America’s Test Kitchen changed me on thanksgiving turkey.
I always hated the meal growing up because it was and bland and I couldn’t do anything to change it. Now that I host the family and take charge of the cooking, I follow ATC’s advice and get two small turkeys instead of one giant one, dry brine them a day ahead, spatchcock and roast. Comes out with the most beautiful crispy skin and the meat is incredibly flavorful.
Not the cheapest or easiest, but proper deep-fried turkey was a game changer.
Always been curious, but I hate the idea of having the day I accidentally burn down my house be the one where the whole family watches it happen 
Always do a displacement test with water before measuring out the (peanut) oil, make sure the turkey is thawed, and never do it next to a structure!
I’ve had it 3 or 4 times. The best turkey I’ve had.
have you ever had a kona crusted steak?!
Dry brine is a must
Also, should you turn off the burner when lowering the Turkey into the pot? That would eliminate an ignition source.
I’ve been refining my in the oven high heat “Thomas Keller roasted chicken” style of turkey. I put at 475 for 120 minutes on about an 18 pound turkey however depending on the size of the turkey you should use a meat thermometer if possible. The good news is this style of cooking is so good if you overcook the meat it is still tender.
I also recommend a 4-5 day dry brine of salt only in the refrigerator (the long brine most certainly makes every bite have salinity, it seams to improve tenderness and the only theoretical issue is maybe the skin gets a little compromised but I’m not sure and this recipe makes the best crispy skin). I cook trying to have as much air under the turkey by modifying racks to give air underneath to roast the turkey. Cook breast side down and legs towards the back. In my opinion High heat Turkey is the best way to create a turkey that is both tender and crispy. Put some water in the pan and be ready for some smoke but it’s worth it.
Not sure what we will eat yet but sake and soju might be on the drink list.
Absolutely, but I’d say the two small birds, spatchcocked makes an even bigger difference because you’re cutting the cook time in half, preserving so much more moisture, and then you also end up with twice as many turkey legs 
I picked up an “injected bird” on sale this week. About 8 lbs., likely a hen.
I find the best use of these birds to be grilled on the Weber with apple, cherry and peach smoke. It came out fine yesterday.
I like Trader Joe’s for their selection of better birds. I buy the Glatt Kosher turkey which is already dry brined, no added salting needed.
This Thanksgiving, we are going to try the D’Artagnan Cassoulet kit for the first time. I will be the “chef” with nearly constant, unsolicited supervision from the “sous-chef”.
I want to pick a nice wine from the cellar to go with this. Still researching, but my tentative choice is a 2012 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet. Any other ideas for the wine?
Big fan of Bandol Rouge with Cassoulet. Trevallon is also an excellent choice.
10000% this! Spot on!
I made Alton Brown’s brined turkey last year and it was the best non-fried turkey I think I’ve ever had. It’s a bit of work, but spread out over time: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe-1950271. Doing it again this year
I think we’ll go with a 2011 BdM corton-charlemagne, and maybe a Vignai da Duline schioppettino.
Love reading everybody’s take on Thanksgiving. I’m destined for traditional dry, bland turkey but I can’t complain as all I do is show up eat and leave 
Never been a huge Thanksgiving guy. Some of your guys’ ideas look awesome though.
I have done the same oven-roasted turkey for years. I always think of changing it up, but wife and others love it, so have never deviated.
I dry brine with a salt mixture of dried bay leaves, ground sage, and pepper, with a bit of rosemary and garlic.
The dry brine starts Sunday night.
Turkey (14-16 lbs) always turns out very moist, even the breast (I cover the breast portion for about 3 or so hours during the roasting), with nice crispy skin.
Would love to fry or smoke a turkey, which my wife says try first before doing it for Thanksgiving, but never had the motivation to do it. Maybe someday . . .
Sounds like a solid choice. I love how Châteauneuf-du-Pape pairs with cassoulet.
We’re hosting, as usual. My parents both like a traditional turkey dinner, but wife is not a fan of turkey. I’m fine with turkey, but don’t miss it if we do something else…which we do about half the time. This year, I’ll be making Beef Wellington for the first time.