View Full Version : Thanksgiving Dinner
moondoggy
10-09-2007, 20:53
Wife and I will be staying in SNP for 5 days over the Thanksgiving Holiday.... We will be based at Corbin Cabin..Here's my issue.
Wifey has expressed her desire to have a "real" Thanksgiving Dinner.....Cabin is equipped with a woodstove (very small firebox) and a decent size fireplace.
Any ideas on how I could cook a small chicken or turkey breast..... I think I could pull it off in a Dutch Oven...but I've never done it and I'm not sure there is one in the cabin...
Thought of dehydrating but I was afraid I'd end up with Turkey Jerky, which is fine with me but I don't think that's what she had in mind...
As always, I'd appreciate any guidance..
Oh yeah,,,if I pull this off and anyone is in the area..please stop in
Wife and I will be staying in SNP for 5 days over the Thanksgiving Holiday.... We will be based at Corbin Cabin..Here's my issue.
Wifey has expressed her desire to have a "real" Thanksgiving Dinner.....Cabin is equipped with a woodstove (very small firebox) and a decent size fireplace.
Any ideas on how I could cook a small chicken or turkey breast..... I think I could pull it off in a Dutch Oven...but I've never done it and I'm not sure there is one in the cabin...
Thought of dehydrating but I was afraid I'd end up with Turkey Jerky, which is fine with me but I don't think that's what she had in mind...
As always, I'd appreciate any guidance..
Oh yeah,,,if I pull this off and anyone is in the area..please stop in
A Dutch Oven would work great. In general use charcoal briquets (or equivalent) in the following manner: *double the diameter of the DO = total # of briquets (12 in DO = 24 briquets) *diameter-2 = briquets on bottom (12 in-2= 10 briquets) *diameter + 2 = briquets on top (12+2=14 briquets) This formula will give you around 350degree oven, perfect for roasting a chicken . Perhaps you could borrow one from someone?
Survivor Dave
10-09-2007, 21:15
Moondoggy,
I just sent you a PM. Hope you enjoy it!
Let me know. PM back if you can.
Survivor Dave
generoll
10-09-2007, 21:41
you need to replace the briquets as they burn. Start your briquets in a steel bucket and take out what you need as the ones on the DO begin to turn to ashe. It's best if the DO doesn't rest directly on the charcoal, so have some bricks or stones to rest the oven on and keep the briquets burning and replace as they consume themselves.
shelterbuilder
10-10-2007, 06:48
Wife and I will be staying in SNP for 5 days over the Thanksgiving Holiday.... We will be based at Corbin Cabin..Here's my issue.
Wifey has expressed her desire to have a "real" Thanksgiving Dinner.....Cabin is equipped with a woodstove (very small firebox) and a decent size fireplace.
Any ideas on how I could cook a small chicken or turkey breast..... I think I could pull it off in a Dutch Oven...but I've never done it and I'm not sure there is one in the cabin...
Thought of dehydrating but I was afraid I'd end up with Turkey Jerky, which is fine with me but I don't think that's what she had in mind...
As always, I'd appreciate any guidance..
Oh yeah,,,if I pull this off and anyone is in the area..please stop in
Here's another idea - members of my hiking club used to do this at our cabin years ago for family holiday dinners. Cook everything AT HOME. Then when you get to the cabin, all you have to do is re-heat everything, which is usually a lot easier than cooking it all at the cabin. If you use the woodstove to re-heat, make some aluminum foil "tents" to go over the top of the stove and put the food on top of the stove, then cover with the tent (make sure that it doesn't burn on the bottom). For a hotter fire in the stove, use smaller splits of wood and open your dampers; for a slower fire, use larger pieces and close your dampers a bit. And take a backpacking stove with you for quick heating things like canned veggies and hot water.
NICKTHEGREEK
10-10-2007, 07:02
Wife and I will be staying in SNP for 5 days over the Thanksgiving Holiday.... We will be based at Corbin Cabin..Here's my issue.
Wifey has expressed her desire to have a "real" Thanksgiving Dinner.....Cabin is equipped with a woodstove (very small firebox) and a decent size fireplace.
Any ideas on how I could cook a small chicken or turkey breast..... I think I could pull it off in a Dutch Oven...but I've never done it and I'm not sure there is one in the cabin...
Thought of dehydrating but I was afraid I'd end up with Turkey Jerky, which is fine with me but I don't think that's what she had in mind...
As always, I'd appreciate any guidance..
Oh yeah,,,if I pull this off and anyone is in the area..please stop in
Take an outback oven and canister stove like a snowpeak BF with you. You can roast a half chicken, bake some rolls, bake a cake, and have cinnamon buns for breakfast.
Jack Tarlin
10-10-2007, 12:41
The turkey should be relatively easy to prepare, and the other stuff will be easier still.
You can heat some things up on top of the woodstove; also I'd bring one, if not two camp stoves so you can have several pots going at once, like stuffing, gravy, vegetables, etc. Some nice rolls and butter, a pecan pie, a nice wine with dinner and some cognac for afterwards and you've got a hell of a Thanksgiving dinner.
(Oh, and make sure the cranberry sauce is jellied Ocean Spray and NOT the
full-berry stuff. And just say NO! to yams and marshamallows, I've always hated that stuff!)
I've done meals like this in a cabin before and it works out fine. A few ideas on stuff you might want to bring:
*Several small pots with lids
*Tin Foil (for rolls, leftovers, etc).
*Extra serving spoons
*Some nice lexan tableware, glasses
*Spices for your cooking
*Candles for the table!
Have a great time and let us know how it works out.
d'shadow
10-10-2007, 13:51
Shelterbuilder has it right. Most women, including myself, tend to stress out when preparing holiday meals. Pre-cooking the entire dinner will enable your wife to really relax and enjoy the day, knowing everything was cooked to her specifications. Re-heating will be easy, and the food will be ready for whenever anyone arrives. Hope you enjoy the day:sun
moondoggy
10-10-2007, 15:59
Thank you so much for all the suggestions....You're ideas all are much better than any I had....I'm sure it'll be a blast....
d'shadow
moondoggy
10-10-2007, 15:59
oops,,,,sorry to fast on the post,
d'shadow
Appalachian Tater
10-10-2007, 22:10
For that matter, can't you get it pre-made from a grocery store or restaurant? Then all you need to do is make some decent cranberry sauce and whatever casserole, dessert or other special dish that is peculiar to your family.
Tennessee Viking
10-11-2007, 00:25
If it does have a dutch oven, you could fry the turkey in pieces.
I haven't done a lot of dutch oven cooking. But I always used some sort of sauce or stew as a liquid base. Probably want to roast an earlier turkey, save the drippings and fat. Or cheat by using chicken broth or stock.
Or you could do ground pit cooking, if woodstove is really small.
Or you could really really cheat, find out what the nearest grocery store is, and call in an order.