Meathead - Thanksgiving Special 2025
This podcast episode serves as a comprehensive guide to preparing for the forthcoming Thanksgiving celebration, with a particular emphasis on the preparation of turkey. We delve into the merits of utilizing a pellet grill for achieving a delicately smoked turkey, thereby avoiding the pitfalls associated with heavier woods that can overwhelm the bird's natural flavors. Additionally, we engage in an informative discourse regarding the advantages of purchasing frozen turkeys as opposed to purportedly fresh ones, elucidating the nuances of various preparation techniques. The conversation further extends to the importance of side dishes, with insights into alternative options such as yams versus sweet potatoes, and the art of crafting stuffing muffins for enhanced presentation. As we navigate this culinary landscape, we underscore the essence of gathering with loved ones, highlighting that the company shared at the table far surpasses the significance of the meal itself.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Weston Kia
- AmazingRibs.com
- Kia Corp
- Heritage Steel
- Painted Hills
- Pig Powder
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcript
It's time for Barbecue Nation with jt so fire up your grill, light the charcoal, and get your smoker cooking.
Speaker A:Now from the Turn It, Don't Burn it studios in Portland.
Speaker A:Here's jt.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody.
Speaker B:Welcome to Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:We've kind of been on a bit of a hiatus.
Speaker B:Leanne's been flying around the world again doing stuff.
Speaker B:I've been creating some other shows, and Meathead is doing Meathead stuff constantly.
Speaker B:Anyway, this is our annual Turkey Day fest that's coming up next week.
Speaker B:So this show will air, you know, less than a week ahead of Thanksgiving.
Speaker B:But we always have some great stuff for you.
Speaker B:So welcome to everybody.
Speaker B:And I'm excited about Thanksgiving this year.
Speaker B:I'm going to open the show with that.
Speaker B:I'm excited about it because I finally got my second pellet grill repaired and fixed, and now I got two of them that'll work, and I can just cook up a storm.
Speaker C:So that's great.
Speaker D:You know, pellet grills are great for turkey because it's a very delicate, mild smoke.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:And turkey loves smoke.
Speaker D:I mean, it's like peanut butter and jelly, but it doesn't love heavy smoke.
Speaker D:You know, I wouldn't want to do turkey with mesquite or something.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:So pellet grills are a really smart way to go for turkey.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I've always had great luck with them.
Speaker B:You know, we'll talk about this in the show.
Speaker B:I know, but Meathead spatchcocks or does big turkey breasts like that, I'm kind of present more of a traditional one.
Speaker B:Like, you can see behind me.
Speaker B:And I think Leanne kind of does more traditional ones like that.
Speaker B:But there's room for everybody.
Speaker B:And especially, I think, when you use a pellet grill.
Speaker B:I really have, over the years, come to appreciate the, like you said, the light smoke, easy to adjust.
Speaker B:I'm not battling charcoal temperatures and things like that, although, you know, that's fine.
Speaker B:It's just like everybody.
Speaker B:I've got so much going on that day, I don't want to worry about it.
Speaker B:And so that's how I came to that decision.
Speaker B:Anyway, let's get some basics out of the way.
Speaker B:Most people are going to go buy a frozen turkey.
Speaker B:Meathead just posted some stuff a couple days ago that even your fresh turkeys are frozen because they're chilled down to 26 degrees, most of them, and that is below freezing.
Speaker B:What should people Meathead be looking out for when they're, one, buying a supposedly fresh turkey and two, when they do, you know, a butterball or something.
Speaker D:Well, I buy frozen turkeys and I think they're a better way to go.
Speaker D:I mean, usually the turkey is slaughtered and rapidly frozen.
Speaker D:These new freezing systems they have are ultra fast and ultra cold, and as a result the ice crystals are smaller.
Speaker D:If you throw a turkey into an old fashioned walk in freezer or refrigerator, it forms large ice crystals which puncture the muscle cells and you get a lot of liquid escapes.
Speaker D:Frozen turkey by law, unless they've changed law, USDA says can go as low as 26 degrees, which they consider fresh turkeys.
Speaker D:If you've ever picked up a turkey that's frozen or that's fresh at 26 degrees, it's a bowling ball as hard as a rock.
Speaker D:I don't know how they get away with doing that.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:That sounds totally misleading.
Speaker D:But if it was a really, really, truly fresh turkey where it had been killed, never frozen, shipped to the store, I'm not crazy about going that route either because it can take days in transit.
Speaker D:It can sit in on a loading dock while they're waiting to bring it indoors, or we don't know if the truck is at the right temperature, how long it's been in the display case.
Speaker D:So I buy frozen turkey and they turn out okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Leanne, what's your thoughts on that?
Speaker C:I agree.
Speaker C:I mean, they've got it down to a science freezing now.
Speaker C:And you know, it's almost like cryovac.
Speaker C:Everything, even really good fish, sushi grade fish at restaurants are FedEx over and they're frozen.
Speaker C:So when they, you know, freeze them real quickly, they're as fresh as that meat can possibly be on a turkey.
Speaker C:You know, like he said, you don't know where it's been.
Speaker C:If it's been fresh, it's, it's more risky.
Speaker C:So I agree.
