deli-meat for thanksgiving turkey? hear me out

does anybody actually like turkey? maybe, but i’m tired of putting the most work in to the least enjoyed item at my thanksgiving table.

here’s what i’m thinking: buy an entire lobe of deli meat, the kind that is usually sliced and put on sandwiches. slice them into steaks, and pass them under the broiler to be eaten like steak. or, bread them and shallow fry them like chicken-fried steak.

is that going to be absolutely horrible?

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fisher23

Personally I like turkey. Hey it's your Thanksgiving, so have whatever you like. I will tell however, Grant, Ben and Nick have been working on some new new recipes and methods for cooking turkey. You can check them out on ChefStep's Facebook page. Sous vide, Peking and hind quarters that look amazing. So before you totally break with tradition check those out.

wolfiegirl

I'm not a huge fan of turkey but I don't hate it either. Last year, for the first time, I brined the bird for a couple of days then roasted it in the oven. Spectacular results!! I did the whole bird because I then make turkey stock from the bones and other bits we don't eat. Using a very flavorful brine took a boring turkey and turned it into a well flavored and juicy, tender turkey, better than any other I've ever eaten. If you don't want to do a whole bird you could do same with a whole turkey breast since most grocery stores now carry a selection of turkey parts. Brine a breast then SV it, slice and enjoy. I'd say that would be much better than the processed deli meat. IMHO.

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

This was my "version" of Thanksgiving last year turkey breast on bottom, chicken breasts middle, duck on top....SV and finished duck with a torch...sliced into slabs and served...

fisher23

Hammered Chef's, turduckin, looks great!

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Have you ever had turkey that wasn't poorly cooked? It can be delicious. Last year I did the ChefSteps turkey crown roast for the white meat and cooked the legs sous vide in duck fat before finishing them on the smoker and shredding them. Both preparations were great. I've also done the ChefSteps leg roulade and that was a crowdpleaser (but a lot more work if you pull out the tendons, which you should if you're going to make the dish).

The problem that people have with turkey is that they don't know how to cook it, and they only cook it one time a year so they never learn. Then they overcook it and conclude that they don't like turkey because "it's like that every year." They also tend to buy crappy turkeys raised in horrible conditions that have been pumped with saltwater and phosphates to try to protect it against the incompetence of cooks who don't know what they're doing.
Anyway, ChefSteps has some great turkey recipes up already, and there are more coming soon. Cooking deli-meat (again) seems like an awful idea... at least if you're going to serve it as a main course. You'd be much better off just roasting some white meat (and doing it right). But cutting deli turkey into 1" cubes and stuffing them with ham and cheese before breading and deep frying sounds like a pretty good idea. Maybe as an appetizer.

FrankM_3301

I'm sorta with you @studbike... not sure I would personally go the deli meat route, but I have to say, I like the way you think! I guess I am not a huge fan of turkey, and believe me, I've tried it as many ways as I can think of...roasted traditionally (meh...), brined and grilled (not bad), de-boned, stuffed with fois and truffle, rolled and roasted (pretty good, but not because it was turkey), de-boned, slathered with herbs and butter, rolled, sous vide, and finished (like a porchetta), broken down, sous vide at various temps, then finished. ...then there are all of the traditional sides, that generally repeat one texture...at least in my family (save for the tinned fried onion-like things). No offense to my friends (and family) who are traditionalists! ...but every year I am torn....To me...it's a food holiday...I want to make something interesting and delicious. This year I think we will return to the turkey (by popular demand), so I will try again, but we have had Thanksgivings with lamb, beef, and seafood in the past. Maybe I can get @HammeredChef DEFINITELY does NOT work at ChefSteps to share that recipe below (and some decent wine pairings)!

brian_martin2001

I, for one, am a fan of turkey. I like it almost as much as I like duck. Hands down, my favorite way of having it prepared, thus far, is deep fried. When cooked traditionally, I'm more of a dark meat kinda guy, however, I do understand what you're saying. Personally, I find "lunch-meat" turkey vile. I actually prefer dried out turkey breast to that, but to each their own. I would recommend you check out a post they put one facebook: a teaser of recipes ChefSteps is working on for the up-coming holidays (see @Brandon_Byrd_40557's post). You can do what you like, of course, but if you are going to do something like that, you might want to ensure that your guests are ok with that. You might also consider doing something else altogether. I've seen people do all kinds of things: prime rib, fillet roast, personally cooked cornish game hens, etc. If you haven't already, I would check out the recipes on ChefSteps' gallery, and see if that could help you at all. Of course, it's your thing, so do what you like. Good luck! When the event actually happens, please let us know what you do, and what they responses are!

studbike_217040

great comments! @FrankM_3301 i have made it many a fancy way; i did a white meat roulade, i have done modernist cuisines confit, i have brined and spatchcocked a small ~10 pounder, i have sous vide the white meat and drumsticks separately; every year nobody really eats any of it. @Brandon_Byrd_40557 i have never sprung for a truly fancy turkey but we usually get the ones from whole foods that, based on price alone, I have to assume are a step up from butterball. I watched the first few moments of that video before i realized it was half an hour long, can't wait to see what chefsteps has for us this year! i'm most excited for the turkey meatloaf recipe. tastes good with gravy, plates in no time flat, that might just be the one. i will report back if i get around to experimenting with deli meat.

tangma27

Why are salt water and phosphates bad?

Brandon_Byrd_40557

They're not. But it's better when you add them at home where you can control the amount used a, as well as the liquid that the salt and phosphates are added to (turkey stock is my favorite). Generally speaking, pre-brined turkeys are low quality with respect to flavor, texture, and animal welfare standards. This isn't true of all pre-brined birds, but it's true of most of them.

wolfiegirl

Not to mention that water-added turkey (or ham) add weight that bumps up the weight and therefore, the price. I don't know about any body else, but I'd rather buy fresh, non-processed meats where you pay for what you get and have the freedom to brine/inject or whatever you please in your own kitchen.

tangma27

Good to know good to know. That makes sense!

mattpope

HC; nice looking turduckin you got there.