Every year we smoke 6 to 8 turkeys plus I make extra stuffing ( 15-20 bags 0f seasoned bread).Every year It seems it not as good as it was last year . In my old age I must be forgeting some kind of spice . I've used extra sage and poultry seasons,bacon .bacon grease ,chichen broth and adding the turkey part after boiling them and adding the both from that .So if anyone can help I would be thankful.

Hi Robin - I've heard of that "smoking turkey" deal and I've tried it myself, but I couldn't keep my bong lit.

For the dressing, I use lots of onions and celery sauteed in butter in mine as well as the sage, broth, salt, pepper, etc., etc. I grow the sage and dry it myself. You don't have to grow it yourself, but be sure your herbs and spices are fresh. I have used bacon on occasion, but not bacon grease (not directly anyway). . . Maybe you're losing your taste buds from smoking all that turkey.

Thank larry. I do use onion and celery .Maybe I'm not using enough. It take two large pot to mix that many bags.
Have a great Thanksgiving .

Robin,

This may be a dumb question, but do you mutiply your ingredients for the number of bags of stuffing you are using? If you are just guessing or eyeballing amounts, you may not be adding the correct amounts.
If you are adding the correct amts, then I agree with Larry about the freshness of the spices, especailly if they are dried.

Boy, how many people are you feeding? Can I come to your party? Jan

Thanks Jan .Guy always eye ball it .I test it as I go .
We have any where from 32 to 15 people per year . We are having 2 smoked and 1 regular turkey.there will only be 15 just my kids,grandkids,my brother and one son-in-laws parents .
We have a great time .We love getting together.

EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!!!!!! EAT TURKEY, WATCH FOOTBALL, AND GIVE THANKS!

Love to you all

Steve

Hey, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone,,,,,,,re: the stuffing,,,,,I also saute the onions and celery with LOTS of butter,then use chicken broth, sage, salt,pepper, a little garlic salt, some onion salt, sometimes some chicken flavoring,then the bread stuffing mix,but I buy the seasoned kind,,,,,,,,,,now, what I grew up with,and my mom learned from my dad's mom, was all of the above,but when doing the onions and celery you add a pound of regular sausage,cook it till the sausage is done,but she always put the onions,celery,sausage,and giblets,the stuffing mix,through a grinder first,then when everything was ground up together it went in a large pan, and then it was cooked,like I said, until the sausage was done,,,,,,,,then let it cool off,and stuff what you can in the turkey, and just bake the rest towards the end of the turkey cooking time, cause it doesn't take very long,,,,,then the stuffed part is mixed in with the just baked part and it's so good,,,,,,,,,my kids had the regular old bread stuffing kind at friends and they like it better,if they are doing the cooking they however just make the stove top kind,which sometimes they stuff, sometimes not, so I usually volunteer to make the regular stuffing, without the sausage,so we aren't having just stovetop for a stuffing, it just doen't seem right to me somehow,,,,,,I grew up with the Thanksgiving feast taking an inordinate amount of time to prepare all sorts of wonderful things to eat, including a lot of stuffing that didn't just come out of a box,,,,,and pumpkin pies, that always used the Libbys' brand of pumpkin,,,,,,,isn't it funny what rituals we do at the Holidays to make it seem right for us,,,I'm sure everyone must have some that they can share,,,,mine really is the sausage dressing,,,,I still have the OLD grinder,it has to be screwed onto the end of the counter top and a bowl can go under it to catch all off the stuff,,,,,I will never forget the taste or smell, I may make it this year,as my Dad who will be 88 on the 20th,has agreed to come over for dinner this year,,,,we used to always have crab cocktails in my moms' crystal goblets too,,,,,,with the little cool cocktail forks,,,it was all so elegant,she would bring out her good china,and the cut glass crystal goblets, one for water,one for the crab cocktails, and one for wine, even the kids got a little sip, then juice, or apple cider went in the last ones,,,,,,,,,as she got older she didn't use the crystal anymore,but it was still the good dishes,,,,,so I MAY BREAK OUT THE CRYSTAL this year too,,,,,,,how about the rest of you all, any family ritual at the holidays that you still do,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Hi Jody - I agree - no such thing as too much butter. Every year since 1989, we have had dinner at my sister-in-law's house. We split the cooking chores and I usually do the bird, dressing and gravy while she does some of the side dishes and helps with the preparation (the sous chef). We also ask others to bring things. This started because I love to cook and in 1989, she invited us to have Thanksgiving dinner at her house and I declined because I had just gotten my copy of Bon Appetit and was really looking forward to cooking the cover recipe. She suggested that we should come to her house anyway and I could cook it there for everyone. Since then, we have cooked the cover recipe every year and people always look forward to the "gourmet" dinner. We would pore over the magazine and pick out side dishes, desserts, etc. and really have a fine feast. Part of the fun is Kathy and I always go out to dinner pre-Thanksgiving and plan the meal. These last few years, we have slowly filled in with more and more of the traditional recipes that we grew up with. We still like to cook the cover turkey and accompanying gravy, but the side dishes are things like the yams that my mother-in-law always liked to bring, the green bean dish, the sage dressing... good comfort foods to share with loved ones. Whatever turkey recipe we choose is always altered by things that we have learned over the years. For instance, I always brine the turkey and we have come up with a roasting method that works really well with no basting and more time for visiting while it cooks. We have hosted for extended family and friends and neighbors and had as many as 30 + to as few as 14 (this year). It is always nice to be with the people and see friends and family. It's hard to acknowledge that some of the attrition of attendance is due to someone's passing, but I guess that's life and that's what helps us realize how important it is to enjoy the company of those that are still with us. When my mom died in 1999, my dad started coming to our dinners and that greatly pleased me to see him and know that he drove a couple of hundred miles to be there. He also brought his friend, Dot. I think they really enjoyed themselves and I know that he often talked about the good time with other family members. I will surely miss him this year. My older sister Connie and one of my nieces, Katia have come a couple of times. My younger sister Lynette and her husband Chuck haven't been here for Thanksgiving since 1981. Maybe it's because for starters, I served them a cold leek soup (it was supposed to be chilled). I remember my nephew exclaiming "This soup's cold!!" I thought it was good and it was fun to make, but it wasn't exactly a huge hit. Oh, well. So much for cold soup. In spite of that lowlight, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

