Make sure bird is defrosted.

Prepare stuffing / dressing.

If stuffing, stuffing must be ready to go.

Put all frozen items in the refrigerator.

Cranberry sauce is ready.

Clean and peel vegetables.

Thanksgiving, November 23

Make turkey stock.

Clean and dry turkey – see ChefsLine FAQs page for how to roast the perfect turkey step-by-step.

Stuff bird and start roasting. Add water to pan, up to bottom of the bird. Add water as needed to create a turkey stock.

Make sure there’s ice and bar fruit.

Open wine to get ready (be sure to re-cork).

You get ready.

Take any appetizers out of refrigerator to come to room temperature.

Countdown 1.5 hours: Make mashed potatoes.

Countdown 1.5 hours: Prepare any vegetable side dish.

Countdown 1 hour: Take turkey out at 165-170 degrees, remove from roasting pan, and wrap tightly.

Countdown 1 hour: Start reheating any potluck dishes.

Countdown 1 hour: Make gravy.

Countdown 30 minutes: Make gravy using turkey stock in roasting pan. See gravy on ChefsLine is you need more.

Optional: Host has stiff drink poured for him/her.

Countdown 30 minutes. Carve turkey.

Countdown 30 minutes. Have guests pour wine, and bring covered dishes to the table.

Don’t forget the cranberry sauce!

The Dinner At Five Show airs LIVE on BlogTalkRadio every Thursday at 5 pm EST.
Our Guest Chef was JoAnna Minneci.

Show Topics Included:

• What Joanna cooks for herself on a weeknight: chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and cream cheese
• From the discussion board: how to thicken caramel
• From the discussion board: how to keep apple pie from sinking
• Making turkey stock for the perfect Thanksgiving gravy
• From chat: freezing dry biscuit mix
• Using the right tools for Thanksgiving: heavy duty foil for even roasting, how to calibrate and use a meat thermometer

Chef Joanna’s suggestions for a beautiful, high-domed apple pie:
Pile those apples high! They will shrink and collapse when they cook.
Vent the top crust to let the steam escape.

Jenn’s Recipe of the Day
Asian Pear Slaw
Chef Joanna’s tip: Top your slaw with grilled chicken or pork slices

Dinner in 5
Chef JoAnna’s Herb-Stuffed Mushrooms

It will keep, but be sure to keep it plenty cold. If you can’t move it into your refrigerator, buy some dry ice (available at some grocery stores) for your ice box. If you’re using dry ice, be sure to arrange some way, possibly a couple of folded bath towels, to hold the turkey up off the ice so the bottom doesn’t freeze.

1) Rub turkey. Cavender’s Greek Seasoning is a pre-made rub that is great with turkey. Do not stuff turkey.
2) Let sit in refrigerator overninght.
3) Soak wood chips.
4) Bring turkey to room temperature.
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5) Brush skin with vegetable oil.
6) Cooking times will vary depending on wind, weather, altitude and type of equipment. Given the season, 250 degrees is a best bet for your cooking temperature. Turkey should reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees °F in four hours or less. If your temperature is low at 3 hours, raise your cooking temperature or consider finishing in the oven.
7) Smoke for around 12 hours, or between 30-40 minutes per pound.
Cook turkey to internal temperature of 165 degrees F in breast and innermost part of thigh.

Listen now for Chef Kevin’s expert cooking tips on how to smoke a turkey. Any questions while smoking? Talk live with a great chef, just call the culinary hotline at 1-800-977-1224.[/hidepost]

Today
If brining your turkey, today’s the day! See our turkey help page for a great recipe.

Night before
Prep all vegetables and herbs for your dishes. Dry well and place in Ziploc baggies.

Prepare a red wine or beef stock for beef gravy. See our recipe for a cabernet au jus if you are feeling ambitious.

Prepare all side dishes that can be do-ahead such as mashed potatoes, yams, cranberries, etc. Place in refrigerator.

