The Art and Science of Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner

As we approach the holiday season, many of us are eager to share a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with our loved ones. For those who have been fortunate enough to inherit the tradition from their ancestors, cooking this meal is not just a task, but an art form that requires precision, patience, and practice. In this article, we will explore the various techniques and strategies used by experienced cooks to achieve perfection.

When it comes to cooking a Thanksgiving dinner, timing is crucial. The most common approach is to use multiple burners or heat sources, such as gas stoves, electric coils, or even wood-burning fireplaces, to regulate the temperature and ensure that each dish is cooked at the right moment. For example, when preparing a turkey, it's essential to place the bird in a hot oven with plenty of air circulation to promote even browning and crisping of the skin.

To achieve this perfect golden crust, cooks often employ various techniques such as "reverse searing," where the internal temperature of the meat is raised before cooking. This method involves using a thermometer to gradually heat the turkey's interior over several hours while it sits in a cold oven or on the counter. Meanwhile, a mixture of herbs and spices, such as sage and thyme, are rubbed all over the bird to infuse it with flavor.

Another key element of any successful Thanksgiving dinner is presentation. A beautifully set table, complete with fine china, crystal glasses, and plenty of linens, can make or break the dining experience. In our kitchen, we prioritize simplicity and elegance, often relying on classic patterns like stripes and polka dots to add visual interest to the tablecloth.

The art of plating is also crucial in creating a memorable meal. Our expert chef recommends allowing each dish to cool slightly before serving, which allows the flavors to meld together and the textures to become more cohesive. For example, when preparing our signature roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon, we make sure to toss them gently with a mixture of olive oil, salt, and pepper just before serving.

Of course, no Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without traditional sides like mashed potatoes, green beans, and sweet potatoes. In our kitchen, we take pride in making these classic dishes from scratch, using only the freshest ingredients and careful attention to detail. For instance, when preparing our creamy mashed potatoes, we use Yukon golds that have been cooked until tender and then whipped with butter, milk, and a pinch of salt.

As we move through the holiday season, many of us have certain traditions that bring us comfort and joy. In our household, one of these customs is making pumpkin pie from scratch, often the night before the big feast. We find that chilling this dessert in the refrigerator allows it to set properly, creating a smooth and creamy filling surrounded by a crumbly crust.

We also appreciate the value of teamwork when cooking for large groups. In our household, we assign different tasks to each family member, from preparing side dishes like creamed corn or cranberry sauce, to helping with setup and cleanup. This not only ensures that everything is ready on time but also encourages collaboration and socialization among family members.

Finally, as we gather around the table to share a meal together, it's essential to remember what truly matters in this holiday season. For us, Thanksgiving is about more than just food; it's an opportunity to express gratitude for our loved ones, friends, and even those who have served their country. As we take our first bites of that perfectly roasted turkey or savor the flavors of homemade biscuits, we pause to appreciate the simple pleasures in life – good company, warm conversation, and a sense of belonging.

In closing, our Thanksgiving dinner is not just about the food; it's an art form that requires patience, practice, and attention to detail. As you embark on your own culinary journey this holiday season, remember to take your time, enjoy the process, and savor every moment with loved ones.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi thank you all for stopping by and what a very special edition of our Thanksgiving special it is I'm talking about not just a turkey or not just a side dish I'm talking about the complete meal we're going to be so full by this time tomorrow me and the Beagle be bellied up like dead carp in the sunshine folks we're going to Jazz it up a little today and what are we going to start out with we're going to smoke that turkey a while then we're going to bring it over here and we're going to deep fry it but there is a special injection that goes in there we have to inoculate this turkey I'm not going to tell you what it's with yet and some of our favorite side dishes that'll Grace our table let's talk about the star of the attraction on Turkey Day what is it it is now that's what I'm talking about that gobbling bird that thing that's going to sit on the table now to get the most and look I called up a loo instead of a turkey so to get the the turkey the tenderest that it can be I think you really need to brine that turkey first and you've seen me mixed it up which really just water kosher salt some Rosemary some bay leaves some thyme some lemon squeezed in there mix it up in there with some allspice and stuff Stir It Up you got to let this simmer first before you put that turkey in there when you've got it simmered you know everything is mixed well bring it off there let it cool a minute then go to add an ice to it because we don't want to put that turkey in anything that is hot but don't forget when you first start and