Speaker C:I buy frozen turkeys and make sure you buy your turkey early so it defrosts on time in the refrigerator.
Speaker D:You know, there's all kinds of calculations for how many days for how many pounds.
Speaker D:Rule of thumb, if the turkey's frozen, put it in the fridge a week in advance.
Speaker D:So Thanksgiving's Thursday.
Speaker D:Put it in the fridge on the premium previous Thursday or Friday.
Speaker D:That's a little more time than you really need.
Speaker D:But sometimes it's particularly down in the center there where the gizzard and everything is.
Speaker D:There'll still be ice crystals if you don't get it going early.
Speaker D:So now if you're, if you, if you follow up and you forget to start the thawing early and you get behind and you realize, oh, I only got three days.
Speaker D:You can speed it up a little by putting it in a bucket of water.
Speaker D:Make it cold water, but put it in a bucket of water and that water removes heat from cold.
Speaker D:Actually, let me, let me rephrase.
Speaker D:Water transfers from the water because it's.
Speaker D:The water is warmer than the bird, transfers heat faster than air.
Speaker D:So that, that will help if you absolutely have to.
Speaker D:You can put it in the sink with some hot water, but don't leave it in there more than a couple hours.
Speaker B:There was a great story years ago about John Wayne.
Speaker B:His wife wanted to, his second wife wanted to do a big traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Speaker B:She went out that morning and bought a frozen turkey.
Speaker B:And she was with hot water.
Speaker B:She actually washed it with soap.
Speaker B:She did all kinds of stuff.
Speaker B:And when the Duke came home, he was just laughing at her.
Speaker B:So he took everybody out to dinner.
Speaker B:Okay, I think they probably chucked the turkey, but she was just working her little heart out trying to get that turkey.
Speaker B:Thought I will tell you, and we talked about this before, I think I mentioned this last year when I get a frozen turkey, because I won't get mine till Friday or Saturday.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:I just, schedule wise, I let it sit out on the counter in the house for about an hour to an hour and a half, just.
Speaker B:And then I put it in the fridge, I give it that little jump start and nobody's died.
Speaker B:But I think that's a good idea.
Speaker B:Yeah, just give it a little kick right there and then follow the prescribed procedures.
Speaker D:Generally, rule of thumb is if meat is kept below 40 degrees, you're not going to have bacterial growth.
Speaker D:And there's a high likelihood there are bacteria on the bird, but it'll all die when you cook it, so it's nothing to worry about.
Speaker D:But if you let it sit out for a few hours, it's staying below 40.
Speaker D:It's just fine.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because I leave it in the cryovac package, the whole thing.
Speaker B:I just leave it in there.
Speaker B:Then it goes.
Speaker B:We have two refrigerators here, like a lot of people do.
Speaker B:I put it out on the one on the back porch, put it on, on the rack in there.
Speaker B:There's nothing above it or below it.
Speaker B:And I just let it sit there.
Speaker B:And then I, I check it every day to kind of give it the old finger test to see if I'm making progress, you know, a little bit like that.
Speaker B:And then, you know, I'll pull it out Thursday morning and take it out of the packaging, rinse it all out, take the gizzards in the liver and all that stuff out.
Speaker B:Excuse me.
Speaker B:And, and then again, if it's still got a few of those little crystals in the cavity, I'll let it sit for a little bit.
Speaker B:Not hours, you know, but a little bit at room temperature.
Speaker B:A lot of that'll go away.
Speaker B:And then, you know, rinse it off and get it in the, get it in the cooker.
Speaker B:Pretty simple for me.
Speaker D:Now here, here's a tip for folks out there.
Speaker D:If you're serving a big crowd, resist the temptation to buy a massive turkey.
Speaker D:Buy two small ones.
Speaker D:Two 12 pound turkeys is better than 124.
Speaker D:And the reason is, as everybody should know is the big problem with turkey is the breast meat.
Speaker D:And the problem with the breast meat is it has very little fat and it can dry out pretty quickly and you go from tender and juicy to cardboard in moments.
Speaker D:That breast meat on the big 24 pounder is bigger than a softball.
Speaker D:It's, it's, it's, that's a lot.
Speaker D:It's a large thermal mass and it takes a lot of energy to cook it and it take.
Speaker D:And by the time the, the heat penetrates down to the center so that it's cooked safely edge to edge, the exterior is overcooked and dried out.
Speaker D:So get two smaller birds.
Speaker D:First of all, younger birds are more tender and more juicy to begin with.
Speaker D:So get two 12s, cook them and hey, throw one in the oven, throw one on the smoker, whatever.
Speaker C:And as Jeff says, it gives you twice as many drumsticks too.
Speaker D:There you go.
Speaker D:We go to my brother in law's house, my wife's brother, and they're the sweetest people.
Speaker D:And there's a bunch of young ones in there and they don't know the drumsticks are often left over.
Speaker D:I don't know, I don't get them.
Speaker B:Blasphemy.
Speaker B:That's blasphemy.
Speaker D:Yeah, that's the first thing I go for.
Speaker B:That's why I always buy a couple extras.
Speaker B:We've got a store in.
Speaker D:Yes, right.
Speaker D:I've heard you talk about it.
