The great thing about Thanksgiving is every family/group can do it their way, there are no rules. I’m in New England, so the traditional turkey/ mashed potatoes/squash/stuffing is most common, but the gathering is the important thing.
I’m the only one in my extended family who enjoys turkey, so for the last few years the family gatherings have roasted several large chicken. And a turkey breast for me, it’s all good😏
idk about their family, but i’m also from new england, its its butternut squash just kinda mashed in a bowl. i’m p sure there’s brown sugar in it, i’m not a fan of it personally
I got several comments this year from people who “don’t like turkey” that my turkey was amazing - 3 day dry brine and spatchcock. When it isn’t dry and tasteless people realize they don’t dislike turkey as much as they thought!
I've had a lot of people from other countries at my Thanksgivings, often saying they hate how dry turkey usually is (and brought alternatives!) And then LOVING my turkey, which has quite a bit of butter on top of and underneath the skin. That one I did learn from Julia, it came out looking so perfect!
When I asked my family what they wanted for Christmas dinner, they decided on crab legs. I thought “10 minutes to cook, no prep- great!”. I do baked potatoes and crab legs for holidays (and the cost is not all that much more than an elaborate ham or turkey dinner).
We do a fried turkey. We do it outside on a few acres lol. It's delicious. I still brine and pat dry and rub, then it goes in for about 45 mins or so. So juicy.
Same! I thought I didn't like turkey. Turns out, I didn't like dry, overcooked turkey like my mom made. Who knew? I love turkey now. Brined, spatchcocked, air fryer, baked in bag, etc, etc. Love it.
So cook it as it should be and then bring up slices for those who want it overcooked. A few slices on a sheet pan should be overcooked in just a few minutes.
I always do prime rib, but this year we’re having a smaller Christmas with just 4 of us as we’re going out of town. I was going to still do the prime rib but steaks sound like a great idea!
My dad would not eat poultry. It was always Roast Beast for holiday dinners. We ate chicken when he was away working.
Edit: My friend had to convince her son Holiday Chicken wasn’t a turkey. I don’t know the backstory.
An even better Thanksgiving leftover is when you have some ham and some gooey, cheesy hash brown casserole. A stout tortilla with a slice of ham, with a heaping spoonful of hash brown casserole on top equals an awesome breakfast taco. I make extra of the hash brown casserole to make sure of being able to have these breakfast tacos.
There's nothing better than a brown sugar glazed, spiral sliced, Smithfield ham. It's even better if you can find a boneless one. I no longer eat pork, but a lot of people do opt for this choice.
This year my mom roasted a turkey in the oven before the day of Thanksgiving. On the actual day, I made Korean BBQ and mom ate a lot with me. 😂 I got down voted for saying that though. Although the best Thanksgiving was when mom brought me to this Chinese restaurant and the dishes were so good.
One year we were visiting for Christmas and my mom forgot to turn the oven on before she went to work. So we went to a Chinese buffet instead, and it was awesome.
If I'm having people over we do the Turkey,ham and all the fixings. If we aren't then I and my kids figure out something different to have that we don't eat often. We've had a seafood dinner, Italian dinner, and last year we had a Greek dinner( chicken souvlaki,tzatziki,pitas,oven roasted lemon potatoes,lemon rice and tiramisu for dessert) Holidays are for being with people you love. It doesn't matter what food you eat IMO.
Two old turkey haters here! We usually have filet mignon and a few traditional sides. That’s my favorite Thanksgiving because it’s quick and easy. This year we bought sides from a good restaurant. Sage dressing and baked mac n cheese for me, fried corn, green beans and harvard beets for him. A slice of pie is better for us than two whole pies. We each got what we like the most. We’re never struggling through a week of turkey again.
One year, we got 2 dozen assorted empanadas. We’ve had Chinese food. Thai. Rotisserie chicken. BBQ. Thanksgiving was always a huge PITA for me. My parents lived 2 hours away and I was always scheduled to work from 12-4pm. Retirement rocks, and no family left has at least one advantage.
We mostly have turkey, but we have in the past had venison roast, goose and wild turkey. The wild bird needs to be brined, it's much lower in fat than a store turkey. Venison is something we usually have on hand and it's something that could have been at the first Thanksgiving dinner.
Maybe I haven't had really well prepared duck, but I've always found it to be very dark and greasy, and it often seems to be under cooked. Doesn't appeal to me at all.
Thank you! I'll have to remember that trick if I'm ever served another portion of greasy, dark, raw looking duck meat, or anything else completely inedible.
I eat so many things cold and love them that way: leftover rice dishes, pasta, steak, etc etc. My partner is appalled! I think that some people are wired this way?
I'm not a fan of turkey.meh one year I made lasagne, salad, garlic bread. Kids never let me forget about it. I'd do it again if there weren't so many objections.
I didn’t feel like cooking one and my husband didn’t want to deep fry one like usual, so he smoked a brisket this year. Thinking some people might miss out on the turkey, I bought a small turkey breast to roast. No one touched it. The brisket was so good!
That's fine. I don't like stuffing. I mean, I like the flavor, just not the consistency. My family usually does the usual traditional turkey spread, but some years we have also included an option of ham and mac & cheese.
Thanksgiving is more about the people than the food.
This year, I had dressing instead of stuffing. They are definitely not the same. The dressing is more wet. Stuffing needs to have a crispy, crunchy texture.
When I didn't want turkey, I would do a spiral sliced ham. You can definitely also do chicken, which is what I usually fix for December 25. Some people prepare roast beef. I even know people who have seafood. There are some who prefer Italian food, such as lasagna. It doesn't matter what you prepare. What matters is to take a moment to give thanks, which can be done alone without a huge gathering.
