Spence and his "kill"*!
*Spencer didn't actually, um…kill da'Bird. I picked it up at the grocery store, brought it home and defrosted it. Then he did his part by throwing it in a vat of boiling peanut oil. However, when he pulled the nicely toasted turkey from the rapidly boiling oil he said, "Aren't ya going to take a picture of me and my "kill"?" and then without further ado I took said picture. I let him have the pride of calling it his "kill" because, well, just because. Plus, the fried turkey wasn't scorched black {Thanksgiving 2007} or slightly undercooked {Thanksgiving 2008}. In the end I decided that a perfectly golden brown fried turkey gives the operator of the fryer the right to call da'Bird whatever they want to. Wouldn't you agree?
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T u r k e y T i d B i t:
And then I attended my first Thanksgiving dinner at Spencer's families' house. They don't shred their turkey. Not even close! Their turkey is cut into steak like proportions. Everyone needs their own steak knife to cut their individual serving of turkey. The meat isn't removed from the wings and the legs, but rather placed on the platter as is. {I'm always tempted to help myself to one of the massive turkey legs, but haven't yet. Maybe next year.}
And then after the Thanksgiving feast I shred the leftovers. I remove the meat from the turkey wings and drumsticks {because, of course, they are still sitting on the platter. No one ever takes the turkey drumstick. Who would? Well, except I'm going to next year. Maybe!} Then we have perfectly shredded turkey for dipping in gravy and making turkey sandwiches.
T u r k e y T i d B i t:
Growing up my dad always cut the turkey. Mom would get Thanksgiving dinner prepared, then right before it was time to eat she would call dad in. Dad and the electric carving knife would carve the turkey. Dad would cut the turkey into perfect little turkey shreds. It was the perfect size to dip in mashed potatoes and gravy and was just right for leftover turkey sandwiches. I thought that was how everyone carved a turkey. I thought turkey was always served in small, shredded portions.
And then I attended my first Thanksgiving dinner at Spencer's families' house. They don't shred their turkey. Not even close! Their turkey is cut into steak like proportions. Everyone needs their own steak knife to cut their individual serving of turkey. The meat isn't removed from the wings and the legs, but rather placed on the platter as is. {I'm always tempted to help myself to one of the massive turkey legs, but haven't yet. Maybe next year.}
And now that Spencer is the turkey carver at our house, that's how our turkey gets served. Just like his dad served it; and probably just like Jace will serve it when he carves the turkey for his own little family.
And then after the Thanksgiving feast I shred the leftovers. I remove the meat from the turkey wings and drumsticks {because, of course, they are still sitting on the platter. No one ever takes the turkey drumstick. Who would? Well, except I'm going to next year. Maybe!} Then we have perfectly shredded turkey for dipping in gravy and making turkey sandwiches.
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Who cuts the turkey at your house? How is it cut? Don't you think leftover turkey tastes much better than when first served?
3 comments:
That is funny. It has happened opposite that at our house. I remember the big turkey slabs. That is how I eat turkey. But Brett cuts it into little shreds. It is good to eat it that way, but getting it from platter to plate takes too much time and is a pain in the butt. But either way it is turkey and is good no matter what (unless black or undercooked :)
"no one ever takes the turkey drumsticks. Who would?" Well who, would be my husband :) He ALWAYS takes the turkey leg. Because he's been doing it so long and claims it as a privelege, he's started a little fad. Now little Derek wanna be's fight over the other leg. This year he had to share his claim to keep the peace.
Derek is the carver, at our house, and his moms. He does a good job of mixing big and little. I love the little pieces that fell in the broth the whole time. Greasy goodness.
We had our first turkey dinner here just our little family, Mike's mom and a few cousins came too. I made it Mike cut it. BOTH were firsts for us. Mike wanted to shred it and I kept telling him he was doing it wrong. In the end we had shredded meat and that is how it will probably be each time Mike carves it.
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