all them turkeys you buy now unless you're raising your own it's got this little red deal that's sticking right over here in this side of the breast and what is it it's a pop-o-matic folks them things don't fare well in a deep fryer I promise you so make sure you take that thing out of there lay it get bird down in there gingerly don't let him do no Swan Dive Right out of your hand it'll Splash in your face it will make sure that he is fully covered and then what we're going to set him in the ice box for at least 24 hours well we got that turkey deep fryer courtesy of my oldest son Jace and Lou says she's thirsty she's going to have to have a drink would you get out of that that is turkey water and you're thinking to yourself why do we need turkey water well every year about Thanksgiving time you hear on the news what are they talking about house burnt down garage burnt down folks you got to figure how much grease you need in there before you just pour it in there what we're going to do right now is go ahead in here and see if we can fish this bird out drain that water out of him you can see some of them good herbs is still on there now if I was just going to smoke this maybe she's trying to eat the bird easy mage so just go ahead and lay this in here so we're gonna go ahead and put us some water in here and see what it takes to fill this thing up to where we can fry I'd say that was close enough I would foreign bird is out here come the pencil we've got a little shaking going on there but we're just going to sort of guess right along in here that is oil level so let me pour this out we got to dry this out because hot oil and any kind of water don't mix at all now when you're frying a turkey I really recommend peanut oil well the Hasty bake is going it's about half full in the Firebox of Fogo hardwood lump which is Oak we're going to try to run a temperature of about 225 to 250. make sure your bird is really good and dry I don't know why somebody ain't done this already and if they have all I can tell them is thank you because I've never seen it before so we have two items here that I think we really need one is bacon grease and the other one is melted butter I think I'm going to mix the butter with the bacon smell that duker don't touch smell good I don't know why somebody hadn't already made a butter bacon ice cream machine and when you're running this in there just stick it see the hole right here in the needle that's the first one there's the second one so you got to get it deep enough in there that they're both there give it a little squirt move it around in there a little give it another turn it to another angle give him another pull that out put a Band-Aid on it okay go back here do the same thing get them drumsticks see if we can't give them Wings just a little because I do like to gnaw on a turkey wing now we couldn't be doing this if it was going straight to the deep fryer but since we're going straight into smoking go ahead and get the rest of that bucket bacon and butter and just layer in there go ahead and rub that around there to where everything's sort of paying attention and then let's season it well so we're just going to sprinkle it on there fairly well and even all the way around get a hold of the slimy turkey now hold him up here gently lay them over so we try not to lose too much of that cinnamon cinnamon seasoning on the front side all right folks it is time to open up the Hasty bake all the coals are in this end come on there Herman let's go over here you can see he's got a little Sizzle to him tuck him Wings in there best you can shut the lid we're going to add some apple wood to that and be good to go well it was on a smoker about 48 minutes had the oil heating we want to get up to about 250 to 275 when we first let that turkey down in there because we've we were heated all the way to 325 or 350 degrees Fahrenheit and you'd let it down in there it's going to start frying as soon as it hits and it's going to try to boil up and maybe even boil over let her down in there gently and then let's bring that oil temperature up to 325 degrees foreign move that third deep fryer in the barn because it got so loud I couldn't even hear what I was doing but one of our favorite recipes too that graced our table is so so easy and I can't remember a Thanksgiving that we didn't have it in there that is really our what we call our creamed corn now you can buy cream corn at the grocery store in a can but folks it don't hold a light to this all it is is frozen corn about two tablespoons of butter go ahead and get her down there at the bottom into that cream Yes you heard me if you're going to have creamed corn you got to have cream so I like to add just a little to start out with and then we'll go back and see how much more we need when we get her to going so I'm just going to cook it right here over them good coals I remember serving this on ranches sometime and Cowboys will say we can have that for dessert I mean this stuff is so good they'd request it for breakfast and then I've seen them pour it over biscuits so it is some good eating it's easy it's really it's in our first cookbook too the tasty Cowboy if you don't have that page 181 I can remember I looked it up a while ago the cream has warmed Plum through so folks it is time to add a little sweetness so just dump it in there I would say that was pretty good but since I'm really feeling pretty sweet I'm gonna put that added bunch in there we're going to let this come until it gets to a simmer then we're going to thicken it with a little flour stir it one more time and we're going to serve it you know you can't have Thanksgiving without having mashed potatoes so when we're doing mashed potatoes I usually you know always used to use like russet potatoes but I