Speaker D:Your drumstick theory.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:You clean out the store of drumsticks?
Speaker B:Well, I, I buy two or three depending on what size they have the day I'm in there.
Speaker B:And they also have packages, and this is not for everybody, but they also have packages of turkey giblets and I like to put them in my stuffing.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:So I'll buy a package or two of those, depending on the package size.
Speaker B:I have those, but I have the drumsticks and I always smoke a couple extra drumsticks.
Speaker B:And I've said this before, so if I'm being redundant, forgive me, folks, but I hide them.
Speaker B:So kind of like I make an extra pecan pie and I hide it.
Speaker B:So at the.
Speaker B:When everybody goes home Thursday night and they've all got their Tupperware containers full of stuff and you're left with some scraps of the turkey, so to speak, we have enough for some good turkey sandwiches to watch the football games the next couple of days.
Speaker B:That's my theory.
Speaker D:We were talking about fresh turkeys earlier and I got a short story to tell.
Speaker D:I'm in the Chicagoland area and, and not far from me is a guy who will sell you.
Speaker D:He has live turkeys on display.
Speaker D:They're all lined up.
Speaker D:It's, you know, it's like you go to Reno and you go to one of these places where the girls are all lined up.
Speaker D:You get to, I'll take her.
Speaker D:And, and, and he reaches in the cage, grabs him by the legs, sticks them headfirst into this funnel type device and slits their throat right in front of your arms.
Speaker D:And the message here is, is if you can get a live turkey and have it slaughtered fresh, don't cook it right away because rigor mortis sets in.
Speaker D:And after a day, or if you take it home in that night or the next day even, it's going to be hard as a nail.
Speaker D:You got to let it recover from rigor mortis for a couple of days at least.
Speaker D:So be very careful about that.
Speaker D:The other thing is, is if you've gotten a John Way Elaine's Wife frozen bird the day before Thanksgiving, you can actually cook a frozen bird.
Speaker D:It's not ideal.
Speaker D:It's not the best way to go.
Speaker D:Cook it at a low temperature and it will thaw and cook gradually.
Speaker D:It'll take a lot longer than normal, but it'll be okay.
Speaker D:It won't be great and.
Speaker D:But it won't be awful.
Speaker B:Okay, we're gonna take a break.
Speaker B:We're gonna be back with Meathead from AmazingRibs.com and the world traveler, Ms. Leanne Whippen and I will be back in just a moment.
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Speaker E:Everybody, it's Jeff here.
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Speaker B:Welcome back to Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's us.
Speaker B:And we've got Leanne again today with us, as always, and Meathead from amazing ribs dot com.
Speaker B:Meathead is the only guest we've ever had on this show to correlate live turkeys with a brothel.
Speaker B:So I. I just never.
Speaker D:And I gotta tell you, I need.
Speaker D:I need a code of silly.
Speaker D:I have never been to a brothel.
Speaker B:Okay, well, I wasn't gonna ask that.
Speaker D:Question, but I once worked in a liquor store that was next door to a strip joint.
Speaker D:And the girls, the girls all came in and bought for me.
Speaker D:So that was kind of fun.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:See, life is an amazing thing.
Speaker B:All right, so we've been talking about the turkeys and, and that.
Speaker B:And that's, of course, the big dish people also, other people will do a ham or whatever.
Speaker B:And I just, like always when people ask me, it's like, just use your common sense.
Speaker B:The hams are normally pre cooked, especially if you get a honey baked ham or anything like that, you know, you're just basically heating them up.
Speaker B:If you buy one that's a shank or something or a butt, then you.
Speaker B:You do have to cook that.
Speaker B:But it's not that difficult.
Speaker D:Well, you mentioned that some people do a ham, and I know some people do lasagna and some people do prime rib and stuff, but I think by and large, in general, most people are doing turkey.
Speaker D:And this is.
Speaker D:I'm going to get philosophical here for a second, and you may have heard me do this little spiel before, because I think Thanksgiving is the coolest holiday of them all.
Speaker D:First of all, it's a food holiday.
Speaker D:It's, you know, it's a harvest holiday.
Speaker D:It's celebrated about food and around food, it's.
Speaker D:I mean, we eat great meals on the 4th of July and Christmas and Easter and everything.
Speaker D:But this is a holiday designed for dining.
Speaker D:And not only is it dine for dining, most of us are having the same meal all across the country, regardless of race, religion, country of origin, politics.
Speaker D:We're having turkey and stuffing and cranberries and sweet potatoes or variations of the theme.
Speaker D:It's almost as if we're all at one giant table across the country.
Speaker D:Regardless of that which divides us, we're together on this one meal.
Speaker D:And I just think that's poetic.
Speaker D:I'm not aware of any other culture or country that has anything similar, and I love it.
Speaker B:The other thing Meathead didn't tell you in that little speech there is that he will be at the end of the table, closest to the table that's holding the pies.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, that's where he's at.
Speaker B:And we're going to get the pies in the next segment.
Speaker B:But yeah, he's.
Speaker D:That's one of the reasons why you want to do the cook the turkey on your grill or your smoker.
Speaker D:So there's room in the oven for pies.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Now, next Wednesday, this coming Wednesday, Meathead will be banned from the kitchen.