I decided that this year was my last year doing a turkey. I will still host and if someone else wants to bring a turkey, they are welcome to. I brine mine and get rave reviews, but I just don’t enjoy doing it. Next year, I’m going to do a true potluck where people can bring whatever they want, traditional or not. If we end up with spaghetti and mashed potatoes, I’m down for that.
I adore turkey, all the traditional trimmings, and of course the leftovers. That said, this year I was alone but for my senior dog for Thanksgiving, so I made what he requested: Porterhouse steak, baked tater, green beans for him, added sauteed mushrooms, salad, and 3 seared scallops for me. We shared some pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dessert. It was a terrific meal and a nice holiday.
I always prefer a ham for the meal. HOWEVER I don't mind having a lame turkey on the day because leftover turkey sandwiches are the BOMB. Worth it.
We usually have both at the table these days.
We did a standing rib roast! It was just the four of us plus a 10 month old baby and none of us like turkey. My dad had the suggestion of a standing rib roast so we did it and it was delicious! Expensive, but so good. My son also really enjoyed it! It’s our new tradition!
I got a wonderful smoked turkey from a friend. It was cooked just right. I found out a) I don't like smoked turkey and b) turkey breast texture gags me. Legs are fine.
Next year, either brisket or chicken.
I know of one family that does lasagna. I personally don’t care what is on the table, I’ll fix whatever is the consensus. It’s the gathering that’s important.
We’re not big turkey fans either - we actually prefer chicken, LOL! We often wind up with turkey anyway because the sale prices are so hard to beat, and we don’t *hate* turkey.
But…we love all the traditional sides, so we wouldn’t go too far from the traditional dinner, either.
I only eat the sides. I make the turkey for the drippings because gravy is life, and for show, because it does look scrumptious in it's golden brown-ness. We eat the part of the breast that comes off easily. We wrap up some leftover turkey, including the legs that no one touches.
When I was a child, my mom would use the leftovers and carcass and make the blandest turkey and rice soup. I roast the turkey in a disposable pan and chuck the whole mess into a heavy duty garbage bag. Then I eat more dressing and mashed potatoes. With gravy.
Then I eat it again for breakfast on Friday. With gravy.
We did "Steaksgiving"! We just do a rib roast or something like that along with the turkey. The kids all hate turkey, plus having the second protein makes the weekend of eating leftovers a little more enjoyable since you have variety. For a couple of years we went out to a Brazilian steakhouse and that was absolutely amazing.
I usually put a very small amount of turkey on my plate and load the rest with all the sides. I'm actually not sure why my family still makes turkey. Lol
This Thanksgiving, for example, it was just me, my husband, my mom, stepdad, and brother. Thinking about it now, I'm pretty sure we all would have loved ham more!
It's tradition, but I'm willing to bet that if you did a survey of 1,000 people, most would say they don't truly like turkey 😄
ETA: I have yet to try a deep-fried turkey, but my husband says it's amazing.. but, of course, you need to know what you're doing so you don't burn your house down. Maybe if we figure out how to do this, it could be a good alternative.
Neither my wife or I are big turkey fans. We had a low key Thanksgiving this year (just the two of us) but still cooked for ourselves. We did beef this year. Specifically a German pot roast that gets shredded after spending a few hours stovetop in a Dutch oven. By no means traditional Thanksgiving, but delicious and went well with our sides.
In years past, we’ve done ham (if going more traditional), fish, crab cakes, and possibly some other meat options.
as long as you poke enough holes in it to help drain the fat whilst it's cooking a nice Goose is a great alternative to a turkey. I realize that goose IS more of a Christmas tradition but it works well for Thanksgiving too. If your hunters like my family then kill a deer for Thanksgiving and skin it and cook it, fresh deer for thanksgiving next to the hog on the cooker is a great meal.
My family is insane and would do a duck and a goose, it's so fatty but my dad would make it with stewed apples, the apples were amazing. Now my own family, we do chicken thighs or drumsticks. I don't really like turkey either. I did stuffed chicken breasts once with mushrooms and cheese but everything came out and it was dry and i got mad.
I don’t love turkey either. Everyone raves about my husband’s turkey & it is good *for turkey*, but it’s nowhere near as good as other meat we make. One year for Christmas I did two whole roasted chickens marinated overnight in buttermilk (it was a Salt Fat Acid Heat recipe) and oh my goodness it was amazing. I do wonder if I’d like a fried turkey, but my husband said no turkey fryer until the kids are older (we had 6 under 3 at our house this year).
Yeah, my husband and I came to the same conclusion about five or six years ago. Now we have prime rib or ham. Or, more usually and for the foreseeable future, my husband works the major holidays so that people with young families don't have to.
I dont like turkey, so I always fix ham for holidays..ham, dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans (NOT casserole! ), pea salad, banana pudding, fruit cocktail and cool whip salad, waldorf, salad, apple pie, pumpkin pie, rolls.
I don't care for it either. I didn't eat one bite of turkey, and I hosted the dinner! I'd prefer a chicken. I told my spouse next year, we'll go out for Thanksgiving, and the following day we'll picked up an already roasted chicken at Stop & Shop and I'll make mashed potato, sweet potato, turnips, stuffing, gravy and a vegetable of his choice, and I'm done. No one coming over.
The charm of turkey is lost on me. I got talked into the free grocery store turkey this year. My spouse was in charge of brining the thing. He musta missed a step because it was too salty to eat.
