SUCCESS! Got everything done well and timely. Our four strays enjoyed themselves (count was 7 then 6 then the grad student roommate showed up- added an extra chair, same place setting to our angled ends seats six table that was our kitchen table minus the leaf until we downsized when we moved).
Decision- as H said before we ate- let’s go to a restaurant next year. I think I’m done doing all the work involved- the planning, shopping, cooking, setup, cleanup. It would be different if it were all family.
Our guests tend to be people we barely know-too old to ask to bring something (eg 70ish man and 90ish woman- they brought wine) and the clueless foreign grad students. M-in-law old and Indian, I cook better. You can tell generations- the older man’s wife died some years ago and he said he lost ten pounds which he has never regained. I suspect he never learned to cook et al. The lady is delightful- from Germany originally and told my H if she were in Europe she would stay out of the kitchen, in America she would offer her help. I appreciate the thoughtfulness but suspect her age means her abilities are not as good (possible tripping while carrying something)- mind so sharp though! The “boys” likely haven’t a clue- the Indian is from a rich family and had offered to “get the turkey” which when I asked he had thought about the good local grocery store but I doubt he would have brought a cooked, hot turkey. My game hens were done just right. H very helpful with the after guest leave cleanup, restoring things to usual. M-in-law great as well keeping me company as I balanced a million things beforehand.
Enough leftovers to eat over the weekend. The treat was son (finally) calling at 9+ pm, 6+ his time before his grandma retired. He usually ignores calls, sigh. He’s coming next week. He was at his same city cousin’s with people, cheerful.
My sister once brined the turkey and same result you had. My H made his traditional turkey as we needed two to feed everyone. His was delicious and moist.
Everything went smoothly yesterday and everything came out perfect. S helped a lot in the kitchen. It’s great having a kid who’s a foodie.
But they took no leftovers when they left today as they are doing a second Friendsgiving on Sunday.
I’ve enough leftovers for days on end.
We are going with friends for Sunday brunch at a lovely hotel about and hour from here. It’ll be welcomed as I know H and I will be sick of anything turkey related by then.
On a food radio show, they were saying many turkeys are already pre-brined and it’s not necessary. I have no idea, but see this,
“You don’t realize that many turkeys are pre-brined. That frozen Butterball “Contains up to 8% of a solution of Water, Salt, Spices, and Natural Flavor.” … The same is true for kosher turkeys, so always check the ingredient list, and if there’s already salt injected into your turkey, don’t brine it.”
With turkey legs only here, no meat leftovers. That’s ok.
For those who brine their turkeys: Do the drippings taste extra salty? My aunt, the family’s gravy connoisseur, wondered aloud about brining yesterday…
We never have any of the breast meat left over, so last year my mom cooked her usual 14-lb whole turkey and I cooked an extra breast. I brined it using a ratio I found on the internet and it was so salty we could barely eat it. I will not brine again. This year, I forgot to cook the extra, but I wish I had. We had tons of the sides left over and none of the white meat turkey. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone in my family likes the dark meat, except maybe my mother.
We brine, have for years. We don’t buy Butterball, we try not to buy one with any “basting” solution. Usually that’s the cheapest per pound frozen turkey. We only brine overnight. The brine goes in a cooler, add the mostly thawed turkey, a little ice to keep things cool. Frees up fridge space for night before preparations. My husband roasts it in a Weber kettle grill (frees up the oven on the day), we’ve have also done that for 30 or more years when we host. It comes out moist and delicious every time. Never too salty. The brine has equal amounts of sugar and salt. No drippings though, get too much ashy stuff in the drip pan. A little smoked flavor from apple wood chips. For the past two years I have made my mom’s French Canadian pork stuffing and we cook it in the bird. So yummy!
I only dry brine and it is never too salty. The drippings are perfect for gravy. I use Ina Garten’s make ahead gravy base, then when the turkey comes out of the oven, I deglaze the roasting pan with white wine, and then stir in the base.
We have the opposite problem. The dark meat was consumed instantly, leaving behind nearly the entire breast of white meat. I like dark meat, so am glad we saved a cut up thigh for ourselves to enjoy before we brought the rest of the turkey to the party. H loves Butterball, and since he’s the cook, we always search for and thaw it for him.
We’ve had Trader Joe’s brined turkeys the past few years. It’s the only poultry I rinse, all because of the salt. I make 2 qts of gravy in advance using plain, natural turkey parts (thighs, wings) and don’t salt it. When I make gravy from the roasted drippings, I don’t salt until it’s done & I can see how much is needed.
Our birds this year finished much earlier than planned, but everyone was able to head over and the sides they brought were in the oven and on the stove while the turkey rested. (TG for double ovens.) We love having one roasted and one smoked.
It all worked out well. Good food, good wine, and good company. Leftovers for all.