Early morning Turkey.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Rub inside of turkey with salt and pepper and stuff with onion, garlic and herbs.

Roast at 325 degrees for 4 hours.

At 3 1/4 hours, check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.

Remove turkey from oven when it reaches and internal temperature of 170 degrees. Turkeys can certainly rest and be reheated.

After removing your turkey from the oven, also remove your vegetable stuffing. Have turkey rest in pan on a rack and cover with foil to collect juices (ideally). Or, take turkey from pan and wrap tightly in tin foil. Your turkey is safe left out (not refrigerated) for around 2 hours or until the temperature of the meat stays above 140. You have just the window you need here but if you are concerned, you can always place your carved turkey platter in the refrigerator. (See below) Put roasting pan aside to save the drippings to make gravy.


At Countdown 3 Hours to Dinner
At about hour 3, remove beef roast from refrigerator. Season with salt and pepper.

Place oven racks at top third and bottom third for a small oven. If your oven is wide enough, place rack in center for placing roast and turkey breast side by side.

A reliable meat thermometer should be placed in the roast. An instant read thermometer will come in very handy.

Roast Beef and Turkey Breast in Oven at the Same Time.

After removing whole turkey from oven, raise temperature of oven to 450.

Place beef roast on top rack.

Sear beef roast at high temperature for about 12-15 minutes. Keep roast in.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Place turkey breast in bottom third or next to beef.

Finish roasting beef. After 30 minutes, check your meats. Use this opportunity to baste your turkey breast if you like.

After checking your meats, begin carving your turkey. Perhaps someone can assist you? Place piece on a platter that can be warmed in the oven.

Total cook time for beef will be approximately 1 hour. Your beef is ready to be removed from oven when it reads….Rare (135 degrees internal), Medium Rare (140 degrees), Medium (155 degrees), and Medium Well (160 degrees). FYI, as your roast rests, the temperature will rise by 5 degrees -10 degrees. The beef will be finished first.

Turkey Breast – we assume you will be preparing a boneless turkey breast. Roast at around 15-18 minutes per pound, unstuffed. Assuming a 6 pound breast, roast for 1 1/2 hours max. Remove from oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees. Remove and wrap loosely in foil. Begin slicing after 20 minutes or so.

Reheat Side Dishes and Turkey

These should be brought to room temperature (countdown: 45 minutes before beef and breast come out of oven). Place hardier side dishes (like mashed potatoes) in oven, covered, with the turkey breast. After removing turkey breast, lower oven temperature to 350. Then, reheat other dishes in oven while finishing your gravies and slicing your turkey breast.

To reheat turkey, perhaps add some of your turkey juices, a bit of broth, or water to platter. Cover with foil and reheat at 350 degrees. About 20 minutes or until temperature of turkey reaches 165 degrees.

If you have any questions while cooking, do not hesitate to call the culinary hotline at 1-800-977-1224. That’s why our chefs are here!

Nathan from Central City Nebraska wants to know what temperature we recommend for a 20 lb. turkey? Nathan, we feel that a slow roast at 325 degrees is best. You should plan for about 4.5 hours of cooking time if unstuffed or 5 hours if stuffed. We recommend that you follow our Step-By-Step Guide for preparing the perfect turkey.

If you are hoping to prepare your turkey in a new or different way than is described here, you should call our culinary hotline or schedule an appointment with one of our chefs. You can experience the joy of cooking with your own chef instructor and our chefs can help you design your own, new and best, recipe!

A: Brinkman, one of the big manufacturers of the electric smokers, recommends 45 minutes to one hour for each pound of turkey. Set the smoker to 250F. Use a thermometer to test for doneness, 165-175F.

Barb Freda, Weston, FL

If you are hoping to prepare your turkey in a new or different way than is described here, you should call our culinary hotline or schedule an appointment with one of our chefs. You can experience the joy of cooking with your own chef instructor and our chefs can help you design your own, new and best, recipe!