Speaker D:You know this?
Speaker B:Yes, I know this because Lou, his wife and his nieces and all, they do the whole pie thing all day long and that.
Speaker B:And I think they put up one of those police tape things across the doorway to the kitchen so he can't get in there.
Speaker D:You know, we have done the Thanksgiving broadcast, the three of us together before, maybe more than once, so we know all our own, all of each other's stories and can finish our sentences.
Speaker D:But for those of you who haven't heard it before, I think here's another wonderful tradition.
Speaker D:Years ago, I mean, we're talking 20 or more years ago, my wife approached her three nieces and said, let's get together on Wednesday and bake pies.
Speaker D:And they did.
Speaker D:And they.
Speaker D:And as they started having children, the kids started attending and they had multiple children.
Speaker D:And now many of them have grown up and graduated.
Speaker D:A couple are getting married, but they still all get together.
Speaker D:And it's a big gang now, maybe 15 of them.
Speaker D:And jobs are assigned.
Speaker D:Your job is to cut the apples.
Speaker D:Your job is to roll out the.
Speaker D:The crust.
Speaker D:And they, they have a blast.
Speaker D:And they do it every year.
Speaker D:And they, they bake the three required pies, apple, pecan and pumpkin.
Speaker D:And then they usually do something creative, something fun and different.
Speaker D:And the pies are fabulous, but it's just, you know, it's again, another ceremony, if you will, that makes this holiday so special.
Speaker B:My mom used to take.
Speaker B:There was always that little trimmings, excuse me, of the pie crust, right.
Speaker B:And she would take those and she would put cinnamon and sugar on them for me.
Speaker B:And she would bake these little rounds, but they, they weren't cut with a cookie cutter or anything like that.
Speaker B:They were just hand pressed.
Speaker B:But she would make those and that Was my treat on pie day.
Speaker B:Because you couldn't cut into the pie.
Speaker D:You know, my wife does the exact same thing, because when you're trimming the.
Speaker D:The crust right, it overhangs the edge of the pie plate.
Speaker D:And so you.
Speaker D:You.
Speaker D:You.
Speaker D:You snip off that excess crust, and she does.
Speaker D:She.
Speaker D:She just leaves it.
Speaker D:She kind of makes it like a twist.
Speaker B:Twist.
Speaker C:Yeah, my mom would twist it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:And sprinkles sugar on it.
Speaker D:Occasionally some cinnamon, but usually just sugar.
Speaker D:And it pops it in the oven with the pie, and they come out early, and I love those things.
Speaker D:They're a little.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, they're great treats, Leanne.
Speaker D:Now, wait a minute.
Speaker D:I got.
Speaker D:Excuse me.
Speaker D:I got to jump in here.
Speaker D:I gotta.
Speaker D:I know that you bake, Jeff, but I know that Leanne is an excellent.
Speaker B:Oh, she is.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Are you a.
Speaker D:A lard or a butter or.
Speaker D:Or what is your fat of choice in pie crust lately?
Speaker C:Because I actually did make a pie lately.
Speaker C:I did half Crisco, half butter.
Speaker C:Worked out great.
Speaker C:Before that, you know, it was really lard or Crisco.
Speaker C:Whatever I have in the refrigerator is what I use.
Speaker C:How about you?
Speaker D:I have fear of flour.
Speaker D:I don't do it.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:It's very messy.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:How about you, Jeff?
Speaker B:We're a lard household.
Speaker B:That's the way I was taught.
Speaker B:And I get those little bricks of lard or little buckets, depending on how many you're going to make.
Speaker B:Doesn't take much, but, yeah, we did that.
Speaker B:It was hot water, vinegar, lard, flour.
Speaker B:Trying to think right off top of my head because I don't do it enough to know the recipe.
Speaker B:Yeah, but we would do that, and there's lots of recipes out there for it.
Speaker B:But the lard crust, you just have to be careful not to, like, put too much vinegar in it because it can get a vinegary taste.
Speaker B:I've done that.
Speaker B:But if you follow the proper instructions, you.
Speaker B:You shouldn't have that underlying vinegar.
Speaker C:One thing I heard about was a restaurant in Texas making a phenomenal pecan pie, and they use bacon grease in the crust.
Speaker C:And I've always wanted to try that.
Speaker D:That makes sense.
Speaker D:You know, that filling, that gelatin, like, filling.
Speaker D:I think the molasses would go really well with bacon grease.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:And we've all got cans of.
Speaker B:Or at least I think we do.
Speaker B:Of bacon grease.
Speaker C:Yes, we do.
Speaker D:You know, I do.
Speaker D:I do.
Speaker D:I have a jar in the fridge just like that.
Speaker B:Okay, we're gonna take another break.
Speaker B:We're gonna be back with Meathead from Amazing Ribs, Leanne from Pig Powder fame also.
Speaker B:She's a big superstar now in the Middle East.
Speaker B:We'll talk more about that when we come back.
Speaker B:You're listening to Barbecue Nation.
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Speaker B:Check it out.
Speaker B:Welcome back to Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:If you are listening to the between segments, which gets put out there sometimes, we were talking about the dress code in Abu Dhabi.
