Ok, Ya'll win the BGE will be an oven tomorrow but why?

Unknown

Following the suggestions of the BGE'ers I have learned to trust over the past year I will be cooking my Turkey tomorrow on the BGE using the "oven approach" not the “low-n-slo” approach. Yet, my less fortunate neighbors will crank up their MUCH cheaper aluminum smokers and smoke their turkey “low-n-slo” with success. Why, I ask, are we doing it this way when I bought a BBQ grill/SMOKER? Marty

mad max beyond eggdome

LAD,
because you will have a beautifully roasted bird that will benifit both from the moistness associated with roasting in ceramics and the smoke infusion of the wood you use. ..[p]also, by roasting in the traditional method you will have great drippings to use in your gravy (you didn't plan on throwing those out did you?). ..

Unknown

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]Actually, yes. Please tell.

mad max beyond eggdome

LAD,
ok my friend, for the best gravy you ever had in your life:[p]first, when preparing your bird for roasting, throw a cut up apple in the bird, and one directly in your pan (you will throw both away when they're done). . i also douse my bird with about 1/2 bottle of white wine before i put it in the oven/egg. ...[p]set up a big pot of water on your stove. . .put in the neck, giblets, heart, liver, and that big wad of fat from the cavity of the bird, along with a peeled onion, celery sticks, and whatever herbs (mainly sage/rosemary/thyme) you have sitting around. . .let that simmer the whole time your turkey is roasting, adding water as need to have some great stock. ...[p]when your turkey is finished roasting, tip it up to let all the juices from the cavity pour into your pan. . .now take your pan and drain it into a large bowl (or fat separator if you happen to have one). . . get rid of the apple. . .let the liquid sit until the fat rises to the top. . .use a ladle to remove and get rid of that fat. . .[p]now, take your pan with all the crud in it, set it on your stove on a high flame, add one stick of butter, and about 1/3 cup of flour and start whisking vigourously. ..you want the butter to start bubling, mixing smoothly with the flour (no lumps), and picking up the crud from your pan. . .[p]now, remember that half of bottle of white wine you didn't put in the turkey? (hopefully you didn't drink while basting the bird!). .. pour that in the pan with the butter/flour roux mix. . .still on high heat. . whisk it all together. .. keep whisking until it reduces by about 1/3 to a 1/2. . .now start ladling in that good turkey stock you made all day. . .keep adding stock till you get to a consistency you like. . .too thin, take some flour, mix it separately with some of your stock so that there are no lumps and then add it to the gravy to thicken it up. .. . to thick, add more stock. . [p]as a final touch, take the turkey neck, pull all the meat off the bones (you'll be surprised how much meat there is) . .chop it up finely along with the giblets, heart and liver, and add that to the gravy. .. .[p]salt and pepper to taste. . .[p]great gravy, i promise. . .

mad max beyond eggdome

mad max beyond eggdome,
geez, i'm stupid. .. . one important ingredient i forgot. . .after adding the wine to the butter/flour roux and you have reduced it, this is when you throw in the bowl of drippings you set aside earlier. . .this is what really gives the gravy great flavor. . .[p]i almost killed my wife and sister-in-law a few years back. . .while i was whisking the butter and flour, they thought they'd do me a favor and help with some cleanup around the kitchen, and they dumped the bowl of crud and drippings down the garbage disposal. . .i almost cried. . .

Unknown

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]thank you thank you thank you. I was just pondering the gravy issue and appreciate the recipe. I have to set up my new printer, now, so I can print your instructions![p]A Happy Thanksgiving to all. It is great to get back to the positive waves in our friendly forum. It is truly one of the things I'm thankful for.[p]Joyce

Unknown

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]Now we're back to that 40*-140* question! After reading your reply, I asked my wife where all that “stuff” went and she said it went into the can outside. It has been cold here but I don't think the “stuff” has been below 40* constantly since we stared brining. Since I don’t want to put my family at risk we'll have to try that great sounding recipe next time. Thanks for the idea, I printed it out and it will go in that, now 2", binder that is often referred to around here as the bible. [p]Happy Thanksgiving, Marty

Unknown

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]Thanks. This gravy will be another arrow in my quiver that I shall fire in my turkey war with the wife. She won't know what hit her when I start icing down the breast and whisking up some gravy, etc.

