Both are incredible and right on point for this day.
Ok, let’s talk turkey
Alright, alright, let’s do this. We have to take a moment in the Thanksgiving Dinner- Prep like a pro post to discuss turkey. In this post, Thanksgiving Tips-Turkey Talk, I go through a whole list of pros and cons for different turkey preparations. This is very helpful if you want to do your turkey in a non-traditional way of roasting it. In this post, I wanted to share fresh vs frozen and how to treat each one. As well as how I prepare my turkey for the big day.
If you are buying a fresh turkey, you will want to brine it. Fresh turkeys have very little to no fillers, which is great. However, if you do not brine them they will dry out very quickly. Especially the breast portion. I would recommend a wet brine for the fresh turkey. If you do not have space to do so, than opt for a dry brine, but definitely brine it either way.
Wet Brine for Fresh Turkey
Ingredients
- 12 pound turkey
- 16 cups water
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 yellow onion cut into quarters
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 garlic cloves lightly smashed
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 3/4 cup coarse kosher salt
- 4 cups Ice
Instructions
- Remove the plastic wrap, gizzard and neck. Rinse the turkey well with cold water and place into whatever vessel you are brining it in. Make sure you have enough space to place whatever you use into the refrigerator.
- Bring 16 cups of water to a rapid boil in a large stock pot. Whisk in the paprika, chile powder, garlic powder, onion, oregano, thyme, garlic cloves, brown sugar, bay leaves and kosher salt. Also add any optional add-ins you might want. I like orange, cinnamon sticks, cloves and apple cider. Continue to boil for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly (approximately 10-15 minutes) then add 4 cups of ice.
- When the brine has reached room temperature carefully pour into brining bag (or whatever you are using to place it into the fridge) with turkey (this is a two person job.) Tightly pull bag up around the turkey, forcing the brine to fully encase the bird. Twist the top around a few times and then tie tightly with twine. The whole bird should be submerged in liquid. Place in refrigerator for 24 hours. *
- Remove from brine and rinse with cold water. Pat dry and then prepare your turkey according to desired recipe.
Notes
You can also dry brine your turkey. Here is the recipe for doing that.
Dry Brine Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 14- to 16- pound turkey* thawed see step 1 for guidance
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt** I use Morton’s
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
- Zest of 2 small or 1 large lemon Reserve the zested lemons for stuffing the turkey if desired
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, rosemary, and lemon zest. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and discard or keep for gravy. With paper towels, pat very dry (you do not need to rinse the turkey; this has a greater chance of spreading bacteria than removing it). Transfer the turkey to a rimmed baking sheet or shallow baking pan. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the salt mixture inside the cavity.
- Rub the rest all over the outside of the turkey, including under the wings and the legs, and concentrating especially on the breast (no need to salt the very backside of the bird that is touching the pan).
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours, until either the day before or morning of cooking the turkey (the length will depend upon how early you started.)
- 1 Day Before or the Morning of Cooking – Let the Skin Dry Out: Uncover the turkey, then return it to the refrigerator. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours, or until 1 hour before cooking. This step dries the skin, which is important in order for it to crisp. The skin will turn somewhat translucent.
- 1 Hour Before Cooking – Let the turkey come to Room Temperature: Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature (do not brush off the brine). If you haven't removed the plastic "carrier" attached to the legs, do so now. Cook as desired.
Notes
Equipment you will need to make your life easier this Thanksgiving
Here is exactly what you will need for the turkey, ham and all the sides. Not to mention the desserts.
This is my favorite Turkey roasting pan. You can dry brine in here without the rack and then add the rack for roasting
The Best Turkey Pan for Roasting
I love to do the ham in a little shallower pan than the roasting pan. Here is the one I love.
I love these serving bowls for their clean and sleek look. I also love that they are in different sizes
Here are my favorite dessert servers. I love that they come in different shapes. Some desserts need a rectangle and some need the classic pie server.
Chef’s Tips and Tricks
Here is how I cook my turkey. I will thaw it out 4-5 days prior to cooking depending on the size. The day before, I will dry brine the turkey. One hour before, I will uncover and let the skin dry out in the refrigerator. I will make a compound butter with 1lb butter, (I am making a 24lb turkey). Half if you are making a 12lb bird. I will let that come to room temp and I will mix it with fresh sage, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest. Then I will also add in 1 minced shallot. After that I will let put all of that butter under the skin of the turkey, everywhere so that it can run down on the flesh and crisp the skin at the same time. Next take 1 more stick of butter and melt that and soak a large piece of cheesecloth in the melted butter. I lay the cheesecloth over the turkey and bake.
I will bake the turkey at 450 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You will then add chicken stock to the pan, about 4-6 cups and lower the heat to 350 degrees. I will bake it another 2-4 hours depending on the size of the bird. I will baste the turkey about 3-4 times throughout the cooking process. Then I will remove the turkey. Tent it on a carving dish or board and make the gravy. I will strain the pan juices and remove the access fat. I will put the pan on the stove top, add in white wine and get all of the brown bits from the bottom and reduce. Then I will make a roux with equal parts butter and flour, (about 4-6 tbsp of each). Then add the drippings back into the pan and cook until thickened. You can serve as is or add a little fresh sage for a little pop of flavor. ENJOY!