Speaker B:I can guarantee you that you would not do that in Saudi Arabia.
Speaker B:I can, absolutely.
Speaker C:Now, when you go in the mosques over there, you have to wear a head covering and you have to have your arms covered.
Speaker C:But as far as being out in the general public, I really didn't see any restrictions per se.
Speaker D:The same is true in most churches.
Speaker D:I don't know too much about this country, but in Europe, they insist that you have no sleeveless, no short shorts.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:So especially if you're going to tour the Vatican.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:One thing we didn't finish up on the last segment I wanted to get to was doing a ham.
Speaker B:You get a pre cook like a honey baked or one of those some spiral cut thing.
Speaker B:Leanne, how do you work with that?
Speaker C:Well, honey baked, usually they've done everything they are going to do to it.
Speaker C:When I buy a ham, though, I like to put some sort of a glaze on it, you know, that includes apricot preserves of all things, and Dijon mustard.
Speaker C:Simple as that.
Speaker C:And just put it on there towards the end and it'll be beautiful and tasty, too.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Meathead.
Speaker B:What if they just buy a.
Speaker B:Just a, a butt or shanked or something?
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:There's different cuts that they get for the ham, by the way, is the hind leg of a pig.
Speaker D:And there, there is something called a ham from the front leg, but it's not the same.
Speaker D:So you want to get a real ham from the hind leg.
Speaker D:And that's a big thick hunk of meat, often with a bone down the center.
Speaker D:And usually it is part cooked.
Speaker D:I mean, you can get raw.
Speaker D:It's called a green ham.
Speaker D:And you could smoke it just like you would a pork butt or anything else.
Speaker D:But usually it's.
Speaker D:And it's injected with salt and Prague powder number one, which is a pink salt, which is a preservative.
Speaker D:And so that's what makes it very bright pink, like a hot dog or a corned beef.
Speaker D:And I'll buy one of those not pre sliced or spiral sliced.
Speaker D:And I'll double smoke it, meaning it comes in smoked already.
Speaker D:It's part.
Speaker D:It's part cooked.
Speaker D:You could eat it raw, but they tell you to take it up to 140.
Speaker D:But I'll throw it on the smoker and get a fresh smoke, which is different than the pre smoke.
Speaker D:And it's nice, it adds to it, it doesn't over smoke it.
Speaker D:And you know, maybe an hour of a very light smoke.
Speaker D:My pellet smoker is good for that.
Speaker D:And then I wrap it in foil and do the same thing as Leanne with an.
Speaker D:I don't want apricot and peach work so well with Anne, but I'll grab a jar of Smucker's Apricot J them and maybe mix in a little white wine or a sweet white wine and paint it all over with that and wrap it up in foil, make like a.
Speaker D:It looks like a Hershey's Kiss and just let it.
Speaker D:Let it kind of braise and steam inside that foil for a little bit and then pour off that liquid.
Speaker D:And that's my gravy.
Speaker D:And slice it up and put the little gravy boat in the table and let people pour some of that.
Speaker D:That lovely apricot and wine marinade.
Speaker D:It's delicious.
Speaker B:I think, and I want to bring this up.
Speaker B:I think that gravy is something that a lot of people that are not used to cooking, especially large meals maybe have a little reticence about doing.
Speaker B:You've got.
Speaker B:You've talked many times about the drippings that you use.
Speaker B:I do too.
Speaker B:I like gym.
Speaker B:It's in my gravy.
Speaker B:A lot of people don't.
Speaker E:I get it.
Speaker B:Okay, like that.
Speaker B:But you know, the other thing with gravy too is I remember my mom would actually start it and kind of have it going.
Speaker B:And then the timing, of course, timing on a big meal is everything.
Speaker B:When you're going to get the bird out of the oven, you're going to carve it, you're going to present it, you're going to do all this stuff.
Speaker B:Any tips from you guys on working with the gravy?
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker D:I. I have a gravy technique, and all of this stuff's on AmazingRibs.com but it's just killer.
Speaker D:It's fantastic.
Speaker D:First of all, I'm gonna smoke my turkey.
Speaker D:Second of all, I typically either spatchcock it or I cut it up into legs and breast, and I'll cut the breast off the carcass so it's boneless, and I'll break off the thigh and drumstick.
Speaker D:I'll leave them together and take the wings off.
Speaker D:And now I have a carcass.
Speaker D:Oh.
Speaker D:There's two little hunks of meat on the underside called the oysters, because they're about the size of oysters, and you guys know about them, and.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah, they're succulent.
Speaker D:They're delicious.
Speaker D:And you want to get those out.
Speaker D:And those are for the chef.
Speaker D:You don't have to tell anybody out there that you know where they are or that you cook them.
Speaker D:They're for you.
Speaker D:But I now have a carcass that still has a lot of meat and stuff on it.
Speaker D:And I break it up, crush it down as much as I can, and I put it in a pan underneath the bird.
Speaker D:And in that pan also goes all the skin that I trim from either cavity.
Speaker D:All of the giblets except the liver.
Speaker D:The liver doesn't go in there.
Speaker D:I save the liver for freezing, and I use that for making a liver pate or something, or I'll even give it to the dogs.
