We’re continuing the Christmas countdown, now at 29 days! Rudolph and Hermie will continue to keep us updated through the next month!

I was hoping to have time to do a bunch of prep for Thanksgiving to show, but it’s been a hectic week already.  Actually, I’ve been in a flurry of job interviews, which is a good thing!

However, being the day before Thanksgiving, I will be doing a bunch of stuff today.  The Thanksgiving prep will include:

• Brining a 27 pound turkey
• Making bread dough for bread and rolls
• Smoking Bob Evans sausage for biscuits and gravy

It’s not too hectic of a day, but I’ll be busy.  The bread is the same I’ve done before, from a recipe my mom gave me; Thanksgiving is the day for old fashioned bread, not baguettes!

For the turkey, I’m putting it in a brine with 3/4 cup salt per gallon of water (it’s going to take about 3 gallons of water, I think).  Then I’m going to add sage, rosemary and peppercorns, along with some Turbinado sugar and bourbon.  it will sit until early tomorrow morning in the brine, soaking up moisture and flavor, to be ready to go on the Big Green Egg tomorrow!  I’ll ’stuff’ the bird with aromatics, but none of that will be eaten; I’ll add thyme, sage, celery, whole carrots, quartered apples and onions, then inject the bird with olive oil.  I’ll put salt, pepper, sage and thyme under the skin, too, then put it on the BGE at about 350 degrees, with a decent amount of pecan wood added for wood spice!

I love Thanksgiving turkey, and I’ve done the fried turkey thing before.  I love deep fried turkey, but I LOVE smoked turkey!  It’s just a bit more traditional, and I think it fits the day the best.

How are you doing your turkey for the day?  Are you doing anything different than you’ve done in the past?

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