[diannecp]

So I boned out a turkey at my mom's today. What fun - well, kind of! First off though, couldn't get on my mom's wireless network so there went my plans to follow a Martha Stewart video - LOL! Good thing I watched it this morning first so it was someone fresh in my head. Basically you start at the backbone and cut away the meat from the carcass all the way down. You pop the leg joint so you can cut that out. I only nicked myself once. it wasn't that hard; with practice, you could knock it out in 30 min. or less. A 2nd pair of hands comes in . . . well, handy! We did not stuff it, although I see lots of recipes for stuffed turkey roll.

She bought a huge bird - 20lb! Next time, I would suggest we do 2 smaller birds (we do have a crowd of at least 12 and we all expect leftovers - LOL!) I think it is still going to take 4 to 4.5 hours to cook. The good thing is, I cooked the carcass already and am going to make the gravy and freeze it. My kitchen is about the size of a postage stamp, but I enjoy cooking whereas my mom . . . not as much. So I don't mind doing things in advance.

'kay . . . nuff about my turkey - anyone else have any interesting menu items or Thanksgiving traditions?

 turkey roll.jpg (208.6K)
Number of downloads: 9
(photo is prior to wrapping in parchment paper).

[JenniferZ]

Oh, I was hoping you would post about how your turkey project turned out. Well done!!!

[MariJ]

Me too Dianne - I have been wondering how your turkey roll turned out and was glad to see the pic, too! It looks great and I enjoyed reading your story. (which sounds like a layout-in-the-making.)

[ladyscrapalot]

wow how brave are you for even attempting to debone a turkey! It reminds me of the movie Julie & Julia when she has to debone a duck. Bon Appetit!

[Cheri T]

Bon appetit indeed - what a brave woman!

[lorac]

Congrats on the turkey roll. It looks wonderful. Do you debone or do you bone a turkey?

[AggieB]

Yes, indeed - you are a very brave woman. Hope everyone appreciates your labors come Turkey Day.

[CRS]

I'm glad you were able to get it wrapped! It looks great! I bought my turkey yesterday. Still not sure how many people will be here...it could be anywhere from the 4 of us, to 6 or even 10! Hopefully they will let me know soon!!

[Sara Arell]

I'll just say what everyone has said - you are indeed a brave woman! I hope someone took pics during the process for you - I see a layout in the making too!

[LaLo1103]

Forget it - you're not just a brave woman, you are THE woman! Like everyone else, I am curious to hear how it turned out!

We don't really have any Thanksgiving traditions. The only thing now is that I discovered "turkey in a bag". I have taken it upon myself to go out into the world and convert all non-baggers to baggers. I need a catchy phrase I can use, something like, "Once you turkey in a bag you'll never lag?" I don't know, but suggestions are welcome!

[ScrapGram]

I discovered last year that a local family owned grocery store will cook and slice a turkey that you purchase at their store for a very reasonable price. Guess what - I will probably never cook another turkey again!! My Mother made the best turkey and dressing in the world and mine never compared to hers, so it's not a big loss for our family for me not to cook it! But I really admire you Dianne for doing this. If I were younger, I might give it a try.

[diannecp]

There is something to be said for tradition and memories. On the one hand, I am glad for the memories of my gram doing this (although she always cooked the big bird on T-day, the roll she usually served at Christmas with another meat). But then there's the whole "what's this really all about" question - in this day and age, I think there's something to be said for anything that makes things easier for us and allows us to focus on what really matters on a holiday - time with people we love! For me, that means doing what I can in advance. We eat at freaking noon at my mom's so we can get to our other family, so anything to make that happen more easily flies with me! I guess I get the best of both worlds.

[mbc72]

I certainly hope it tastes as good as it looks!

[mbc72]

LaLo1103, on 16 November 2012 - 10:01 AM, said:

Forget it - you're not just a brave woman, you are THE woman! Like everyone else, I am curious to hear how it turned out!

We don't really have any Thanksgiving traditions. The only thing now is that I discovered "turkey in a bag". I have taken it upon myself to go out into the world and convert all non-baggers to baggers. I need a catchy phrase I can use, something like, "Once you turkey in a bag you'll never lag?" I don't know, but suggestions are welcome!

I always cook my turkey in the bag, so yummy and juicy!

[Smiles]

You are amazing!

I discovered Butterball's smoked 10# turkeys a few years ago. All you have to do is thaw, warm, and carve. Foolproof! And really, really good. No gravy options, but we do baked sweet potatoes anyway.

[CRS]

I've always cooked my turkey in a bag! My sil taught me that on my first Thanksgiving as a married woman. My mom doesn't do that and I can't convince her....

Turns out it will probably be just 6 of us for dinner. My sil and her family aren't coming. I enjoy cooking again after a love/hate relationship with it, so I'm looking forward to it all! The only problem is I can't hide in the kitchen this year...it's open to the main living room! At least I can watch football as I do the dishes!

[goodqueenbee]

With four daughters and 20 grandkids, our house gets too crowded and a bit crazy. Last year we cooked one big turkey and it was not enough. This year we bought 2 smaller turkeys but the same weight. We'll probably run out again. Hope someone thinks to cook an extra bird.

I don't think I want to try deboning this until the crew is here to eat what comes off! Great job!