It is not common practice in Africa to have Thanksgiving dinners where Turkey is the main dish on the table. It is however, common practice for most American and British homes to have the occasion graced in this way. In Africa, this is how different things are, thanksgiving and other special occasions that require a celebration are marked by having traditional African drinks and foods served depending on a community’s tradition.
Now, most of us have probably seen traditions of thanksgiving in movies or seen the hashtag trending on twitter and other social media platforms and this may in one way or another push you to want to know or to just try out turkey as the main meal in your occasion. I will show you five different ways of preparing this precious bird because we all have different tastes and preferences. Here are some of the ways you can make your turkey a bombshell;
Roasting
Roasting a turkey is considered one of the best ways of achieving a great presentation and taste. This can be done in two ways; the first way you can roast your turkey is by using an oven which is also the classic way of preparing turkey. The second way of roasting a turkey is by cutting the turkey into bits and roasting the parts separately.
Smoked
This process is said to be slow but gives the best of results when used to prepare turkey. It is recommended that one uses a brined turkey wrapped in a foil as it keeps the meat moist and juicy. Smoked turkey can be served hot or cold, because either way it still tastes great.
Brined
It consists of water, salt, sweeteners and spices. Brining a turkey lets liquids and seasonings into the meat, making it tender and full of flavor. This process needs a bit of prior planning because brining takes place while the meat is cold which requires that one has a refrigerator to help have the bird in the required temperature. This may take a day or so before the actual cooking takes place and one can either deep fry the turkey, smoke it or roast it.
Grilled
Grilling a turkey requires that you cut the bird into separate parts as every part takes a different amount of time to cook. This is however, not a common method of cooking turkey but will give you the best experience if you want to have the turkey prepared in an outdoor setup. You can either do gas grilling or charcoal grilling and also remember to have your grill maintain a constant temperature.
Deep fried
Deep frying a turkey gives a crispy skin, juicy meat, and a fabulous flavor. This is the fastest way one can have turkey cooked as it only takes 45 minutes or less compared to other methods of cooking. This method results in a tender and delicious meat and can be done both outdoors and indoors. This method of cooking still allows you to brine and add spices to your meat to have a tasty meal. The choice is yours.
Of course, we have thanksgiving celebrations in Africa and I’ll tell how we do it. African thanksgivings, contrary to what other people from around the world celebrate, are done during harvesting seasons and when children are born. Thanksgiving is celebrated by song and dance and cannot be complete without people eating, but not turkey.