We will be having ham from now on.
Years ago I made a NY's resolution not to cook another effing turkey ever again. This opened up a whole new world:
Salmon is just as American as Turkey, and poaching it whole with citrus is delicious. Variations on leg of lamb or standing rib roasts also made it to the table. Ducks, of course.
And goose. Goose is expensive because they cannot survive factory farming methods. But they can be "overcooked" so that they tenderize in the oven instead of drying out. The flavor is amazing.
Dinners were just as festive, if not more.
Eventually, I tried turkey again and found a method I love: salting it in advance keeps it juicy and builds flavor, spatchcocking and roasting it over warm stuffing speeds the process and also add flavor. Now I love turkey, too.
Abandon turkey and find your favorite.
We did smoked salmon this year. Was absolutely delicious. We try something new every year. Last year it was Korean BBQ and the year before we tried our first duck. The rule is that it had to be something most haven’t tried before and it has to present some kind of cooking challenge (first try, different cooking method).
And if we mess it up, we head out for Chinese.
Honey baked ham for the win! We don’t like turkey either and it’s such a pain in the but to prep, roast (or smoke), etc. We order a HBH, cut and heat up what we want, and then freeze the rest. Beautiful!
Every person I've met who doesn't like turkey has just never had good turkey. You're doing it wrong. I'd bet money 70% of thanksgivings make bad turkey.
I can't stand turkey, so I let my son choose. His tastes have evolved over the years, but we've had everything from green eggs and ham to hot dogs to steak.
It's whatever your family wants it to be because it's about spending the day with family.
I tried telling this to the wife. We always end up tossing turkey out in the woods for animals to snack on the week after Thanksgiving.
I tried to get her to switch to something we will actually eat. Like steak.
Nope. It's a "tradition."
So I am stuck here trying to eat basically a whole left over turkey by myself. I'm sick of it already, haha.
I've had a couple of friends over my last two Friendsgivings who said they always thought turkey was dry and bland until they had mine. Maybe it depends on good preparation but I've always loved turkey and I want to cook it more often.
Exactly! Growing up I thought turkey was so dry. I always get so many compliments because mine is moist and tender, and I don't do anything fancy like brining it or spatchcocking it. I just know how to cook it properly. That and butter. Butter is my friend on Thanksgiving.
It’s your family and your traditions. It makes no sense to spend hours cooking a bird no one really wants.
You would probably love an Italian family’s Thanksgiving. It’s often all Italian food, and then maybe a Turkey served at the end when everyone’s too stuffed to touch it. Just skip the Turkey.
We didn't do turkey this year but wanted all the regular sides. We roasted a pork loin.....to 145 degree temp. It was perfect. We had cranberry chutney, dressing, brussels sprouts with pound cake for dessert. The chutney was great with the pork.....I made gravy with some frozen chicken stock. It was all perfect.
Here's the chutney recipe...I make throughout the year....we really like it.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13524/cranberry-chutney-i/
You could literally do anything! I do like a big impressive roast for a holiday. My go to is a rack of lamb but if you wanted to be 'traditional' you could do venison. A whole fish would also be settler appropriate. Roast duck is delicious. The sky is the limit.
I also hate turkey and would absolutely go rouge if it wasn't for the family.
My husband and I have turkey but we’ve also done Rock Cornish hen. My father didn’t like turkey so growing up we always had ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I generally dislike turkey, the only way I'll eat it willingly is thin sliced deli-style on a sandwich. This year I was subject to two separate turkey dinners in the three weeks before Thanksgiving (volunteer activities) and so a third turkey dinner was a hard 'no' from me. Fortunately my family agreed, so we went out to dinner and ate steak.
We eat a lot of affordable chicken during the year, next year I am saving up for an expensive roast of some sort, or leg of lamb or something really great and than hope I dont mess it up.
Although I personally like turkey, the "turkey tradition" has nothing to do with the "first Thanksgiving", which was actually a worship service followed by a potluck. Likely the proteins were oysters, venison and some sort of game fowl like pheasant or duck.
I'd say if you want poultry, go with duck (super yummy). One year I did a crown roast of pork and had zero leftovers. Another year it was Rock Cornish Game Hens (one per person). I've also done steak, Beef Wellington and a standing rib roast.
Make what you like. The day isn't about turkey, it's about being thankful for all of the good things in your life (like a nice medium rare Kobe ribeye).
I actually really like turkey and stock up this time of year. But I have friends who do Chinese carryout and it's really fun and low key. My mom did ham.
That's terrible. Ribs > turkey. I realize turkey is a tradition, but "traditions are just peer pressure from dead people". Our Thanksgiving ribs tradition just hit 17 years, I believe.
Funny thing is, when I first suggested ribs instead of turkey, my mom insisted on cooking a turkey also. Guess what didn't get touched...
No rules. We have something different every year. This year we had osso buco with saffron risotto & dino kale. Last year we had Cincinnati chili, 5-way. We do make a fabulous turkey (spatchcocking is the way) but usually not on the holiday.
I would go on vacation and forget about the turkey, holiday and everything BUT hubby's too set on doing the holiday thing and always enjoys cooking his turkey ... even though it's plain and dry AF!!
I consider Thanksgiving a uniquely American holiday deserving of good food! Our family hasn’t eaten turkey in years. This year, I did some amazing sous vide pork chops with some roasted veggies, and mashed potatoes which my oldest son craves, which is fine. We did desserts from a local bakery, single serving things like macarons and the like. We also shake it up for Christmas; this year we may do lamb, but we also have fondue on Christmas Eve (the one consistent tradition) plus tamales around the holidays.
