Turkey Success

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for and I loved having my family around the table to celebrate with. The food was great too! If I do say so myself.

Leading up to Thursday, I was having nightmares about the thirty pound turkey. In addition to the farm turkey, we had another one from the store arriving on Wednesday. The stress of housing 45 pounds of meat really got into my head!


Justin did some research and we decided to divide the thirty pounder in half. It took some time and muscle. I have to say Martha makes it looks MUCH easier then it actually is (but then again, that is why she is Martha). We spatchcocked it, but then cut through the breastbone to divide it.

One half of the turkey was rubbed with garlic, rosemary, and butter (oooh, how local!) and then slow grilled for 4 hours over mesquite chips. It came out a gorgeous burgandy, with skin as crispy and smoky as bacon, while the meat was tender and smoky and lovely!

Rainy BBQing

The other half was flavored with lemon, parsley, curry powder and garlic. It took 3 hours at 300 degrees. It was juicy and delicious!

Oh, and Justin (my hero!) brought the smaller turkey back to New Seasons. The lovely butcher cut it up so our freezer is now full of turkey breasts, legs, and thighs. The neck, wings and back are simmering on the stove. Soup for the future!

No more turkey nightmares for a while.

PS. Here is Doug, ready for the party. (Not really, he wore it for 1.2 seconds)

In over our heads?

Two nights ago I took part in a parking-lot Tryptophan trade. Under the cover of darkness, a pick up truck pulled up behind our car. I slipped the driver a wad of cash and she opened the truck. There, nestled in the ice, was 30 pounds of turkey. Quickly, we transfered the goods to our cooler and bid farewell.

So, perhaps it wasn't really all that covert, but it felt like it. Makes a good story. :)

We are now the proud owners of a thirty pound turkey. I have never seen anything like it! It is over a foot tall, and at least 2 feet long! We usually buy a 10 - 13 pound organic turkey which fits on our little weber. (Justin BBQs the turkey each year.) This sucker is so huge that we had to remove shelves from our refridgerator to fit it in. I am pretty sure I don't have a pan large enough to fit the whole thing into.

This may be the year I learn to butterfly a bird. Maybe grill half? I will keep you all updated.

What would you do with a 30 pound bird?

Count Down to Turkey Day!

I don't know about you, but we are counting down to the best American holiday! Thanksgiving!! What is better then coming together with family and friends, over a fabulous feast and giving thanks for so many things.

Obviously, this is an opinion, and I would love to hear what my readers think is the best holiday. I know many of you are reading from other counties, so PLEASE share too!

This week Justin and I are eating the odds and ends to clean out the fridge and make room for the turkey and all the fixings. We are incredibly thankful this year to be getting a turkey which a friend raised. Talk about local!