If you're cooking the turkey, what time?

valanhb

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What time are you getting up to get the cooking started? And what time is your dinner planned for?

I'm still not sure why the big holiday meals have to be served at a stupid time (like 2:00 in the afternoon), but Earl thinks it does. So I've done the math for our 22 lb. turkey, and I'll be getting up around 6:30 to get the stuffing going and get the bird in the oven around 8:00.
 

halfpint

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I will do the prep today I make stuffing from scratch so it's a bit of work and them put it together tomorrow and stuff the bad boy, and everything else I will have ready to go, I'll put it in about 9:00 am tomorrow and let her cook ..Have a Great Thanksgiving
 

icklemiss21

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My mum (for Christmas) always cooked the Turkey overnight because her mum feels the need to eat at 1pm - she would just slice it and heat up before dinner.

Now we eat at around 4-5pm - makes cooking a lot easier
 

AbbysMom

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I told people to be here for 1:00, but we won't eat until closer to 2:00. I have a 25 lb turkey, so it will probably go into the oven around 8:00. I don't stuff the turkey though. I just started making the stuffing a little while ago. My house smells like a mixture of chocolate, from the chocolate cake in the oven, and onions!
 

halfpint

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Originally Posted by AbbysMom

I told people to be here for 1:00, but we won't eat until closer to 2:00. I have a 25 lb turkey, so it will probably go into the oven around 8:00. I don't stuff the turkey though. I just started making the stuffing a little while ago. My house smells like a mixture of chocolate, from the chocolate cake in the oven, and onions!
Now I'm hungrey
 

phenomsmom

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Ooh Chocolate cake. Too bad I don't have the stuff to make it and I am NOT going to the grocery store today!


My mom is doing the Turkey and I am sure she will be up at about 5 to get everything started. We will eat dinner at about 1 ish.
 

momofmany

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Since we decided to smoke the turkey, I suspect it will take about 10-12 hours so we'll have it going by 7AM. The good news is that I can prep it tonight and hubby has to get up to throw it on (smoking meat is his job). I'll sleep in until I start the dressing in the crock pot (I think the recipe called for 8 hours on that one).

Yikes - Thanksgiving without a kitchen this year! I actually bought a pumpkin pie this morning - I usually bake a pumpkin and make a pie truely from scratch.
 

babyharley

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I'm headed to my Grandma's to help her start doing stuff today actually. She is going to cook the turkey today - because it gets so hectic when everyone gets there, its just easier to make it a day ahead of time.... yum!

We'll eat at 1 tomorrow
 

mooficat

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Oh well I forgot it was Thanks Giving tomorrow.........and wondered .....why on earth are they cooking turkeys now ...........its 32 days til Christmas
 

pat

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Oh I am not sure. Our little family is the worst at getting our Thanksgiving day dinner on the table at the time we've chosen!

There was the year of the turkey that would not cook, the year of the started the turkey too late and boy it just wouldn't cook...etc.

This year, we begin brining the turkey at noon today, and then dh is determined (despite the predictions of wind and rain) to grill this bird.

I'll have to report back tomorrow as to what time we eat!


I do have my cranberry sauce done, my stuffin' muffins (by Rachael Ray) done, and will make Paula Deans plain pumpkin pie today, make my snacks - my recipe of sausage balls, and a kalamata olive/cream cheese dip for celery sticks, plus what we call Pat's Magic Puffies - a non-bread bit of magic that bakes up like bread and can be used like bread for our lowcarb breakfast (made of egg yolk, cream of tartar and a heck of a lot of stiff beaten egg whites).

My largest fear is that we will lose power, as often happens if we have a wind storm, hence trying to get as much baked/cooked ahead of time. I can boil water for tea, make gravy on the wood stove, but that is about it!
 

icklemiss21

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Originally Posted by AbbysMom

I told people to be here for 1:00, but we won't eat until closer to 2:00. I have a 25 lb turkey, so it will probably go into the oven around 8:00. I don't stuff the turkey though. I just started making the stuffing a little while ago. My house smells like a mixture of chocolate, from the chocolate cake in the oven, and onions!
OOOH can you send me chocolate cake and stuffing - I feel like I am missing out!
 

AbbysMom

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I am actually wearing chocolate and stuffing all over my shirt right now
 

crittermom

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I will put the turkey in the roaster at about 7 and then we'll eat around 2ish.Then off to the in-laws..........for God knows how long
 

jcat

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4 p.m.! I had to work today, so I cheated, and just bought drumsticks. I put the stuffing and some potatoes in the bottom of two roasting pans, under the drumsticks, and roasted the stuff for 70 minutes (combination conventional/convection oven; I have one of those ranges with a zillion different settings). The cranberry sauce was store-bought, and I cooked the other veggies in the microwave. Dessert (homemade pumpkin pie) will have to wait till Saturday! That's known as Thanksgiving-Lite.
 

pat

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Well..it's 2 pm, and if we are really lucky, we'll eat at 5.

It's raining, hard...whole of the US is fairly dry except WA and OR.

We now have great photos of DH standing next to our smoker/grill, umbrella in hand, rain pouring, sweet applewood smoke swirling around the grill.

Our brined turkey cooked over applewood will be worth waiting for...I think
 

catkiki

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I decided to forego making a turkey this year. There is only the 2 of us and we are not big on leftovers. I am going to be frying some boneless chicken breasts, corn, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, corn and bisquits. Apple and pumpkin pie. I do have some cranberry sauce chilling in the fridge tho.
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

We now have great photos of DH standing next to our smoker/grill, umbrella in hand, rain pouring, sweet applewood smoke swirling around the grill.
Hey - we smoked our in apple wood also! But it was sunny and 75 here today and the the 13.5 pound turkey cooked in a record 3 hours!! We expected 5 to 6 and the temp hit 180 at 3 hours.

Smoked turkey is yummy but it just isn't the same as oven roasted! But we have lots of smoked turkey sandwiches in our future!!

And did you all fall asleep afterwards?!? I ate about 3 and by 4 was sound asleep for a couple hour nap.
 

pat

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Originally Posted by Momofmany

Hey - we smoked our in apple wood also! But it was sunny and 75 here today and the the 13.5 pound turkey cooked in a record 3 hours!! We expected 5 to 6 and the temp hit 180 at 3 hours.

Smoked turkey is yummy but it just isn't the same as oven roasted! But we have lots of smoked turkey sandwiches in our future!!

And did you all fall asleep afterwards?!? I ate about 3 and by 4 was sound asleep for a couple hour nap.
Our turkey was ready by 5, and we just finished eating and some minimal cleanup - putting away leftovers. I'm headed to my easy chair right now!
It was a wonderful flavor for turkey, we'll do this again..nice smoke ring on the meat
 

sharky

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A friend made dinner... I will tomarrow take the pieces of turkey I bought and cook them so I can make stuffing tommarrow night with mashed potaos ...

Now to remember how to cook turkey without making soup
 

catloverin_ks

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DH deep fried our turkey and it was SOOO yummy!! He started ours about 10:00 and it was done by 12:00...but we actually didnt eat until around 12:30.
 
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