really love to combine russet and Yukon Gold I think you're going to get really a better blend there and a lot of people too when they go to Boiling potatoes they cut them uneven so you're not having an even boiling time when you're trying to get them taters really soft enough to mash and you can peel them or not peel them now I do love a dirty mashed Tater to leave that peeling on there but the thing that really hurts a potato to me is it sits there and it steams and it just gets more moisture back in and it ain't ever going to whip up right take that lid off and that steam is going to escape I need you to do one thing real quick put them back over low heat let's dry all that water out of the bottom we're not going to cook them we're just going to make sure that all that Steam and that water evaporated and is gone and I mean we're going to whip them with that mixer up on full blast turbo speed and if you need a little more help than that just remember there is a video there on the perfect mashed potato it'll walk you through all them easy steps tips and tricks to make your mashed potatoes the fluffiest things so we had mashed potatoes but folks isn't it pretty customary on Thanksgiving that you have sweet potatoes of some form or fashion now I know they're probably good but I never was a great fan of them sweet potatoes that was sliced like scalloped potatoes and then had them marshmallows all over them I'm gonna doll my sweet potatoes up I'm gonna make them a mashed sweet potato then we're going to add some butter we're going to add some brown sugar we're going to add some half and half but we need to make a really nice topping that doesn't involve marshmallows no so we're going to take about a third to a half a cup of cornbread mix let's get us a cup of brown sugar and put in there and put some pecans in there and we're just going to spoon this over the top and dollops and spread it out really well so when you make this topping to go on there and we bike it it's like it's got a crust on top of it like it's sort of a pecan pie in a way when you got this in a dutch oven and say you're going to cook it outside remember them sweet potatoes are sitting right there on the bottom and they've done been cooked once so you're going to use very little heat down there on the bottom be sure and check out that video on our favorite sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving it'll help you walk you right through the process well when you get her out of there folks full it so we can get that temperature to go ahead and Rise because it was about 165 there and I want it to rise up to 170 and you you probably thinking to yourself that's a little dark it is a little dark on the legs and stuff the mistake was had some company pull up about the time I'd put that on the smoker got to visit you probably want to go instead of me telling you 45 minutes let's cut that smoke time down a little let's run about 25 minutes max and that's about 240 degrees on that smoker and then when we're able to deep fry I don't think you're going to get this darker color but it's probably going in there and frying for I'd say about two and a half minutes a pound so 24 to 28 minutes along in there just make sure that you got that good temperature Pro and you pull him up out of there and you check him everywhere just to make sure that you get into that 165. folks I'm just going to tell you right now if I had to sit down at that Thanksgiving table and everything was empty and I'm thinking I can only paint two dishes to have at Thanksgiving well number one would be Mama's cool cranberry salad and number two would be the sweet potatoes with the little pecan crust on top so remember when you get them cranberries and you get them all chopped up whether you use a food processor or you use one of them slap Choppers whatever you do put them in that bowl put the sugar with them and let them set at least 12 hours now to get this cream to even set up faster and whip take this bowl when it is empty and put it in the freezer let it chill for about an hour then when you go to make that whipped cream it's going to set up oh so quick just dump them in there and oh I can already tell you we can stop me this here in just a second a cup of chopped pecans so bear with me for just a minute while I take this and drain these pineapples because you want to make sure they drain get the crust so I'm gonna pour half of them in there I'd say whoa that's three-fourths but I guarantee you it'll be all right to that mini marshmallows and I want y'all to look at something we should have gotten a bigger bowl Shannon wants me to transfer everything that's in here into here I can remember when I was so young and Mama made this for the first time I told her I said is that dessert mama she said you've got to have this with the turkey called traditionally you had cranberry with turkey now how many of you remember the the cranberry that come in here and it was a jail you dumped it out and you sliced it off to us that was cranberry goodness about as high on the hog as you could get and when my mother started making this I knew she was the best cook ever and something that I always sampled first and I always eat at least three to four helpings we have made it to dessert let's give everybody a round of applause for sitting around the table and feeling like they have eaten more than they should have eaten in their entire life but they're saving room for dessert don't quit now don't quit now the most classic dessert of all served at Thanksgiving for all time and generations raise your hand let's give a shout out pumpkin pie and get you 100 pure pumpkin Libby from Libby and is it pumpkin Chan or pumpkin there's an m in there there is an em sort of like in Salmon right huh no it's silent yes yes