Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, so here are some helpful tips on the turkey, your oven size, cranberry sauce, and more from our Irish chef in Miami.
If you have had a chance to go to a mall or any major big-box retailer, it looks as if we have skipped Thanksgiving and gone straight into the Christmas holidays. We have had the Christmas lights up in my neighborhood for a couple of weeks, which always feels a bit odd when it’s 85°F (in Miami)! What has happened to my favorite holiday?
I love Thanksgiving. With the holiday just around the corner, we are going to start preparing for the big feast. I am going to give you a couple of tips on what to look for in your turkey, and it’s essential to check the size of your oven, too. For most people, the thing that makes the Thanksgiving meal (apart from the drink, football, and a day off work) is the sides, whether it is cranberry sauce out of the can or Aunt Fanny’s green bean casserole. This year, you are going to dazzle your friends and family with a great stuffing made with Italian sausage and apples, and some awesome cranberry sauce with port and apricots.
Remember, Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover that once a year is way too often.
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Choosing your Thanksgiving turkey
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Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
Size, Sex, and Age Matter
Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
To start, determine your desired turkey size based on the number of dinner guests. Account for about 0.75 pounds of turkey per person, so a turkey for eight guests should weigh about 6 pounds. When it comes to deciding between a hen (female turkey) or a tom (male turkey), you may consider that hens usually weigh less than 15 pounds, and toms generally weigh more than 15 pounds. But their gender makes no difference in terms of flavor, texture, or tenderness.
What makes a big difference is the age of the bird? Fryer or roaster turkeys, those less than four months old, are very tender. Young turkeys, aged 4 to 7 months, are quite tender too. These two types of turkeys are best for roasting.
Turkeys that are about a year old, yearlings, have moderately tender skin and meat. They can still be used for roasting, and cost much less. Mature turkeys, or those above fifteen months of age, have tough meat and should not be used for roasting.
In my book, the younger the bird, the tastier the turkey.
Frozen, Fresh, or Hard-Chilled?
In short, frozen is the best and cheapest option. Frozen turkeys are blast-frozen so quickly that no ice crystals form (so thawing does not damage the turkey), and then they are stored at 0°F or lower.
They need to be brought out of the deep freeze at least three days in advance of cooking, so there is sufficient time to defrost them properly.
Trying to defrost the turkey by leaving it out of the refrigerator can be harmful, as it may promote bacterial growth and lead to food poisoning. Instead, thaw it in the fridge for about five hours for every pound of the turkey's weight.
If time is of the essence, go hard-chilled or fresh. Hard-chilled or partially frozen turkeys are chilled to 0°F-26°F and defrost more quickly. Fresh turkeys (the most expensive sort) have never been chilled below 26°F, so they have never been frozen. The latter needs to be transferred to the refrigerator as soon as possible and cooked within 2 days of purchase.
Find more IrishCentral recipes here
Apple and sausage stuffing recipe
Makes 40 cups.
This savory stuffing recipe makes enough to fill a 14- to 16-pound bird and is always a hit, even with kids. And when made with low-fat turkey sausage, this is a healthy and complete meal in itself.
Ingredients
- 2 lb sweet Italian turkey or pork sausage, casing removed
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 8 celery stalks, diced
- 4 Granny Smith or delicious apples, cored and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4tsp poultry seasoning
- 24 cups cubed multigrain bread, cubed and dried in an uncovered bowl overnight
- 42 cups (or more) low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Brown the sausage until cooked through. Remove from heat, transfer to a large mixing bowl, and crumble the sausage.
Melt the butter in the skillet and simmer the onion for 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the celery, apples, garlic, and poultry seasoning, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the apple-vegetable mixture to the bowl of sausage, along with the bread; mix well. Moisten with the chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. Cool completely before stuffing the turkey.
Gilligan’s tip: Stuffing can be cooked separately in a large glass casserole dish, but more stock may be needed to replace the moisture that usually comes from the turkey cavity.
Cranberry sauce with dried apricots, port wine, and cardamom recipe
Makes about 4 ½ cups.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Port Wine
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup apricot preserves
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup honey
- 2 6-ounce packages dried apricots, quartered
- 2 12-ounce bags of cranberries
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 8 whole green cardamom pods
Method
Coarsely crush cardamom in a mortar with a pestle, or place in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin; discard the skins.
Bring the following five ingredients and cardamom to a boil in a heavy, large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add apricots; cook 2 minutes. Add cranberries and cook until berries pop, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Mix in lemon peel. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
This can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated. Serve cold or at room temperature.
* Originally published in 2010, updated in November 2025.
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