Thanksgiving in a Montana - Montana Owners Club

adelmoll · 11-12-2005, 03:55 AM

Any suggestions on how I can cook a 10 pound turkey with all the trimmings and find room for the leftovers in our Montana? This is the first year I'm not cooking for about 20 people and want to have a traditional dinner for Bill and I. He likes dark meat and I like white so can't just do the breast. We decided we don't want to go to the clubhouse in the park this year. I will use a cooler for defrosting the turkey if I can't find a small enough fresh one but if smaller then 10#'s it seems like it's all bone. Thanks

Helen

OntMont · 11-12-2005, 07:39 AM

Donna cooked us a Thanksgiving turkey in the trailer oven. It seemed to work just fine, but did leave a cooking odour in the trailer (this was before our first Montana). She now says that she would not do it again for that reason, but freinds of ours use one of those deep fat turkey friers, apparently with good results.

Montana_4944 · 11-12-2005, 09:17 AM

We are new to small holiday meals also. I plan on using my NESCO oven that is 16 quart. It will hold up to a 20 lb turkey. I don't plan on one that big, but with a small bird you can put other food items in also. You can get a cheaper version at Walmart just look for a roaster oven. Also you can use it outside so it won't heat up your Monty. To see one you can go to nesco.com.........Sue

sreigle · 11-12-2005, 09:57 AM

Many large grocery store bakeries/delis will cook or precook one for you for a fee. You can even get an entire meal that way, transport it to your place (if they don't deliver), and eat.

Bill Frisbee · 11-12-2005, 11:08 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

Many large grocery store bakeries/delis will cook or precook one for you for a fee. You can even get an entire meal that way, transport it to your place (if they don't deliver), and eat.

We have found a number of restaurants that will do the same thing. Works great if you lack the space and/or time to do it yourself.

Bill

adelmoll · 11-12-2005, 01:48 PM

Steve, as good as that sounds I don't think I could go out and buy Thanksgiving dinner. I just have to cook it myself. Bill looks so forward to everything. He just loves my dressing and gravy. He never likes the store bought ones as much so I just have to find a way. We are also having company a few days later (other full timers) and I really want to serve them the leftovers as they are spending their first year away from home too so I think I will look into the roaster. Thanks Sue . Now my big problem is going to be storing the roaster in the basement after. That is Bill's space so if you hear him yell in Kansas. well............
Helen

Parrothead · 11-12-2005, 01:54 PM

We did Marie Callendars last year as we were arriving home on TG eve. Don't do it. We still had to cook everything or heat it up. Was more work than doing it from scratch. The turkey was frozen (precooked) but had to be heated for like 3 hours. Plus it costs us close to $100. Has anyone tried barbeque? If you have the thing that turns around (I can't spell it), it should work for a small turkey and wouldn't heat up the Monty. The convection oven is suppose to do a small turkey. When fulltiming we plan on visiting one of our four daughters and so I won't have to worry about that!
Happy trails.......................

drifus · 11-12-2005, 02:04 PM

Nesco's ROCK! Plus they are good for brauts and BEER!!! mmm Maybe Brauts and Beer for Turkey Day!!

trukdoc · 11-12-2005, 03:21 PM

I deep fry a turkey . Quick and easy only about 9 minutes per pound. A wide variety of injectable marinades are available I like the Cajon style. The trick is to heat the oil to about 400 degrees and just prior to CAREFULLY dunking the turkey I turn the flame as high as it will go. The idea is to not let the oil temp drop below 350. After the Turkey starts to cook level the temp to 350 degrees. The Turkey will not soak up any oil if oil is kept hot. Frying a turkey can be hazardous, I use a heavy oven mitt to lower the Turkey into the oil. If oil was to splatter a bit (towling off bird first helps)it wont burn your hand causing you to let go and causing a slash and possible fire.
Happy Thanksgiving to all at the MOC!

dsprik · 11-14-2005, 05:40 PM

We go to my sister's. We get to bring back most of the leftovers because they think we are poor because we are going to "have to live in a trailer next spring"... so we're running that for all it's worth...

Did I mention we don't have to clean up that way?

Seriously, many great ideas here. Need to save this thread. Thanks.