Speaker D:But you don't want to mix in the liver and the gravy or.
Speaker D:Or anything else.
Speaker D:It's just got too strong a flavor.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:And then I throw in an apple or two.
Speaker D:I throw in some white wine.
Speaker D:I throw in some carrots, some celery, some herbs.
Speaker D:Basically, I set up this pan under the bird to make a turkey stock.
Speaker D:And then it.
Speaker D:The turkey cooks and drips, and the drips are smoky and about.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker D:When the turkey gets to about 150, I'm shooting for 160 for the turkey and the.
Speaker D:In the breast.
Speaker D:When it gets to about 150, I'll pull this pan out and dump out all the solids, drain it, taste it, and if it's thin, I'll put it on the stovetop and reduce it so it's richer.
Speaker D:Or if it's just right, that's fine.
Speaker D:I keep it warm.
Speaker D:It is absolutely fantastic.
Speaker D:It is rich and delicious, and it's got the smoky flavor.
Speaker D:And if you pour it over breast meat, it will soak right in.
Speaker D:And and you know, if you add flour or anything else, which is your traditional gravy, it becomes thick and it doesn't penetrate.
Speaker D:It sits on top of the meat and it's delightful.
Speaker D:But this way it just penetrates.
Speaker D:And there's this technique.
Speaker D:There's almost always leftover after Thanksgiving's over.
Speaker B:I have to do a thing coming up in a couple weeks.
Speaker B:And it's when I go into the TV station, we shoot two shows.
Speaker B:We shoot a live show, and then I shoot one that they can use.
Speaker B:And this one is for an inclement weather day, like a snow day.
Speaker B:You get a lot of snow days in Chicago.
Speaker B:We don't get that many here.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:But they do.
Speaker B:So it's kind of like what's in the fridge?
Speaker B:That's kind of the working title of these segments this year.
Speaker B:I'm doing one.
Speaker B:I'm messing around with it.
Speaker B:A little off topic, folks, but bear with me.
Speaker B:I'm doing muffins.
Speaker B:Like you're saying like a piece of bread or English muffin in the bottom of the muffin pan, and then a mixture of eggs, whatever you would have in your fridge.
Speaker B:Eggs, onions, cheese, diced ham, whatever.
Speaker B:And then you cook it in the muffin tin like that.
Speaker B:It works out pretty well.
Speaker B:I'm still toying with it, but, you know, it's just whatever you got.
Speaker B:And I love those kind of things that we do.
Speaker B:Whatever you got in the fridge, you got to create something with it.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker B:So there you go.
Speaker B:I like on day two, Friday or Saturday, I like the stuffing or the dressing with the gravy.
Speaker B:With my turkey sandwich, when I'm watching the ball.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:And put it right on the sandwich.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker D:With cranberries.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Just get after it.
Speaker D:It.
Speaker B:Just get after it.
Speaker B:The other thing I was going to suggest to people is for all, especially the hardcore barbecue folks that might have a two burner, freestanding propane unit, like, you cook big pots.
Speaker B:I cook my potatoes and my sweet potatoes outside on the deck or we have a covered patio.
Speaker B:I cook them out there.
Speaker B:So you don't get all the steam and stuff in the kitchen.
Speaker B:Like that can raise the temperature all of a sudden, if you're kind of dressed nicely for the event and all of a sudden the temperature goes from 71 degrees in your kitchen to 103.
Speaker B:And you won't know if your antiperspirant is really working until you do that.
Speaker B:So I have found that cooking that outside just helps as far as organization of the meal.
Speaker B:And getting stuff prepped.
Speaker C:Well, that's also a good idea for doing a fried turkey.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And don't make the mistake of putting too much oil in your pot before you drop the turkey in.
Speaker C:So you take your turkey and water and put it in the pot so you can see the level of your water.
Speaker C:And then when you take the turkey out, you'll see how much oil you need based on the line of the top of the water.
Speaker B:Every year here, and you've heard me say this before, every year there's a story, at least one of somebody that was doing a fried turkey in their garage or something, and the damn thing blows up, and then the fire department has to show up.
Speaker D:YouTube is full of videos of people setting their garage on fire when they fry turkey.
Speaker D:I like fried turkeys.
Speaker D:The big advantage is it gives really great crispy skin.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker D:And they are.
Speaker D:They tend to be moist.
Speaker D:They just don't have the flavor that a smoked turkey has.
Speaker B:No, no.
Speaker B:But they are crunchy and good.
Speaker B:Okay, we're out of time, but a couple things.
Speaker B:What's one tip, Leanne to give to people that we haven't talked about for Thanksgiving?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Unless you got a Philly in the third at Preakness or something.
Speaker D:But, you know, how about the stock market?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker E:God.
Speaker B:Okay, we are going to take a break.
Speaker B:Sorry for that little technical glitch in the middle there, folks, but you probably won't even see it after or hear it after Dave gets done.
Speaker D:No, we had fun talking about you while you were gone.
Speaker B:Good, good.
Speaker B:Glad somebody is making headway.
Speaker D:We've both seen you naked, so we.
Speaker B:You know, this is a food show.
Speaker B:We don't want to scare people.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:And like I've said before, if you were talking about fish, every time I'm on the beach, Greenpeace comes by with a pole, tries to get me back in the water.
