Creative Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner Ideas for Turkey and More

Smoked Turkey, Deep Fried Turkey, Duck, and More

Turkey is the traditional Thanksgiving holiday dinner centerpiece, and is primarily roasted in the oven, served with stuffing and mashed potatoes. But should you be feeling the desire for something a little different and perchance more creative, then there are other options available, and you can utilize these ideas on Thanksgiving and throughout the year.

Smoked turkey can be a time-consuming process, but the results are well worth it. Smoking a turkey requires some special equipment, and a brine solution beforehand for maximum flavor and juiciness. At AllRecipes.com 

(http://allrecipes.com/howto/smoking-foods/detail.aspx) you can find instructions and recipes for smoked turkey, and details on smoking equipment. Smoking coupled with a flavorful brining can impart an amazingly unique flavor to your turkey, and you may never want to roast a turkey again.

There is a trend towards deep frying turkeys that has been gathering momentum the last few years. A deep fried turkey can yield a fantastically different Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday dinner, but the process involves special equipment and must be performed outdoors in order to ensure safety.

You can find the pot and other equipment you would need at some kitchen supply stores or on the internet, but be sure to also receive proper instruction on how to go about using your turkey frying equipment safely. For more comprehensive instruction, you can visit Eat Turkey.com, at http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/cookinfo/fryturk.html The website also contains a number of various recipes for deep fried turkey, including Cajun Deep Fried Turkey, Ginger & Rosemary Deep Fried Turkey, and Asian Style Deep Fried Turkey.

Additional instructions on how to both smoke or deep fry a turkey can be found on the Fabulous Foods website here: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/school/cstech/smoketurkey.html