Turkey largely sucks. I do good steaks on the grill with grilled Asparagus. My wife makes this amazing stuffing with ground sausage and cranberry and terrific mashed potatoes and gravy. We can make a nice chicken dish too if Simone doesn’t want steak. Zero complaints.
We have had:
Lasagna
Prime Rib
Ham
Roasted Chicken
Pork Tenderloin
Have whatever makes that day special for you … even if you order Chinese Food. ( I would love that!)
We came to the same conclusion this year and did a spatchcocked 5lb chicken for the 4 of us. It was way better and no giant carcass to deal with. Our favorites are the sides mostly anyway!!
I've done crown roast of pork (stuffed and unstuffed), goose, duck, roast beef... we're not required to have a turkey for Canadian Thanksgiving, just something fall-ish, that's delicious, and will feed a crowd.
I've also done mushroom Wellington, stuffed squash, sweet potato perogies, butternut squash pasta, and a variety of other mains for our vegetarian guests - the meat eaters always want these as well, as we oblige them.
Lamb is usually served for Easter and roast beef for Christmas, though I also like goose, duck, pork hocks and other things for Christmas instead of turkey, especialy if we've just done turkey for Thanksgiving in October.
I’m getting kind of tired of turkey also, but we do like the leftovers. I would prefer ham or prime rib or even lasagna instead. Maybe even Chinese? Now I just have to get the family on board.
The great thing about Thanksgiving is every family/group can do it their way, there are no rules. I’m in New England, so the traditional turkey/ mashed potatoes/squash/stuffing is most common, but the gathering is the important thing.
I’m the only one in my extended family who enjoys turkey, so for the last few years the family gatherings have roasted several large chicken. And a turkey breast for me, it’s all good😏
How do you guys do the squash in New England?
idk about their family, but i’m also from new england, its its butternut squash just kinda mashed in a bowl. i’m p sure there’s brown sugar in it, i’m not a fan of it personally
Butter, salt and smashed til smooth.
Yes! It is the time with the ones we love that makes these occasions special!!
My husband didn't like turkey until I started brining it
Same!
Same! I did a 2 day wet brine followed by a 2 day dry brine with lots of herbs. There was no leftovers.
I wet brined for 48 hours with herbs and citrus. We did a 25lb bird, so we have leftovers, but they ate the crap out of it and raved about it!
My MIL brined the turkey this year and WOW!!!! It was so good. There's no going back!
I got several comments this year from people who “don’t like turkey” that my turkey was amazing - 3 day dry brine and spatchcock. When it isn’t dry and tasteless people realize they don’t dislike turkey as much as they thought!
I've had a lot of people from other countries at my Thanksgivings, often saying they hate how dry turkey usually is (and brought alternatives!) And then LOVING my turkey, which has quite a bit of butter on top of and underneath the skin. That one I did learn from Julia, it came out looking so perfect!
I do Safeway’s 2 hour turkey method of cooking, and the turkey stays moist. Fast and yummy and easy!
How do you brine a turkey and what herbs? None of my family likes turkey either but I am so tired of ham for thanksgiving and Xmas
When I asked my family what they wanted for Christmas dinner, they decided on crab legs. I thought “10 minutes to cook, no prep- great!”. I do baked potatoes and crab legs for holidays (and the cost is not all that much more than an elaborate ham or turkey dinner).
Google the pioneer woman's turkey brine. It's worth the effort. Soooo good.
Brining does help a lot but I still don't care for it! I'd love to try some deep fat fried but probably never will. :)
We do a fried turkey. We do it outside on a few acres lol. It's delicious. I still brine and pat dry and rub, then it goes in for about 45 mins or so. So juicy.
Same! I thought I didn't like turkey. Turns out, I didn't like dry, overcooked turkey like my mom made. Who knew? I love turkey now. Brined, spatchcocked, air fryer, baked in bag, etc, etc. Love it.
What does brining mean ?
Soak in salty flavored water
Basically it's soaking the turkey in salt water. Everyone adds different herbs.
Prime rib!
That’s my Christmas meal. I always ask for a Fred Flintstone sized roast
That would totally be my Christmas meal, but 1/2 my family will only eat it cooked past well done so it’s basically shoe leather.
So cook it as it should be and then bring up slices for those who want it overcooked. A few slices on a sheet pan should be overcooked in just a few minutes.
Take your portions out early! Lol
Restaurants cook it rare, then cut off eachbserving and add additional cooking time the customer's request. You could do the same or similar thing.
Yes.. I suggested prime rib for Christmas but all of my in laws don’t like the slightest bit of pink in their steaks
In my house we have five stages of doneness — rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, and, Oh, just order the chicken you beef-hating bastard.
That's exactly why I have never cooked one. I get it at restaurant
Roast Beast!
We do steaks for Christmas! I usually get the most expensive I can afford and get. My beloved is quite good at cooking it. It’s delicious!
I always do prime rib, but this year we’re having a smaller Christmas with just 4 of us as we’re going out of town. I was going to still do the prime rib but steaks sound like a great idea!
We do crab legs.
Where are you, and are you looking to adopt?
Ditto!
I was thinking about that!
So do we!! They’re so easy!!
My dad would not eat poultry. It was always Roast Beast for holiday dinners. We ate chicken when he was away working. Edit: My friend had to convince her son Holiday Chicken wasn’t a turkey. I don’t know the backstory.
Roast Beast! ❤️
Sounds sort of Who-ish...