*On Edit ~ drifus, you are WAY to fired up over that beer and brats thing. Good luck with that!

jpkelpe · 11-15-2005, 03:25 PM

if I just cook for the two of us for thanksgiving, I will do cornish hens or a whole roasting chicken. That way I can do the dressing, etc "my Way" and still not have a bunch of leftovers. the chicken gives both dark and white meat and a little bit for leftover sandwiches, etc.

tweir · 11-16-2005, 02:27 AM

Roaster ovens outside really work well. We keep it; a George Forman grill & a 'Lil Chief smoker in the basement storage area. usually what we do is after "The Meal", let the turkey cool, then I bone it out and put the sliced meat in Zip Lock bags---you'll be surprised how much you can 'stack" both in the fridge & in the freezer compartment. We then take the bones, onions, celery & scraps, throw them in the crock pot (outside of course) and let it "crock" all night. This might sound weired, but the reduced crock pot stock & "scraps" makes outstanding 'Turkey-n-Dumplins'----love that stuff & usually there are no leftovers thus leaving plenty of room in the fridge for the sliced turkey & "stuff".

adelmoll · 11-16-2005, 03:51 AM

tweir, that sounds really good. I assume you add water to thr crock pot don't you? If so about how much?

Helen

tweir · 11-16-2005, 05:34 AM

Hi Helen,
Fill it up to about the 3/4 mark---we have the larger of the two round Rival pots. Probably 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of liquid. Forgot to note we also add the left-over carrot sticks & skim 90% of the fat off of the stock once it cools a bit. The amount of liquid kind of depends on how many veggies & bones you put in the pot so that is why we gauge it to the 3/4 full mark.

richfaa · 11-16-2005, 06:34 AM

Helen says we have never had a oven in ANY of our campers that 1.could keep a constant temperature 2. Was big enough to really cook anything..She says we are not going to order a oven in our new camper.Will go with the dual purpose thing and we have a roster oven..Will use the extra space to store the roaster oven.

uhftx · 11-16-2005, 11:53 PM

You've received a lot of advice about turkey.

Not trying to be one myself.

Use Zip lock bags for all your leftovers. Potatoes, veggies, dressing, and gravy works too just put it right into the freezer so it won't get squished and ooze all over.

Gallon, quart and sandwich bag size should be all you need. They don't take up lots of space in the fridge and are more convenient and spacesaving than using tupperware type bowls.

Defrost the frozen gravy when ready for use in a pot of Hot tap water if you don't have a pan / microwave bowl big enough for the frozen gravy.

montanared · 11-21-2005, 11:02 AM

For the last 22 years I have cooked our turkeys outdoors on the BBQ. Not just any BBQ will work, it must be a kettle type, such as Weber. Pile the briquettes on the sides, not in the middle. LOOSELY wrap the stuffed bird in HD Aluminum foil, wrapping in such a way to hold the juices (to make gravy) and allow you to open the top to brown the bird the last 30-40 minutes. If you have a thermometer, try to maintain 350-375. I also add apple wood from my apple orchard to give a sweet smoke flavor. Time to cook is about the same as in a regular oven, but I always buy a bird with the little pop-up thingie. When I open the foil to brown the bird, I position the cover so I can see the pop-up thingie through a vent hole without having to open the lid to check.

Best part is the leftovers. The sweet smoke flavor really comes out the next day.... Making me hungry just typing this....

adelmoll · 11-21-2005, 02:33 PM

Thanks for everyones suggestions. I guess the bottom line is, I wasn't so worried about cooking in the Monty as I was about 50 years of family around. I finally figured out the answer and now we have friends staying in the same park and we have made reservations to go together to a Thanksgiving Dinner at the local golf course. Each of us plan to cook a small amount of roasting chickens, dressing, potato, gravy etc in our rv's and share them as leftovers on Friday. Soup will probably follow on Saturday. Outside of being with our children and grandkids, how much better does it get.

richfaa · 11-23-2005, 04:04 AM

Our local camping group has a thanksgiving campout.We have been deep frying the birds for the last few years before that we did them in Roaster ovens. Everyone did the trimmings in their campers. We had the campout two weeks ago.We do the turkey on Friday and there are plenty of leftovers for the rest of the weekend...We will be at our daughters for xgiving along with the entire family..She has taken over the holidays dinners...It might have something to do with when we sat down for the holidays dinners I would say..and someday when you all have your own homes you can do the dinners and have us over..I mean what are kids for anyhow...I also would tell my # 1 son on our hunting trips...and one day when I am old and feeble you can carry me up the mountain..so one trip he turns to me and says...so climb on Dad..I was NOT old and feeble....Kids.....

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