Julie

mad max beyond eggdome,
I totally agree with you.
Julie

StumpBaby

Petear,[p]"She won't know what hit her when I start icing down the breast and whisking up some gravy, etc."[p]I'd be careful there...I tried this once..and only once..sometimes you read somethin.. and it sounds so dog gone good..you just gotta try it..but alas..for me ..these things usually go horribly wrong...[p]I was gettin ready to cook a big turkey..and I'd read Mad Max's idea about puttin ice on the breast..so's some 15 minutes later..there I was..in the kitchen..standin over a big ol' pot of gravy..that bag of ice on the breast..and in walks the misses..now this is when I got look number 229, which is a combination of 24 (complete and utter disgust..not frequently seen since I stopped tryin that special enlargment cream I purchased on the internet..BTW, its a trick.. that stuff only works for about 30 seconds..then it's a complete failure..and yet..there was just something about it) and 48 (you ain't gettin non of this)..this is the first time I seen this look while I was not holding a victoria secrets catalog.[p]Now it took a lot of explaining..and matter of fact..towards the end of the explanation I wasn't sure myself why I was standing there in such a state..but as the wife stood there..most probably calculating in her mind the number of days such a disturbing situation should cost me in other parts of the house..I pulled off that bag-o ice..and to the whooshing sounds of a great gasp from the wife..lo and behold..there I was sporting two new items north of the border, that surely woulda made some folks proud..and just as the wife was starting to conjure up..least from the looks of her... either a slew of cus words probably never before uttered from a human being....a brand new completely frightening look..probably to be used most entirely too frequently..or she finally found the thing what gave her gas to rile mine own (I've been suspicious that she's been covertly working on this..on accounta I seen vast amounts of brussle sprouts enter the house..I fear that one day..I may awake to what at first will seem like a small earthquake..and then a full hour will be spent tryin to find my way to any exit whatsoever..and all the while..a mixture of clapping, laughing, and evil muttering of something along the lines of.."who's the daddy now" will be heard)...I grabbed the whisk..and the ladle...and reached over and hung them from these newly developed items..and with a look of triumph on my face..strutted around the kitchen..clanging like the opening of the silverware drawer...my hands raised in the air...muttering..."it worked..aha..it worked..thank you Max".[p]Ahh...but just when the wife was about to accept defeat...the gravy started to bubble..and as I leaned over the hot pan.. to stir the gravy...my new hangin pegs..previously so quick to come to my aid..apparently afraid of anything warm..quickly retreated back to whence they had come..causin the ladle and the whisk ..to slide off...ricochet of my giant belly..and drop into the hot pan..sprayin my upper torso..whimpy hangin pegs included.. with hot gravy in the process. [p]Ahh..that is when I seen the wife do a dance..like non other my friend..and the words...oh the words..and there I stood..drippin of hot gravy..a look of complete defeat on my face....[p]nah...I stay away from puttin ice on the breast..most especially close to hot gravy..the pain is still too clear my friend..still too clear....[p]Ahh..the life of a Stump.[p]StumpBaby

mad max beyond eggdome

StumpBaby,
it just wouldn't be a holiday without one of your tales. . .

mad max beyond eggdome

LAD,
don't give up on the recipe for this reason. . .you will still have your 'crud' in the pan when you roast tomorrow. . .you just won't be able to make home-made stock ...just do everything like i said, only get a few quarts of swanson's chicken broth. .. it will still be as good. . .[p]or, go to the store, buy a whole chicken and make your stock with that. .. don't worry about the neck meat. . .it is not the 'straw that breaks the camel's back'. . .its the crud from the dripppings that really makes the gravy great. .. [p]

Unknown

StumpBaby,[p]Now that's a Thanksgiving tradition. Brought a tear to my eye. Reminded me of "Fragile" (pronounced Frag-eel-e, "it's Italian!") from the BB gun Christmas movie. I don't know why. Every bizzare story about the holidays reminds me of Fragile. [p]