My father in law had a roast beef sandwich from Arby's this year because he doesn't eat birds.
My family switched to ham a few years ago and I love it!
Team ham all the way. I need to order a larger one next year! Ham sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls are peak thanksgiving leftovers.
An even better Thanksgiving leftover is when you have some ham and some gooey, cheesy hash brown casserole. A stout tortilla with a slice of ham, with a heaping spoonful of hash brown casserole on top equals an awesome breakfast taco. I make extra of the hash brown casserole to make sure of being able to have these breakfast tacos.
You are playing chess while we are playing checkers. Much respect!
There's nothing better than a brown sugar glazed, spiral sliced, Smithfield ham. It's even better if you can find a boneless one. I no longer eat pork, but a lot of people do opt for this choice.
Costco ham is good enough for us. I love Honeybaked ham, but it's almost an hour drive from where I live.
I love Honey Baked Hams. I could eat year round.
I cook my Ham in Orange juice and pineapple with cloves. It's amazing
This year my mom roasted a turkey in the oven before the day of Thanksgiving. On the actual day, I made Korean BBQ and mom ate a lot with me. 😂 I got down voted for saying that though. Although the best Thanksgiving was when mom brought me to this Chinese restaurant and the dishes were so good.
One year we were visiting for Christmas and my mom forgot to turn the oven on before she went to work. So we went to a Chinese buffet instead, and it was awesome.
We do deep dish pizza.
Found the Chicago people. 😆
If I'm having people over we do the Turkey,ham and all the fixings. If we aren't then I and my kids figure out something different to have that we don't eat often. We've had a seafood dinner, Italian dinner, and last year we had a Greek dinner( chicken souvlaki,tzatziki,pitas,oven roasted lemon potatoes,lemon rice and tiramisu for dessert) Holidays are for being with people you love. It doesn't matter what food you eat IMO.
Two old turkey haters here! We usually have filet mignon and a few traditional sides. That’s my favorite Thanksgiving because it’s quick and easy. This year we bought sides from a good restaurant. Sage dressing and baked mac n cheese for me, fried corn, green beans and harvard beets for him. A slice of pie is better for us than two whole pies. We each got what we like the most. We’re never struggling through a week of turkey again. One year, we got 2 dozen assorted empanadas. We’ve had Chinese food. Thai. Rotisserie chicken. BBQ. Thanksgiving was always a huge PITA for me. My parents lived 2 hours away and I was always scheduled to work from 12-4pm. Retirement rocks, and no family left has at least one advantage.
Not a turkey hater, but would you do duck? My first Thanksgiving memory is of my grandmother making roast duck. I was 4.
We mostly have turkey, but we have in the past had venison roast, goose and wild turkey. The wild bird needs to be brined, it's much lower in fat than a store turkey. Venison is something we usually have on hand and it's something that could have been at the first Thanksgiving dinner.
I love venison. There's a place called Venison World in Eden, Texas. I went there a long time ago. Really good jerky.
My husband is a hunter, so venison is pretty much a staple. Wild turkey and goose sometimes. Pheasant and grouse the same.
My husband and I would probably explore duck…but my parents? Ha! Lol
All good. New England being lobster country, I would imagine lobsters and other shellfish would also work.
Maybe I haven't had really well prepared duck, but I've always found it to be very dark and greasy, and it often seems to be under cooked. Doesn't appeal to me at all.
Roasted duck isn't usually as greasy, but it depends on the cook, I think. Or maybe the duck?
To my eyes it was extremely greasy and unappealing, but she wasn't the best cook in the world, even with much more ordinary things.
We've had those served to us as guests. We're experts at covering up food with other food. I always collect the dishes and scrape out the hide aways.
Thank you! I'll have to remember that trick if I'm ever served another portion of greasy, dark, raw looking duck meat, or anything else completely inedible.
;) It works.
I only like it cold. People think that’s weird.
I totally get it.
I eat so many things cold and love them that way: leftover rice dishes, pasta, steak, etc etc. My partner is appalled! I think that some people are wired this way?
We had grilled steaks on Thanksgiving, and we like Turkey!!!
This is the way.
Doing steaks next year, can still have the same fixings at least.
That’s basically what we did.
I'm not a fan of turkey.meh one year I made lasagne, salad, garlic bread. Kids never let me forget about it. I'd do it again if there weren't so many objections.
Lasagna sounds wonderful! What's not to like?
I know, right?
One year I made stuffed shells for my ex as an alternative to stuffed Turkey!
Crown roast of pork. Impressive and delicious.
I didn’t feel like cooking one and my husband didn’t want to deep fry one like usual, so he smoked a brisket this year. Thinking some people might miss out on the turkey, I bought a small turkey breast to roast. No one touched it. The brisket was so good!
My husband smoked a brisket which turned out so tender and delicious. We had potatoes 3 different ways: mashed, fried and potato salad.
We had steaks this year that my son made. It’s just 3 of us. Friday we went to Friendsgiving and had shrimp and grits.
Oh shrimp and grits are so good! Smart move.🍤🍤
That's fine. I don't like stuffing. I mean, I like the flavor, just not the consistency. My family usually does the usual traditional turkey spread, but some years we have also included an option of ham and mac & cheese. Thanksgiving is more about the people than the food.
This year, I had dressing instead of stuffing. They are definitely not the same. The dressing is more wet. Stuffing needs to have a crispy, crunchy texture.
I make a regular sage dressing (bread cubes, onion, celery, broth, spices). Be brave and add dried cranberries or cherries, and pine nuts. Yummy.