but I've had a lot of emails already folks people are going to make two our salted caramel apple pie for dessert and we'll have you a link down there to where you can find that it is a great pie in its own self you can't get it out oh what you're gonna need a spoon what that is pretty clean right there oh my gosh yes I went to the hen house I did and I told the girls I said I need two large eggs nobody was in the mood so they were making mediums today or even sometimes small so when they do that to me I just use three so let's get this mixed up really well right here together evaporated milk folks I use more of this on wrenches than probably anywhere in the world because it was something that I could keep forever now I don't want you to dump it in there just dump it I want you to just pour it in there gradually and go slowly a cup and about three-fourths of sugar That's What I Call pretty close a pinch of salt which is about a teaspoon full now to that we're going to add some what cinnamon be careful if the wind's blowing because you don't know everywhere it's going to go some ground nutmeg ground ginger ground cloves oh I smell it yeah don't it smell good I mean it smells like pumpkin pie it does to go in there I wouldn't show on Fires you what is it but it looks like fly ing right there no that's just the that's just the sin or the nutmeg or cinnamon that's now the pie dough that we use is the same thing we used it for our salted caramel apple pie now this does make two crust you can see that's probably a little thicker than what them store-bought pie crusts are that's sort of the way I want them I could cook this pie directly in that Dutch oven but it's so hard to slice them and get them out of there and we need that pie to be able to cool about two to three hours before we even serve it this would be a good time to tell you that we already got some hardwood lump Fogo charcoal in there that is cooked down in the Hasty bake that we can use to bake this in is it all going to fit it's going to be oh so close because that looks good and you'll make it well we added a special touch to it we did right there at the last what was it we drizzled on some maple syrup so let me get to Leah delfair this one we're gonna go straight I'm going straight to it yes ma'am it will be a miracle if I can get it there without spilling the pumpkin pie the pie in there no no no I heard that pumpkin okay tip tip now the tip is put the pie shell in there and then pour the pumpkin in it because I'm gonna have to take it out now to wipe up the pumpkin that is spilled on the bottom oh I felt like I was dealing with nitroglycerin there for a minute you've seen that we coated the bottom there with some good spray or oil you need to oil that because when metal is right against Dutch oven and it's dry it's pretty hard on cast iron so give it a little spray there we're going to put the lid on it now if you're cooking this in the house preheat the oven to 425 but for 15 minutes we're going to cook it at 425 in the oven and then we're going to turn it down to what I don't know 350. what a thought if you're looking to cook a pie in a dutch oven this is probably the easiest way if you're just starting out because we're in a pie pan in a dutch oven so we got a little heat buffer there but if you think you need more than that take your horseshoe take you two or three washers and sit in there to where you've got a little air barrier in there too that you're creating more space now remember we said it was cooking extra hot in the oven for 15 minutes so you see me loaded up hot on top really hot on the bottom and they're scooted really close well we've been on about 10 or 12 minutes I would say and when I took that lid off I could see a little bubbling in there in the middle and that crust is beginning to set and brown a little there on top now remember we can always take all that heat off the top if we need to and then Target heat later but we scooted it back from the bottom and I may even have to rake them further than that and we rate the coals back on the top as well so we could slow that down it's just like turning it down in the oven with a knob we rate the coals back to pull it back to slow it down out here well we've been on about 25 minutes I pulled the heat a little further away from it from the bottom but also you see me rate most of the heat off top and then pull some coals right up in the middle now we're targeting heat because when you're cooking something like this that has a lot of liquid it's going to get done around the outside edges first and then it's always going to be a little Jiggly in the middle now if we give that a little gentle kick you can see there is still a little jiggle there so we need to Target the bottom two right in the center of that Dutch oven but we're going to go ahead and put three under there if I was guessing I'd say that was about 15 minutes out and that'll be pretty close but then rotated it again top one way bottom the other and we're just going to slowly cook it till it's done foreign folks there are some things that we can do the night before and that is the pumpkin pie because it's going to need to cool and then I really prefer my pumpkin pie chilled so let's put them cranberries on let's get that to going then we're going to pull them out the next day about noon mix all that up stick it back in the fridge and let her sit we can make that dressing the night before make it all in there put it in that casserole dish don't cook it just slip it in that ice box and refrigerate it next day you can take it out take it out early let it come to room temp and then we can bake it the creamed corn as well go ahead and just put it together let's cook it then let's let it cool in the icebox get it out the next day and let's