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Ithian

Happy post-Thanksgiving and some good eats

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by
Ithian
, 11-26-2010 at 11:14 AM (1193 Views)

Some of you know I have recently taken an interest in grilling and smoking up my food. I love cooking outside and the challenge of coming back inside with something mouth-wateringly good. This however was my first holiday smoking everything up and I had an 18 pound turkey, an 18 pound ham, and a house full of relatives waiting to chow down on something delicious.

I've been prepping for this meal for the last month now, but having never smoked anything as thick as an 18 pound turkey (and the same size ham to boot), I was pretty nervous about having everything come out perfect.

I brined the turkey in a savory mix of apple juice, brown sugar, bay leaves, quartered oranges, and some other good stuff for about 24 hours starting Tuesday night, then let it sit and air dry the night before. The ham got a mouth-watering treatment of freshly juiced pineapple, cherries, syrup, and honey injections before cooking, then was basted every hour with more syrup and honey. Both were smoked in a mix of applewood and hickory and the ham was finished off with some pineapple rings, skewered cherries, and final glaze for decorations.

Here are a couple shots below. We also served all the usuals plus some family favorites, and topped it off with more pies than I could count. I wanted to take pictures of the entire meal as we presented it, but I was so tired and we were all so hungry there just wasn't time.





I was really pleased with the compliments I got about how moist the turkey stayed and how flavorful it was along with the flavor and texture in the ham. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't awesome.

We finished the night out by playing Wii Party and a few other games late into the night, so all in all it was a great turkey bash and lots of fun.

So how was turkey day for you guys?

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Comments

  1. BandicootAddicted's Avatar
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    Looks really delicious. Actually get hungry when looking at the pictures.

    I live in The Netherlands, so no Thanksgiving here, but I hope you had a good one!
  2. Ithian's Avatar
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    Thanks very much. And it was -- lot more fun than I've had the chance to have in a good long while.
  3. BandicootAddicted's Avatar
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    That's really nice to here.

    Sadly enough, there are no official holidays here for a long time.
    Last one was ''Valentijnsdag'', what you would call ''Valentine's Day'', but to call that an official holiday...

    We do have something called ''Sinterklaas'', though. That's a guy with a beard who arrives from Spain every year on December 5th, with a lot of presents for the cute kids. I'm looking forward to that. And Christmas and 2011 are getting closer and closer. Those are the most fun and cozy days of the year, in my opinion.
  4. Ithian's Avatar
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    Sinterklaas sure sounds a whole lot like our Santa Claus -- The big cheerful man in the red suit with the big white beard comes to give presents to all the children. Around here Santa doesn't show up until the 25th, so maybe he gets caught up in some flight delays for the holidays making his way over to the Americas.

    But I agree with you, I am very much looking forward to winding down this holiday season. If for nothing else than my finals will be done lol.
  5. BandicootAddicted's Avatar
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    Santa Claus is called ''Kerstman'' here, but no-one gives a whimp about him. Sinterklaas is exactly the same though, but then from Spain on a boat, riding a horse instead of a sleigh, and perhaps he's a little bit older? They say he's 590 years old. Sinterklaas also has an army of black-painted clowns, with a hat with a feather on it on their head, who all deliver the presents through the bracing system. I had to play one of them once --- it was painful.

    Seriously can't wait until Christmas, with a nice christmas tree in the house, and hopefully snow outside to play with with my little sister. You gotta love playing in the snow with your kids/brothers/sisters. And then when we're about to enter 2011, I'm going to contrast all of my fireworks. Who doesn't love that?
    Updated 11-26-2010 at 02:58 PM by BandicootAddicted
  6. thatfloorguy's Avatar
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    Man that looks like it tastes amazing, *moving to Cali by this time next year*, LOL. I am glad your first attempt at it was a success, and your family enjoyed not only your effort, but the fruits of your labor also.
  7. Ithian's Avatar
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    @TheBandicootAddict - lol that is quite a difference between the two figures. Unfortunately I live in the desert so no snow for me, and as part of my "American civil liberties" fireworks are illegal to use here unless it's the 4th of July (between 8pm and midnight, no less). But I am still looking forward to those holidays. My younger cousin is getting a bootmii/boot2 repaired Wii that will be decked out from head to toe with a killer softmod. Maybe it will be tagged from Sinterklaas.

    @thatfloorguy - Thanks floor! If you were around I'd say come on over buddy. I think the fam enjoyed themselves a lot while they were over, and it was a pleasure having them. I will say playing host is an exhausting venture and, while I love them, it's nice to have some peace and quiet again.
  8. BandicootAddicted's Avatar
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    @ Ithian --- Yeah, there are quite a few differences, but they look almost the same. Sinterklaas is also a fat, old grandpa with a white beard.

    That's too bad, about the snow and fireworks. Snow is great, except when you get a huge snowball right into your face, or perhaps in your ear; that really hurts, and it's very cold, too.

    Perhaps I can bring your cousin the repaired Wii when I'm dressed up like a black-clown, or what they call ''Zwarte pieten'' here. I'll rent Sinterklaas his boat, and sail to your place, though I'll have to walk on the last part; or maybe I'll even take Santa Claus his sleigh to make things easier. If I'm not returning to The Netherlands in time, Sinterklaas will be stuck for quite a while, but who cares, right? It makes the children happy to see the old dude. It'd be quite a new experience when you find a bag lying in your bracing system, with a repaired Wii inside it which is hacked by Sinterklaas himself, with some flavourful candy as well. What do you think? Am I in?
    Updated 11-26-2010 at 11:59 PM by BandicootAddicted (Corrected typos)
  9. Ithian's Avatar
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    Anyone who brings candy is always welcome lol.