What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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featured dining guide story Advertorial Feature SPECIAL TO NOrThwEST ArkANSAS DEmOCrAT-GAzETTE 42 What's up! november 21-27, 2021 Make this the best, and easiest, Thanksgiving ever P reparing Thanksgiving dinner for a houseful of close friends and relatives can be a little overwhelming. Thanksgiving is a food- and tradition- centric holiday, and all eyes will are typically on the dinner table. Pulling off a feast of this magnitude—multiple courses, side dishes and desserts - takes considerable effort. Here are some Thanksgiving tips, tricks and timesavers. Pick the menu early Don't leave menu planning and shopping to the last minute. Decide what you'll be cooking in addition to turkey well before the big day. Select two or three side dishes, preferably items that can be prepared in advance and then reheated on Thanksgiving. These can include a baked macaroni-and-cheese casserole, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and a cornbread stuffing. See the make-ahead recipes on page 47. Brine your bird Turkey is the centerpiece of the feast, so give it every opportunity to shine. No one wants a dry turkey, but unfortunately this lean poultry can dry out easily. Meats typically lose about 30 percent of their weight during cooking. However, by soaking the turkey in a brine prior to cooking it, you can reduce this moisture loss to as little as 15 percent, according to Dr. Estes Reynolds, a brining expert at the University of Georgia. Brining the fowl for a day or more can infuse flavor and moisture. Food Network personality Alton Brown has a fan-favorite roast turkey recipe with an aromatic brine that has garnered five stars and was featured on his show "Good Eats" (www.foodnetwork. com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast- turkey-recipe-1950271). A simple salted water soak also can work. Smoking or non? Some families have begun to entertain different ways of cooking their Thanksgiving turkeys, including smoking. Smoking has long been associated with cooking foods like brisket at home, but smokers also can be used to make delicious Thanksgiving turkeys. Thanksgiving hosts who want to smoke their turkeys outdoors this year are urged to take a few trial runs and watch some online tutorials before trying their hand at smoking. Smoking relies heavily on controlling temperatures, which can fluctuate dramatically and quickly inside a smoker. As a result, smoking a turkey may require simple but frequent adjustments to dampers so the temperature inside can remain steady at around 225 F.