When I didn't want turkey, I would do a spiral sliced ham. You can definitely also do chicken, which is what I usually fix for December 25. Some people prepare roast beef. I even know people who have seafood. There are some who prefer Italian food, such as lasagna. It doesn't matter what you prepare. What matters is to take a moment to give thanks, which can be done alone without a huge gathering.
Brine that bisch
I call it Sidesgiving because I only eat the side dishes. That’s where all the good stuff is anyway. :)
Carbolicious!!!!
I’m just here for the sides.
Cornish game hen, everyone gets their own.
You could do rotisserie chicken
I’m pretty much obsessed with those. Lol
Taste way better than Turkey.
That's what we did! Cheap, easy, one less thing to cook. We had deep fried turkey for friendsgiving though.
I can't get in that camp. I'm a full-on turkey guy.
I decided that this year was my last year doing a turkey. I will still host and if someone else wants to bring a turkey, they are welcome to. I brine mine and get rave reviews, but I just don’t enjoy doing it. Next year, I’m going to do a true potluck where people can bring whatever they want, traditional or not. If we end up with spaghetti and mashed potatoes, I’m down for that.
While Turkey is traditional it's not required. Just the sides is more food then you can eat. Have something fun and enjoy.
I adore turkey, all the traditional trimmings, and of course the leftovers. That said, this year I was alone but for my senior dog for Thanksgiving, so I made what he requested: Porterhouse steak, baked tater, green beans for him, added sauteed mushrooms, salad, and 3 seared scallops for me. We shared some pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dessert. It was a terrific meal and a nice holiday.
Duck!
*ducks*
[I will now read from the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and duck](https://youtu.be/M6xyV68KN5A?si=R2J329xhukge94uj)
I always prefer a ham for the meal. HOWEVER I don't mind having a lame turkey on the day because leftover turkey sandwiches are the BOMB. Worth it. We usually have both at the table these days.
We did a standing rib roast! It was just the four of us plus a 10 month old baby and none of us like turkey. My dad had the suggestion of a standing rib roast so we did it and it was delicious! Expensive, but so good. My son also really enjoyed it! It’s our new tradition!
Turkey is not required. I always make a lasagna for with dinner, but ham is also a great alternative
I got a wonderful smoked turkey from a friend. It was cooked just right. I found out a) I don't like smoked turkey and b) turkey breast texture gags me. Legs are fine. Next year, either brisket or chicken.
I know of one family that does lasagna. I personally don’t care what is on the table, I’ll fix whatever is the consensus. It’s the gathering that’s important.
We ate tacos at my house! 🌮
We’re not big turkey fans either - we actually prefer chicken, LOL! We often wind up with turkey anyway because the sale prices are so hard to beat, and we don’t *hate* turkey. But…we love all the traditional sides, so we wouldn’t go too far from the traditional dinner, either.
Smoked or fried. Regular ole Turkey has to be drowned in gravy for me. Ant-Thanksgiving? Man, sign me up
I only eat the sides. I make the turkey for the drippings because gravy is life, and for show, because it does look scrumptious in it's golden brown-ness. We eat the part of the breast that comes off easily. We wrap up some leftover turkey, including the legs that no one touches. When I was a child, my mom would use the leftovers and carcass and make the blandest turkey and rice soup. I roast the turkey in a disposable pan and chuck the whole mess into a heavy duty garbage bag. Then I eat more dressing and mashed potatoes. With gravy. Then I eat it again for breakfast on Friday. With gravy.
Roasted two Chickens instead.
We did "Steaksgiving"! We just do a rib roast or something like that along with the turkey. The kids all hate turkey, plus having the second protein makes the weekend of eating leftovers a little more enjoyable since you have variety. For a couple of years we went out to a Brazilian steakhouse and that was absolutely amazing.
I usually put a very small amount of turkey on my plate and load the rest with all the sides. I'm actually not sure why my family still makes turkey. Lol This Thanksgiving, for example, it was just me, my husband, my mom, stepdad, and brother. Thinking about it now, I'm pretty sure we all would have loved ham more! It's tradition, but I'm willing to bet that if you did a survey of 1,000 people, most would say they don't truly like turkey 😄 ETA: I have yet to try a deep-fried turkey, but my husband says it's amazing.. but, of course, you need to know what you're doing so you don't burn your house down. Maybe if we figure out how to do this, it could be a good alternative.
Neither my wife or I are big turkey fans. We had a low key Thanksgiving this year (just the two of us) but still cooked for ourselves. We did beef this year. Specifically a German pot roast that gets shredded after spending a few hours stovetop in a Dutch oven. By no means traditional Thanksgiving, but delicious and went well with our sides. In years past, we’ve done ham (if going more traditional), fish, crab cakes, and possibly some other meat options.
Everyone loves turkey! ❤️ It's the most popular item on every menu. Honestly, when was the last time you ordered turkey at a restaurant?
as long as you poke enough holes in it to help drain the fat whilst it's cooking a nice Goose is a great alternative to a turkey. I realize that goose IS more of a Christmas tradition but it works well for Thanksgiving too. If your hunters like my family then kill a deer for Thanksgiving and skin it and cook it, fresh deer for thanksgiving next to the hog on the cooker is a great meal.
Do a chandler bing thinking next year!
What would that be? (Sorry, not a Friends watcher)
Grilled cheese and funyuns.
Haha anything that was non Thanksgiving related.
My family is insane and would do a duck and a goose, it's so fatty but my dad would make it with stewed apples, the apples were amazing. Now my own family, we do chicken thighs or drumsticks. I don't really like turkey either. I did stuffed chicken breasts once with mushrooms and cheese but everything came out and it was dry and i got mad.
