By Erica Hoffman
Like the saying goes, “there is more than one way to skin a cat.” While I don’t know the origin of that wretched saying, I do know that if you change the word “skin” to cook and “cat” to turkey, it starts to make more sense to me.
We all know Thanksgiving will be different this year; hopefully, you’ll be staying safe and keeping your guest list within your “bubble” yadda yadda. So why not embrace change and switch up your tired time-honored traditional way of cooking your turkey. It’s 2020. All bets are off.
Fry it – You can (carefully!) deep fry your turkey. Deep-fried turkey is a Southern tradition. Not only do you get the added bonus of cutting your cooking time down drastically, but it’s also the perfect way to add more fat to your meal.
To pull this off, you will have to use an outdoor cooker.(do NOT deep-fry a turkey indoors) Famed chefs from around the globe recommend marinating the turkey in brine for up to 16 hours. More often than not, recipes call for peanut oil, but vegetable oil will also work. Again, be careful with this one!
Spatchcock it – Yes, I know, this is brand new to me, and I hope I’m not the only one. Spatchcocking fixes things like uneven cooking temperatures and overly dry meat if you do it correctly. Without getting too gross, I will try to explain this ritual. Spatchcocking is essentially butterflying the bird, removing the spine, and splaying it flat.. The point of this is to ensure even cooking.
Smoke it- If you’re familiar with my writing, you’ll know I have an affinity for smokers. Unless you feel like making your own as I did, you’ll have to buy one. Smokers are an excellent way for you to get creative with some of the unique tastes that different wood chips add. Tip; you honestly don’t need to season the turkey beforehand, although it doesn’t hurt. Again, some cooks like to brine ahead of time. Also, note that different types of wood will impart different flavors.
Grill it- There are a lot of upsides to grilling your turkey. One of the best parts about it is the extra space it frees up in the kitchen for the sides (the unsung hero of the Thanksgiving dinner). Kitchen capacity aside, chefs swear by the crisp smokiness of grilled turkey; it far and away beats roasting it in the oven any day of the week.
Keep in mind; grilling does pose a few added challenges. Grills are less precise than ovens, so you will need to keep a vigilant and continuous eye on both the grill thermometer and the meat thermometer (which is an absolute necessity).
Immerse it in a water bath- While expensive and time-consuming, sous vide (French for “under vacuum”) ensures uniform cooking that is all but impossible to achieve with any of the techniques mentioned above. Since these foods are vacuum-sealed, it helps keep the flavors that can be lost when smoked or baked.
You will have to invest in (or make friends with someone who has) a vacuum sealer and high-precision, low-temperature sous-vide device (this heats a water bath to roughly 130-140ºF) to make this sous vide a Turkey Day reality. Also, remember the low cooking temperature means this will take a fair amount of time to finish. But hey, it’s Thanksgiving! If you’re not going to start cooking a turkey at 5 am so you can eat dinner at 3 pm, is it even Thanksgiving?
Whatever you make, however you make it, remember Thanksgiving is exactly that: a time to be thankful. It may seem like there aren’t many reasons to give thanks this year, but I could argue this is the time to be the most thankful. So get on your Zoom calls, listen to your whole family talk over one another, take in and embrace the yelling, laughing, and all the different aspects that make your family delightfully your family. Embrace the crazy and Happy Thanksgiving.
Erica Hoffman was born in Atlantic City and is proud to be writing for Shore Local. She lives in South Jersey and enjoys finding and sharing the lighter side of life.
