Thanksgiving USA (2025)

Yeah, that's one thing about NOT cooking for a holiday meal - leftovers and that pot of gold, carcass...
I still have one more quart of Turkey Stock in my deep freeze, but that's it.
Oh wait!
I have the Ham Bone from Easter!!!! Can you say Split Pea Soup? or even better is Portuguese Bean Soup, YEAH!!!
 
I do have my chest freezer cleaned out from a few months ago and it's ready for turkey and ham sales! The ham is just for bean soups. I'll get one and cut it into chunks for the freezer and chuck the ham bone in the crockpot with some beans.
 
That all looks great! You're farther ahead in planning than I am. Typically, we have 12-18 people, and we're currently trying to get a final head count. I'll smoke a big frog-cut turkey with the rub that everyone loves, and then cook another in the oil-less fryer in case we kick the smoked one. Beyond that, I'd like to mix things up a little this year, so we've been messaging about what everyone really likes or plans to bring, so that we make sure to hit all the highlights, but don't double up on things others would like to bring. It looks like we'll be doing it on Friday again this year instead of Thursday due to everyone's schedules. Our only issue is that with that number of people, everyone is scattered between the dining room table, the sunroom table, and the "kids" table at the breakfast nook (who are now almost all in their 20s)... unless by some stroke of luck it's unusually warm and then we can move everyone outdoors onto the covered porch and patio.
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Gone Hiking said:
That all looks great! You're farther ahead in planning than I am. Typically, we have 12-18 people, and we're currently trying to get a final head count. I'll smoke a big frog-cut turkey with the rub that everyone loves, and then cook another in the oil-less fryer in case we kick the smoked one. Beyond that, I'd like to mix things up a little this year, so we've been messaging about what everyone really likes or plans to bring, so that we make sure to hit all the highlights, but don't double up on things others would like to bring. It looks like we'll be doing it on Friday again this year instead of Thursday due to everyone's schedules. Our only issue is that with that number of people, everyone is scattered between the dining room table, the sunroom table, and the "kids" table at the breakfast nook (who are now almost all in their 20s)... unless by some stroke of luck it's unusually warm and then we can move everyone outdoors onto the covered porch and patio.
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A frog cut turkey, never heard of it, interesting.
Do you do the cut or is it something a butcher does for you?
 
It's like spatchcocking, but instead of cutting out the spine and opening up the bird from side to side, you open it front to back by cutting it open along the sides. It lays flatter for more even cooking, even better than when spatchcocked, IMO. Once opened, it sort of looks like a frog, hence the name for it. For a 12# bird, I'll smoke it at 225*F with apple pellets until the meat hits 110*F, and then crank the heat to 350*F to crisp the skin until the breast is 165*F. The total smoke time is about 3 hours and 20 minutes. It's by far my favorite way to cook a turkey.
 
Gone Hiking said:
It's like spatchcocking, but instead of cutting out the spine and opening up the bird from side to side, you open it front to back by cutting it open along the sides. It lays flatter for more even cooking, even better than when spatchcocked, IMO. Once opened, it sort of looks like a frog, hence the name for it. For a 12# bird, I'll smoke it at 225*F with apple pellets until the meat hits 110*F, and then crank the heat to 350*F to crisp the skin until the breast is 165*F. The total smoke time is about 3 hours and 20 minutes. It's by far my favorite way to cook a turkey.
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Thanks GH. Thats very useful, I’ve bookmarked it 👍
Especially useful to have the smoking and cooking times n temps.
Does it have much cook over after the 165F? It’s just that’s slightly over my max temp for cooking turkey breast and I wouldn’t want it any higher. Or do you need to go there to get the joints in the legs properly cooked?
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
Thanks GH. Thats very useful, I’ve bookmarked it 👍
Especially useful to have the smoking and cooking times n temps.
Does it have much cook over after the 165F? It’s just that’s slightly over my max temp for cooking turkey breast and I wouldn’t want it any higher. Or do you need to go there to get the joints in the legs properly cooked?
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No, it turns out perfectly every time. Nice and juicy, of course I it rest for a while after bringing it in from the smoker.
 
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