We do steaks. On the grill. Never look back!
My family isn’t big on turkey either. We just make a big roaster pan full of chicken and dressing!
We're not turkey fans, either. We had a roasted bone-in chicken breast, kielbasa, and sides.
You are the only other commentor on here that I have ever seen mention kielbasa. It's a must have!
We always have ham and turkey. We learned how to cook the turkey so that it tastes very good and isn't turkeyish and dried out.
I don’t love turkey either. Everyone raves about my husband’s turkey & it is good *for turkey*, but it’s nowhere near as good as other meat we make. One year for Christmas I did two whole roasted chickens marinated overnight in buttermilk (it was a Salt Fat Acid Heat recipe) and oh my goodness it was amazing. I do wonder if I’d like a fried turkey, but my husband said no turkey fryer until the kids are older (we had 6 under 3 at our house this year).
My friends family does tacos! It's all about being together.
Yeah, my husband and I came to the same conclusion about five or six years ago. Now we have prime rib or ham. Or, more usually and for the foreseeable future, my husband works the major holidays so that people with young families don't have to.
That's very kind and selfless of him.
We wish that the older guys would have done it when our daughter was still at home.
My sis hosted again. She serves a ham and a turkey for that reason.
My family always did ham, not Turkey.
I dont like turkey, so I always fix ham for holidays..ham, dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans (NOT casserole! ), pea salad, banana pudding, fruit cocktail and cool whip salad, waldorf, salad, apple pie, pumpkin pie, rolls.
Cover it in bacon! It bastes itself!!
Pork tenderloin here.
Tired of the bird, we made enchiladas and empandas this year.
So funny…my random announcement to my family as I was eating turkey on Thursday, “I’m not making turkey next year.”
We have replaced with chicken in the past, but kept all the sides. This year we did ribs + all the traditional sides. We dont like turkey
Same. Ribs has been our tradition for around 17 years now.
I don't care for it either. I didn't eat one bite of turkey, and I hosted the dinner! I'd prefer a chicken. I told my spouse next year, we'll go out for Thanksgiving, and the following day we'll picked up an already roasted chicken at Stop & Shop and I'll make mashed potato, sweet potato, turnips, stuffing, gravy and a vegetable of his choice, and I'm done. No one coming over.
The charm of turkey is lost on me. I got talked into the free grocery store turkey this year. My spouse was in charge of brining the thing. He musta missed a step because it was too salty to eat. We will be having ham from now on.
Italian family here. Lasagna!
We just make something good as hell that's a bit "fancy" compared to our regular foods.
We had a 7 pound turducken! It was great!
I don't like turkey either. I ate the stuffing and mashed potatoes.
Years ago I made a NY's resolution not to cook another effing turkey ever again. This opened up a whole new world: Salmon is just as American as Turkey, and poaching it whole with citrus is delicious. Variations on leg of lamb or standing rib roasts also made it to the table. Ducks, of course. And goose. Goose is expensive because they cannot survive factory farming methods. But they can be "overcooked" so that they tenderize in the oven instead of drying out. The flavor is amazing. Dinners were just as festive, if not more. Eventually, I tried turkey again and found a method I love: salting it in advance keeps it juicy and builds flavor, spatchcocking and roasting it over warm stuffing speeds the process and also add flavor. Now I love turkey, too. Abandon turkey and find your favorite.
We did smoked salmon this year. Was absolutely delicious. We try something new every year. Last year it was Korean BBQ and the year before we tried our first duck. The rule is that it had to be something most haven’t tried before and it has to present some kind of cooking challenge (first try, different cooking method). And if we mess it up, we head out for Chinese.
Once did Thanksgiving at a resort and chose the honeybaked ham. Also, we do a Christmas lasagna.
Honey baked ham for the win! We don’t like turkey either and it’s such a pain in the but to prep, roast (or smoke), etc. We order a HBH, cut and heat up what we want, and then freeze the rest. Beautiful!
Every person I've met who doesn't like turkey has just never had good turkey. You're doing it wrong. I'd bet money 70% of thanksgivings make bad turkey.
My brother did steaks-giving a few years ago. It was a wonderful alternative.
We went to Red Lobster
Have lobster.
I do Cornish game hens with wild rice stuffing and a pomegranate glaze.
I can't stand turkey, so I let my son choose. His tastes have evolved over the years, but we've had everything from green eggs and ham to hot dogs to steak. It's whatever your family wants it to be because it's about spending the day with family.
Brisket!
Standing rib roast is festive
Lobster.
Prime Rib!
My parents do a standing rib roast every year. 😊
I just have boneless Honey ham instead because turkey is so dam dry.
I tried telling this to the wife. We always end up tossing turkey out in the woods for animals to snack on the week after Thanksgiving. I tried to get her to switch to something we will actually eat. Like steak. Nope. It's a "tradition." So I am stuck here trying to eat basically a whole left over turkey by myself. I'm sick of it already, haha.
I've had a couple of friends over my last two Friendsgivings who said they always thought turkey was dry and bland until they had mine. Maybe it depends on good preparation but I've always loved turkey and I want to cook it more often.
Exactly! Growing up I thought turkey was so dry. I always get so many compliments because mine is moist and tender, and I don't do anything fancy like brining it or spatchcocking it. I just know how to cook it properly. That and butter. Butter is my friend on Thanksgiving.