Speaker B:Anyway, we're gonna take a break.
Speaker B:We'll be back in a minute.
Speaker B:Don't go away.
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Speaker E:Hey, everybody, it's jt.
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Speaker E:But it's more than that because each bite of Painted Hills will make your taste buds explode.
Speaker E:Put a big, bright smile on your face, and whoever's at your dinner table will have a big, bright smile on their face.
Speaker E:And you can thank me for that later.
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Speaker B:You won't regret it.
Speaker E:Hey, everybody, J.T.
Speaker B:Here.
Speaker E:I want to tell you about Hammerstahl knives.
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Speaker E:They're part of the Heritage steel group, which also does their pots and pans.
Speaker E:So go to heritagesteel us.
Speaker E:Check out the Hammer Stahl knives if you're really into cooking.
Speaker B:I think you're really gonna.
Speaker B:Welcome back to Barbecue Nation on JT along with Meathead from AmazingRibs.com and miss whipping normally.
Speaker B:I kind of flubbed up that last segment.
Speaker D:Leanne, can you hear our new puppy?
Speaker D:She was just barking up the storm.
Speaker B:Oh, okay.
Speaker B:I. I couldn't hear it.
Speaker D:She's in the next room barking like crazy.
Speaker B:You use pig powder at all, Leanne, during Thanksgiving?
Speaker C:Yes, I use pig powder on the turkey.
Speaker C:It's awesome on poultry.
Speaker C:Even though it says pig powder.
Speaker C:You think it's only good on pork.
Speaker C:Not true.
Speaker C:It's very good on chicken.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I have the same problem.
Speaker D:I make a rub called Memphis Dust, and on the label of the bottle, it says for pork.
Speaker D:But it's really an all purpose.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:And I've had big powder, and it is.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:I mean, in fact, I got to tell you, I don't think I mentioned this before.
Speaker D:I put some pig powder on some salmon and smoked it.
Speaker D:It was really good.
Speaker D:Yeah, it's really good.
Speaker B:I've used it on all kinds of seafood.
Speaker B:I've used it on all kinds of poultry.
Speaker B:Of course, piggies.
Speaker B:I think it's great.
Speaker B:And I've used it on vegetables.
Speaker B:All right, we were.
Speaker B:We got to press this a little bit here.
Speaker B:Side dishes.
Speaker B:We do kind of a traditional.
Speaker B:I do the stuffing, and of course, I do a green bean casserole.
Speaker B:And I do.
Speaker B:I do yams, not sweet potatoes.
Speaker B:That's just because of the crew I'm feeding.
Speaker B:I know what they prefer.
Speaker D:Tell the audience the difference between yams and sweet potatoes.
Speaker B:The spelling.
Speaker B:The spelling.
Speaker B:You didn't get that joke?
Speaker D:No, I didn't hear it.
Speaker D:I've got a Labrador, a little Labrador retriever next door making a racket.
Speaker B:Oh, now I hear it.
Speaker C:Yeah, I heard it that time.
Speaker B:Well, I use yams because I think they're actually sweeter.
Speaker B:Leanne.
Speaker C:I use sweet potatoes because that's just what I've used over the years.
Speaker C:But I don't use canned.
Speaker C:I use real sweet potatoes in the sweet potato casserole I make, which has like a praline topping with pecans and brown sugar and flour.
Speaker C:It almost tastes dessert like.
Speaker C:And actually in the sweet potatoes is some coconut, which is a different kind of a twist.
Speaker C:Not a lot, but just enough to give it a little sweet, unusual flavor.
Speaker B:I just take the yams and I cut them up into thirds or something because we get big ones.
Speaker B:And I boil them, I let them cool.
Speaker B:The skin comes right off.
Speaker B:Then I whip them and I put some brown sugar and some cinnamon.
Speaker B:Sometimes I'll put maybe like some amaretto or something in it.
Speaker B:Oh, look at there.
Speaker C:Look at the baby.
Speaker D:How long you cook this for?
Speaker B:Oh, that.
Speaker B:That might take a while.
Speaker D:This is Starla.
Speaker B:Hi, Starla.
Speaker C:Hi.
Speaker D:Starla is going to be a leader dog for the blind if I don't screw her up.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:She is in training.
Speaker D:She is four months old and she's wiggly baby, and she's adorable.
Speaker D:And that's a hobby we have.
Speaker D:We train puppies and for leader dogs for the blind.
Speaker D:And she's number eight.
Speaker D:We've done.
Speaker B:Oh, good for you.
Speaker C:That's a huge commitment.
Speaker B:So do you.
Speaker B:Do you ever do the marshmallows?
Speaker B:I have people that like marshmallows on the sweet potatoes.
Speaker C:So I'm a marshmallow fan.
Speaker D:I love them.
Speaker D:And Julia Child loved them.
Speaker E:Yes.
Speaker D:She wrote that.
Speaker D:How much.
Speaker D:We have a niece who does them.
Speaker D:And like clockwork, without fail, she burns them almost every year.
Speaker D:Last year, I think last year was the breakthrough.
Speaker D:She actually got them out in time when they were brown and golden.