Here's a recipe for a very good brine if anyone is interested.
Makes enough to brine a 12- to 16-pound turkey

You may halve or double the recipe. The important thing is to prepare enough brine to cover the turkey completely.

2 ½ gallons cold water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 bay leaves, torn into pieces
1 bunch fresh thyme, or 4 tablespoons dried
1 whole head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
5 whole allspice berries, crushed
4 juniper berries, smashed (kind of hard to find, but worth looking - I found them at a local gourmet market called Zupan's. You probably won't find them at Safeway though.)


Place the water in a large nonreactive pot that can easily hold the liquid and the turkey. Add salt, sugar, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, allspice and juniper berries. Stir for a minute or two until the sugar and salt dissolve. Put the turkey into the brine and refrigerate for 24 hours. If the turkey floats to the top, weight it down with a plate and cans to keep it completely submerged in the brine.

Remove the bird from the brine, rinse (see note) and drain well. Pat dry. Roast your favorite way, using the accompanying directions.

Note: To avoid cross-contaminating other foods you might put in the sink – such as lettuce for salads – disinfect the sink and all surfaces the turkey touches. After pouring the used brine down the drain or rinsing the brine off the turkey you can kill bacteria by washing the sink with a mild chlorine bleach solution (1 teaspoon bleach to 1 quart water). Also wipe down the counters with the bleach solution. Use paper towels, not cloth, to pat the turkey dry and wipe up juices.

Sorry about the note. I know you all know the precautions for cross-contaminating. Can't be too careful though, I guess.

For a container, I use a large canning kettle. My kids used to call it a "Star Wars" kettle because of the dark blue background with the little white specks of paint. Anyway, it's big enough for a whole turkey, then I clear a shelf in the fridge and let it chill overnight. You could also line a cooler with a plastic bag and use that as long as you have someplace to keep it cold. Cold weather helps.

I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and happy times with your families. Thank you all for the memories you have given me. My life has been enriched in simply knowing you.

To all of you,

Cherish your "Norman Rockwell" gatherings.....How truely wonderful to have such great memories and large families and friends to share them with. Jan