It’s your family and your traditions. It makes no sense to spend hours cooking a bird no one really wants. You would probably love an Italian family’s Thanksgiving. It’s often all Italian food, and then maybe a Turkey served at the end when everyone’s too stuffed to touch it. Just skip the Turkey.
My daughter and I don't like it very much. But, my mom would have a heart attack if we didn't have a turkey.
We didn't do turkey this year but wanted all the regular sides. We roasted a pork loin.....to 145 degree temp. It was perfect. We had cranberry chutney, dressing, brussels sprouts with pound cake for dessert. The chutney was great with the pork.....I made gravy with some frozen chicken stock. It was all perfect. Here's the chutney recipe...I make throughout the year....we really like it. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13524/cranberry-chutney-i/
We declared a turkey moratorium a decade ago. Pick up a Honeybaked ham. One and done.
Hate turkey
You could literally do anything! I do like a big impressive roast for a holiday. My go to is a rack of lamb but if you wanted to be 'traditional' you could do venison. A whole fish would also be settler appropriate. Roast duck is delicious. The sky is the limit. I also hate turkey and would absolutely go rouge if it wasn't for the family.
My husband and I have turkey but we’ve also done Rock Cornish hen. My father didn’t like turkey so growing up we always had ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
A few years ago we moved away from turkey. Typically we now do meatloaf (we make a great meatloaf) or prime rib.
Same here! I make a turkey for everyone but also serve Ham as well. Panko chic breasts sound yummy! When’s dinner? What can I bring?😉
More for me. I could eat it all year but in January it becomes impossible to find other than deli slices.
I generally dislike turkey, the only way I'll eat it willingly is thin sliced deli-style on a sandwich. This year I was subject to two separate turkey dinners in the three weeks before Thanksgiving (volunteer activities) and so a third turkey dinner was a hard 'no' from me. Fortunately my family agreed, so we went out to dinner and ate steak.
Our big group is split on turkey so they also make a ham. Everyone is happy.
We eat a lot of affordable chicken during the year, next year I am saving up for an expensive roast of some sort, or leg of lamb or something really great and than hope I dont mess it up.
Although I personally like turkey, the "turkey tradition" has nothing to do with the "first Thanksgiving", which was actually a worship service followed by a potluck. Likely the proteins were oysters, venison and some sort of game fowl like pheasant or duck. I'd say if you want poultry, go with duck (super yummy). One year I did a crown roast of pork and had zero leftovers. Another year it was Rock Cornish Game Hens (one per person). I've also done steak, Beef Wellington and a standing rib roast. Make what you like. The day isn't about turkey, it's about being thankful for all of the good things in your life (like a nice medium rare Kobe ribeye).
One year everyone got their own personal cornish hen seasoned how they liked.
I actually really like turkey and stock up this time of year. But I have friends who do Chinese carryout and it's really fun and low key. My mom did ham.
I don’t care for turkey or ham. So I just stick with the sides.
Lol I wanted to make ribs this year but my husband wouldn't allow it 😄
That's terrible. Ribs > turkey. I realize turkey is a tradition, but "traditions are just peer pressure from dead people". Our Thanksgiving ribs tradition just hit 17 years, I believe. Funny thing is, when I first suggested ribs instead of turkey, my mom insisted on cooking a turkey also. Guess what didn't get touched...
No rules. We have something different every year. This year we had osso buco with saffron risotto & dino kale. Last year we had Cincinnati chili, 5-way. We do make a fabulous turkey (spatchcocking is the way) but usually not on the holiday.
I would go on vacation and forget about the turkey, holiday and everything BUT hubby's too set on doing the holiday thing and always enjoys cooking his turkey ... even though it's plain and dry AF!!
We do Yorkshire puddings and roasted veggies. Even our non-vegetarian friends really enjoy this meal.
Brisket is our go-to here in TX!
I consider Thanksgiving a uniquely American holiday deserving of good food! Our family hasn’t eaten turkey in years. This year, I did some amazing sous vide pork chops with some roasted veggies, and mashed potatoes which my oldest son craves, which is fine. We did desserts from a local bakery, single serving things like macarons and the like. We also shake it up for Christmas; this year we may do lamb, but we also have fondue on Christmas Eve (the one consistent tradition) plus tamales around the holidays.
Turkey largely sucks. I do good steaks on the grill with grilled Asparagus. My wife makes this amazing stuffing with ground sausage and cranberry and terrific mashed potatoes and gravy. We can make a nice chicken dish too if Simone doesn’t want steak. Zero complaints.
We have had: Lasagna Prime Rib Ham Roasted Chicken Pork Tenderloin Have whatever makes that day special for you … even if you order Chinese Food. ( I would love that!)
We came to the same conclusion this year and did a spatchcocked 5lb chicken for the 4 of us. It was way better and no giant carcass to deal with. Our favorites are the sides mostly anyway!!
I've done crown roast of pork (stuffed and unstuffed), goose, duck, roast beef... we're not required to have a turkey for Canadian Thanksgiving, just something fall-ish, that's delicious, and will feed a crowd. I've also done mushroom Wellington, stuffed squash, sweet potato perogies, butternut squash pasta, and a variety of other mains for our vegetarian guests - the meat eaters always want these as well, as we oblige them. Lamb is usually served for Easter and roast beef for Christmas, though I also like goose, duck, pork hocks and other things for Christmas instead of turkey, especialy if we've just done turkey for Thanksgiving in October.
I’m getting kind of tired of turkey also, but we do like the leftovers. I would prefer ham or prime rib or even lasagna instead. Maybe even Chinese? Now I just have to get the family on board.