Speaker D:But she almost always burns them them.
Speaker C:Doesn't take long.
Speaker B:No, it doesn't take long.
Speaker B:I. I do half and half because of people that don't like them and they don't have to mess with them.
Speaker B:That's good.
Speaker C:That's perfect.
Speaker B:And the people that do like them, they can have as much as they'd like.
Speaker B:Like that.
Speaker D:I think they're so good with maple syrup.
Speaker B:Oh, God.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:Any other sides, you guys?
Speaker B:You know, we've kind of covered the tradition.
Speaker B:Oh, guess whose hands up again.
Speaker D:Okay, I've talked about this before.
Speaker D:I've talked about this with you guys before, but it's worth repeating is I make stuffing muffins instead of a big pan.
Speaker D:All right, Definition of turns.
Speaker D:Stuffing is what's inside the bird.
Speaker D:Dressing is what's in the pan.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker D:So the stuffing is stuffed.
Speaker D:Strongly recommend you do not stuff the bird.
Speaker D:When you stuff the bird, you now make a bowling ball.
Speaker D:And it is a large thermal mass.
Speaker D:And because the juices from the bird do get into the stuffing, you have to cook the stuffing to 160 degrees to make it safe.
Speaker D:And that takes a lot longer than cooking a bird with an empty cavity because warm air goes into the cavity and it cooks from both sides, inside and out.
Speaker D:Now, it doesn't get a lot in there.
Speaker D:And if you make a spatchcock bird, which lays out flat, you can now brown the inside of the cavity and brown as flavor.
Speaker D:And you do the stuffing on the side.
Speaker D:Now, a lot of people will do it in a pan, but I do them in muffin tins.
Speaker D:I make little muffins out of them.
Speaker D:Now you gotta mix a little egg in there so they hold together a little better.
Speaker D:I've got the recipe on AmazingRibs.com but they look so cool.
Speaker D:They, you know, you got the muffin top.
Speaker D:And the cool thing is the muffin top gets crispy and crunchy.
Speaker D:And that's the best part of this.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker D:Everybody wants the crunchy muffin or the crunchy top.
Speaker D:So everybody gets a muffin all the exact same size and all with a nice crunchy top.
Speaker D:And they're delicious and delightful and they're fun looking at and it's really easy.
Speaker D:So I don't stuff the bird and I do them in muffin tins.
Speaker D:I call them muffins or stuffings.
Speaker C:So when you're putting your menu together.
Speaker C:I know, Jeff, you appease everyone that comes to your table and, you know, serve their favorites.
Speaker C:But don't get caught up totally in the food.
Speaker C:Just kind of get caught up to, you know, inviting your friends and family that you want to enjoy the time with first off.
Speaker C:And then food comes secondary.
Speaker C:But once your menu set, it's set.
Speaker C:And I think everybody would be happy just to be together.
Speaker B:I think that's good.
Speaker D:I'll echo that.
Speaker D:What's in the chairs is more important than what's on the table.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker D:And for another tip, if you want, I'm a wino and I love wine.
Speaker D:And it's hard to pick wine for a big crowd because everybody's tastes are different.
Speaker D:But I've learned that Riesling cabinet style, a slightly off, dry, slightly sweet Riesling goes beautifully with the turkey and everybody loves it.
Speaker D:So that's, that's my choice.
Speaker D:I bring either a California or a Northwest.
Speaker D:A lot of really good Rieslings out of Oregon and Washington state, and.
Speaker D:But I bring a German Riesling cabinet.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Last thing.
Speaker B:Pigpowder.com for Leanne.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker C:Currently, we're sold out.
Speaker C:Great.
Speaker C:So I was in Dubai, Okay.
Speaker C:And right before I flew out, my pallets were supposed to arrive on the day of flying out, so I had to delay the delivery.
Speaker C:As a matter of fact, I'm taking care of that tomorrow.
Speaker C:But it'll soon be online, and there'll be a spicy pig powder added as well.
Speaker B:Excellent.
Speaker B:Excellent.
Speaker B:And Meathead's new book, the Meathead Method, is available online in stores.
Speaker B:It's right there.
Speaker B:He's got two of the best cookbooks and science books and technique books.
Speaker B:They.
Speaker B:They cover everything.
Speaker C:And you know what?
Speaker C:If you're looking for a gift, a host gift or hostess gift, when you go to someone's house for Thanksgiving, get the book and give them that.
Speaker C:They will love it.
Speaker C:And it's also great for the holidays.
Speaker D:How kind of you.
Speaker D:I was going to say get pig powder better.
Speaker C:There you go.
Speaker C:But you can't.
Speaker B:And you can buy me golf balls if you want.
Speaker B:Anyway, we gotta get out of here for Leanne and Meathead.
Speaker B:I hope you all have a very wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family.
Speaker D:Thank you.
Speaker D:And a happy Thanksgiving to all your listeners.
Speaker B:Yes, happy Thanksgiving, and remember our motto, especially this coming Thursday.
Speaker B:Turn it, don't burn it.
Speaker B:Take care, everybody.
Speaker A:Barbecue Nation is produced by JTSD LLC Productions and association with Salem Media Group.
Speaker A:All rights reserved.