re-warm it and hey we're money ahead now the day of Thanksgiving let's start cooking them sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes let's get that turkey out let's get him smoked let's get him to deep frying let's go ahead and put that green bean casserole together let's go ahead and make them rolls any kind of bread that you're making but I really like to do our jalapeno cheddar biscuits and we can let them rise and then we can put them in there right where they come off at meal time but let's get as much as we can outside that way we're freeing up that oven we're creating a faster time for you to get there and if you're living in a warmer climate we ain't even heating the house up what is the meaning really of Thanksgiving it is to be thankful now I'm not talking about just on Thanksgiving Day I'm talking about all year round let's be thankful that we have the food to nourish us with but the friends that are gathered and the family around our table that is going to nourish our heart give us encouragement so when you join hands at the table and you get ready to bless that food First Look Around be thankful for all those there but as always and I am very thankful and it is my honor to salute all the service men and women and Veterans and there's a lot of them folks that still may be active duty that ain't going to be with their families gathered around the table so folks be thankful for those folks because they're doing a job while we're sitting around that table for flying that old flag that we do we just salute you all folks I need to ask you a very special favor and this one's for me I have a procedure the Monday after Thanksgiving and I just ask y'all to pray about it just to pray that the doc the doctor has the knowledge to take this all in and to get it done and pray for me and saying that we have a really safe journey this goes well and we'll be back next week to make another video get on in here and give you a big old Thanksgiving hug we're glad y'all joined around the table with us God bless each and every one of you and I hope you have the happiest blessed Thanksgiving ever thank youhi thank you all for stopping by and what a very special edition of our Thanksgiving special it is I'm talking about not just a turkey or not just a side dish I'm talking about the complete meal we're going to be so full by this time tomorrow me and the Beagle be bellied up like dead carp in the sunshine folks we're going to Jazz it up a little today and what are we going to start out with we're going to smoke that turkey a while then we're going to bring it over here and we're going to deep fry it but there is a special injection that goes in there we have to inoculate this turkey I'm not going to tell you what it's with yet and some of our favorite side dishes that'll Grace our table let's talk about the star of the attraction on Turkey Day what is it it is now that's what I'm talking about that gobbling bird that thing that's going to sit on the table now to get the most and look I called up a loo instead of a turkey so to get the the turkey the tenderest that it can be I think you really need to brine that turkey first and you've seen me mixed it up which really just water kosher salt some Rosemary some bay leaves some thyme some lemon squeezed in there mix it up in there with some allspice and stuff Stir It Up you got to let this simmer first before you put that turkey in there when you've got it simmered you know everything is mixed well bring it off there let it cool a minute then go to add an ice to it because we don't want to put that turkey in anything that is hot but don't forget when you first start and all them turkeys you buy now unless you're raising your own it's got this little red deal that's sticking right over here in this side of the breast and what is it it's a pop-o-matic folks them things don't fare well in a deep fryer I promise you so make sure you take that thing out of there lay it get bird down in there gingerly don't let him do no Swan Dive Right out of your hand it'll Splash in your face it will make sure that he is fully covered and then what we're going to set him in the ice box for at least 24 hours well we got that turkey deep fryer courtesy of my oldest son Jace and Lou says she's thirsty she's going to have to have a drink would you get out of that that is turkey water and you're thinking to yourself why do we need turkey water well every year about Thanksgiving time you hear on the news what are they talking about house burnt down garage burnt down folks you got to figure how much grease you need in there before you just pour it in there what we're going to do right now is go ahead in here and see if we can fish this bird out drain that water out of him you can see some of them good herbs is still on there now if I was just going to smoke this maybe she's trying to eat the bird easy mage so just go ahead and lay this in here so we're gonna go ahead and put us some water in here and see what it takes to fill this thing up to where we can fry I'd say that was close enough I would foreign bird is out here come the pencil we've got a little shaking going on there but we're just going to sort of guess right along in here that is oil level so let me pour this out we got to dry this out because hot oil and any kind of water don't mix at all now when you're frying a turkey I really recommend peanut oil well the Hasty bake is going it's about half full in the Firebox of Fogo hardwood lump which is Oak we're going to try to run a temperature of about 225 to 250. make sure your bird is really good and dry I don't know why somebody ain't done this already and if they have all I can tell them is thank you because I've never seen it before so we have two items here that I think we really need one