Roasted Spatchcock Turkey

I tried this recipe on a nice winter day AFTER Thanksgiving.... as if I didn't have enough turkey. I think I will do this for Turkey day next year! Frees up the oven and it cooks faster and it was delicious!!!. And it looks cute sitting in the smoker LOL. I served with roasted acorn squash and green beans... think I will make Thanksgiving dinner simpler next year.... not so many sides or desserts.
I brined my Turkey using this recipe but Alton Brown has a good one too. After brining you Spatchcock the turkey or remove the back bone. then dry off with  a paper towel and follow the recipe below. I found it here.  I didn't use the injection because I brined my turkey but this method of cooking was great. We Loved it.

Roasted Spatchcock Turkey

• 18-20 lb Whole Turkey
• 1-2 Tabelspoons All purpose RUB ( I used a garlic, salt and Pepper rub)
• 1-2 Poultry Rub (your favorite kind)
• 1 Stick Butter
• 1 bundle Poultry Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, Sage)
• 3 cloves Garlic

Thaw frozen turkey in refrigerator for 5 days; remove neck and giblet bag, rinse, and Brine over night. Rinse off and soak in a sink of cold water for about 15minutes, pat dry with paper towel.

Remove the tail with a sharp knife, flip the turkey breast side down and cut along each side of the backbone with kitchen shears. Discard backbone and use a sharp knife to cut through the breast bone (wish-bone) allowing the turkey to lay flat.

Trim away and sinew or fat from the bone side of the turkey and dry the cavity with paper towel. Spray with Olive Oil cooking spray and season with a layer of all purpose seasoning and your favorite poultry rub. If both have a large salt content, you may not need to use as much. Just a light sprinkling all over will work great. 
Flip the turkey over breast/skin side up; use paper towel to completely dry the skin and spray with olive oil cooking spray and  season the skin side with your all purpose seasoning and  poultry rub.
Prepare smoker for indirect cooking using your favorite wood or smoking pellets for flavor. The smoker should be at 275-300⁰ the entire cook.
Place turkey skin side up on the smoker. Tuck the wings and arrange the legs so the bird lays flat on the rack. Smoke the turkey for 1 hour then baste. 
To make the baste: Heat the butter with the herbs and garlic in a small pot until melted; keep warm. Use a basting brush to drizzle the melted butter mixture over the skin as the turkey cooks. I baste the turkey every 1/2 hour after the first hour of cooking.
Cook the turkey until a probe thermometer reads 165⁰ in the thickest part of the breast. Rest the turkey for 5-10 minutes and cut into desired portions.

Cranberry Relish

Every year I buy the jelly cranberry sauce since my husband loves it. This year I saw this recipe on The Kitchen on the food network and it looked simple enough so I thought I would try it. (I did have a can of the jelly stuff just-in-case.) But oh my goodness this stuff was devine...I don't think I will buy cranberry sauce anymore.
Enjoy!

 Cranberry Relish

1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 cup sugar 
1/2 cup Cointreau or Grand Marnier orange liqueur
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 
Grated zest of 1 lemon 
Grated zest of 1 orange 

1. Combine the Cranberries, apple, sugar, orange liqueur  1/2 cup water, the cinnamon, and cloves, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the cranberries start to pop, and slightly thickened. About 10-15 minutes . Remove from the heat, stir in the grated zests, and chill.

Classic Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing

I think one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving dinner is the stuffing. I crave it through out the year. In my family growing up we always had Stove Top...easy and when you have a large family quick and easy is what you do. I married a man whose mother cooked from scratch and made homemade stuffing and even stuffed the bird.... I admit... I had never seen a stuffed turkey until I got married. I don't stuff the turkey anymore but was always looking for ways to up my recipe... meaning up the flavor.... I loved this recipe... will keep for my go to from now on. You could omit the sausage if you like but I LOVED the mushrooms and other flavors. and put any little tweak on it you like. I don't quite use that much butter since the sausage has some fat in it....

Classic Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, cut into pieces, divided, plus more

10 cups coarsely torn sourdough bread, dried out overnight (I dried mine in the oven at about 200 degrees until dried out)
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 onions, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 small container of sliced mushrooms, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons  a mix of fresh chopped sage, rosemary and Thyme ) or 1 to 2 teaspoons dried)
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
½ cup dry white wine
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 cups turkey or chicken stock (preferably homemade), plus more

To make the stuffing:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow 3-qt. baking dish and set aside.
• Place bread in a large bowl.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking into small pieces with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, 7–10 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the grease. Then add to the bowl  with bread.
• Add Mushrooms to the skillet with the sausage fat and saute for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown and the liquid has evaporated (may take a little longer depending on your mushrooms. 
• Then, add onions, celery, and herbs to skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until onions are golden brown and soft, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer to bowl with bread.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook wine in skillet, scraping up any browned bits, until almost all evaporated, about 1 minute. Add ½ cup butter; cook, stirring, until melted. Drizzle over bread mixture.
• Whisk eggs and 2 cups stock in a medium bowl; pour over bread mixture. Season with salt and pepper and toss, adding more stock ¼-cupful at a time as needed (you may not use it all), until combined and bread is hydrated. Transfer to prepared baking dish and dot with remaining ¼ cup butter.
• Cover with foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray ; bake for about 30–35 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 450°. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown and crisp, 20–25 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!