is bacon grease and the other one is melted butter I think I'm going to mix the butter with the bacon smell that duker don't touch smell good I don't know why somebody hadn't already made a butter bacon ice cream machine and when you're running this in there just stick it see the hole right here in the needle that's the first one there's the second one so you got to get it deep enough in there that they're both there give it a little squirt move it around in there a little give it another turn it to another angle give him another pull that out put a Band-Aid on it okay go back here do the same thing get them drumsticks see if we can't give them Wings just a little because I do like to gnaw on a turkey wing now we couldn't be doing this if it was going straight to the deep fryer but since we're going straight into smoking go ahead and get the rest of that bucket bacon and butter and just layer in there go ahead and rub that around there to where everything's sort of paying attention and then let's season it well so we're just going to sprinkle it on there fairly well and even all the way around get a hold of the slimy turkey now hold him up here gently lay them over so we try not to lose too much of that cinnamon cinnamon seasoning on the front side all right folks it is time to open up the Hasty bake all the coals are in this end come on there Herman let's go over here you can see he's got a little Sizzle to him tuck him Wings in there best you can shut the lid we're going to add some apple wood to that and be good to go well it was on a smoker about 48 minutes had the oil heating we want to get up to about 250 to 275 when we first let that turkey down in there because we've we were heated all the way to 325 or 350 degrees Fahrenheit and you'd let it down in there it's going to start frying as soon as it hits and it's going to try to boil up and maybe even boil over let her down in there gently and then let's bring that oil temperature up to 325 degrees foreign move that third deep fryer in the barn because it got so loud I couldn't even hear what I was doing but one of our favorite recipes too that graced our table is so so easy and I can't remember a Thanksgiving that we didn't have it in there that is really our what we call our creamed corn now you can buy cream corn at the grocery store in a can but folks it don't hold a light to this all it is is frozen corn about two tablespoons of butter go ahead and get her down there at the bottom into that cream Yes you heard me if you're going to have creamed corn you got to have cream so I like to add just a little to start out with and then we'll go back and see how much more we need when we get her to going so I'm just going to cook it right here over them good coals I remember serving this on ranches sometime and Cowboys will say we can have that for dessert I mean this stuff is so good they'd request it for breakfast and then I've seen them pour it over biscuits so it is some good eating it's easy it's really it's in our first cookbook too the tasty Cowboy if you don't have that page 181 I can remember I looked it up a while ago the cream has warmed Plum through so folks it is time to add a little sweetness so just dump it in there I would say that was pretty good but since I'm really feeling pretty sweet I'm gonna put that added bunch in there we're going to let this come until it gets to a simmer then we're going to thicken it with a little flour stir it one more time and we're going to serve it you know you can't have Thanksgiving without having mashed potatoes so when we're doing mashed potatoes I usually you know always used to use like russet potatoes but I really love to combine russet and Yukon Gold I think you're going to get really a better blend there and a lot of people too when they go to Boiling potatoes they cut them uneven so you're not having an even boiling time when you're trying to get them taters really soft enough to mash and you can peel them or not peel them now I do love a dirty mashed Tater to leave that peeling on there but the thing that really hurts a potato to me is it sits there and it steams and it just gets more moisture back in and it ain't ever going to whip up right take that lid off and that steam is going to escape I need you to do one thing real quick put them back over low heat let's dry all that water out of the bottom we're not going to cook them we're just going to make sure that all that Steam and that water evaporated and is gone and I mean we're going to whip them with that mixer up on full blast turbo speed and if you need a little more help than that just remember there is a video there on the perfect mashed potato it'll walk you through all them easy steps tips and tricks to make your mashed potatoes the fluffiest things so we had mashed potatoes but folks isn't it pretty customary on Thanksgiving that you have sweet potatoes of some form or fashion now I know they're probably good but I never was a great fan of them sweet potatoes that was sliced like scalloped potatoes and then had them marshmallows all over them I'm gonna doll my sweet potatoes up I'm gonna make them a mashed sweet potato then we're going to add some butter we're going to add some brown sugar we're going to add some half and half but we need to make a really nice topping that doesn't involve marshmallows no so we're going to take about a third to a half a cup of cornbread mix let's get us a cup of brown sugar and put in there and put some pecans in there and we're just going to spoon this over the top and dollops and spread it out really well so when you make this topping to go on there and we bike it it's like it's got a crust on top of it like it's sort of a pecan pie in a way when you got this in a dutch oven and say you're going to cook it outside remember them sweet potatoes are sitting right there on the bottom and they've done been cooked once so you're going to use very little heat down there on the bottom be sure and check out that video on our favorite sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving it'll help you walk you right through the process well when you get her out of there folks full it so we can get that temperature to go ahead and Rise because it was about 165 there and I want it to rise up to 170 and you you probably thinking to yourself that's a little dark it is a little dark on the legs and stuff the mistake was had some company pull up about the time I'd put that on the smoker got to visit you probably want to go instead of me telling you 45 minutes let's cut that smoke time down a little let's run about 25 minutes max and that's about 240 degrees on that smoker and then when we're able to deep fry I don't think you're going to get this darker color but it's probably going in there and frying for I'd say about two and a half minutes a pound so 24 to 28 minutes along in there just make sure that you got that good temperature Pro and you pull him up out of there and you check him everywhere just to make sure that you get into that 165. folks I'm just going to tell you right now if I had to sit down at that Thanksgiving table and everything was empty and I'm thinking I can only paint two dishes to have at Thanksgiving well number one would be Mama's cool cranberry salad and number two would be the sweet potatoes with the little pecan crust on top so remember when you get them cranberries and you get them all chopped up whether you use a food processor or you use one of them slap Choppers whatever you do put them in that bowl put the sugar with them and let them set at least 12 hours now to get this cream to even set up faster and whip take this bowl when it is empty and put it in the freezer let it chill for about an hour then when you go to make that whipped cream it's going to set up oh so quick just dump them in there and oh I can already tell you we can stop me this here in just a second a cup of chopped pecans so bear with me for just a minute while I take this and drain these pineapples because you want to make sure they drain get the crust so I'm gonna pour half of them in there I'd say whoa that's three-fourths but I guarantee you it'll be all right to that mini marshmallows and I want y'all to look at something we should have gotten a bigger bowl Shannon wants me to transfer everything that's in here into here I can remember when I was so young and Mama made this for the first time I told her I said is that dessert mama she said you've got to have this with the turkey called traditionally you had cranberry with turkey now how many of you remember the the cranberry that come in here and it was a jail you dumped it out and you sliced it off to us that was cranberry goodness about as high on the hog as you could get and when my mother started making this I knew she was the best cook ever and something that I always sampled first and I always eat at least three to four helpings we have made it to dessert let's give everybody a round of applause for sitting around the table and feeling like they have eaten more than they should have eaten in their entire life but they're saving room for dessert don't quit now don't quit now the most classic dessert of all served at Thanksgiving for all time and generations raise your hand let's give a shout out pumpkin pie and get you 100 pure pumpkin Libby from Libby and is it pumpkin Chan or pumpkin there's an m in there there is an em sort of like in Salmon right huh no it's silent yes yes but I've had a lot of emails already folks people are going to make two our salted caramel apple pie for dessert and we'll have you a link down there to where you can find that it is a great pie in its own self you can't get it out oh what you're gonna need a spoon what that is pretty clean right there oh my gosh yes I went to the hen house I did and I told the girls I said I need two large eggs nobody was in the mood so they were making mediums today or even sometimes small so when they do that to me I just use three so let's get this mixed up really well right here together evaporated milk folks I use more of this on wrenches than probably anywhere in the world because it was something that I could keep forever now I don't want you to dump it in there just dump it I want you to just pour it in there gradually and go slowly a cup and about three-fourths of sugar That's What I Call pretty close a pinch of salt which is about a teaspoon full now to that we're going to add some what cinnamon be careful if the wind's blowing because you don't know everywhere it's going to go some ground nutmeg ground ginger ground cloves oh I smell it yeah don't it smell good I mean it smells like pumpkin pie it does to go in there I wouldn't show on Fires you what is it but it looks like fly ing right there no that's just the that's just the sin or the nutmeg or cinnamon that's now the pie dough that we use is the same thing we used it for our salted caramel apple pie now this does make two crust you can see that's probably a little thicker than what them store-bought pie crusts are that's sort of the way I want them I could cook this pie directly in that Dutch oven but it's so hard to slice them and get them out of there and we need that pie to be able to cool about two to three hours before we even serve it this would be a good time to tell you that we already got some hardwood lump Fogo charcoal in there that is cooked down in the Hasty bake that we can use to bake this in is it all going to fit it's going to be oh so close because that looks good and you'll make it well we added a special touch to it we did right there at the last what was it we drizzled on some maple syrup so let me get to Leah delfair this one we're gonna go straight I'm going straight to it yes ma'am it will be a miracle if I can get it there without spilling the pumpkin pie the pie in there no no no I heard that pumpkin okay tip tip now the tip is put the pie shell in there and then pour the pumpkin in it because I'm gonna have to take it out now to wipe up the pumpkin that is spilled on the bottom oh I felt like I was dealing with nitroglycerin there for a minute you've seen that we coated the bottom there with some good spray or oil you need to oil that because when metal is right against Dutch oven and it's dry it's pretty hard on cast iron so give it a little spray there we're going to put the lid on it now if you're cooking this in the house preheat the oven to 425 but for 15 minutes we're going to cook it at 425 in the oven and then we're going to turn it down to what I don't know 350. what a thought if you're looking to cook a pie in a dutch oven this is probably the easiest way if you're just starting out because we're in a pie pan in a dutch oven so we got a little heat buffer there but if you think you need more than that take your horseshoe take you two or three washers and sit in there to where you've got a little air barrier in there too that you're creating more space now remember we said it was cooking extra hot in the oven for 15 minutes so you see me loaded up hot on top really hot on the bottom and they're scooted really close well we've been on about 10 or 12 minutes I would say and when I took that lid off I could see a little bubbling in there in the middle and that crust is beginning to set and brown a little there on top now remember we can always take all that heat off the top if we need to and then Target heat later but we scooted it back from the bottom and I may even have to rake them further than that and we rate the coals back on the top as well so we could slow that down it's just like turning it down in the oven with a knob we rate the coals back to pull it back to slow it down out here well we've been on about 25 minutes I pulled the heat a little further away from it from the bottom but also you see me rate most of the heat off top and then pull some coals right up in the middle now we're targeting heat because when you're cooking something like this that has a lot of liquid it's going to get done around the outside edges first and then it's always going to be a little Jiggly in the middle now if we give that a little gentle kick you can see there is still a little jiggle there so we need to Target the bottom two right in the center of that Dutch oven but we're going to go ahead and put three under there if I was guessing I'd say that was about 15 minutes out and that'll be pretty close but then rotated it again top one way bottom the other and we're just going to slowly cook it till it's done foreign folks there are some things that we can do the night before and that is the pumpkin pie because it's going to need to cool and then I really prefer my pumpkin pie chilled so let's put them cranberries on let's get that to going then we're going to pull them out the next day about noon mix all that up stick it back in the fridge and let her sit we can make that dressing the night before make it all in there put it in that casserole dish don't cook it just slip it in that ice box and refrigerate it next day you can take it out take it out early let it come to room temp and then we can bake it the creamed corn as well go ahead and just put it together let's cook it then let's let it cool in the icebox get it out the next day and let's re-warm it and hey we're money ahead now the day of Thanksgiving let's start cooking them sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes let's get that turkey out let's get him smoked let's get him to deep frying let's go ahead and put that green bean casserole together let's go ahead and make them rolls any kind of bread that you're making but I really like to do our jalapeno cheddar biscuits and we can let them rise and then we can put them in there right where they come off at meal time but let's get as much as we can outside that way we're freeing up that oven we're creating a faster time for you to get there and if you're living in a warmer climate we ain't even heating the house up what is the meaning really of Thanksgiving it is to be thankful now I'm not talking about just on Thanksgiving Day I'm talking about all year round let's be thankful that we have the food to nourish us with but the friends that are gathered and the family around our table that is going to nourish our heart give us encouragement so when you join hands at the table and you get ready to bless that food First Look Around be thankful for all those there but as always and I am very thankful and it is my honor to salute all the service men and women and Veterans and there's a lot of them folks that still may be active duty that ain't going to be with their families gathered around the table so folks be thankful for those folks because they're doing a job while we're sitting around that table for flying that old flag that we do we just salute you all folks I need to ask you a very special favor and this one's for me I have a procedure the Monday after Thanksgiving and I just ask y'all to pray about it just to pray that the doc the doctor has the knowledge to take this all in and to get it done and pray for me and saying that we have a really safe journey this goes well and we'll be back next week to make another video get on in here and give you a big old Thanksgiving hug we're glad y'all joined around the table with us God bless each and every one of you and I hope you have the happiest blessed Thanksgiving ever thank you\n"