Mead Brined Turkey & "the holiday cheer" (The rules and survival strategy)

Okay, so you see my family has this curse. I'm sure others experience this wonderful phenomenon as well, it's what I call "the holiday cheer". As long as I can remember the holiday season meant sickness. The flu, colds, ear infections etc. often just genuine misery. Being from a broken home the holidays also meant travelling, 8-10 hour drives from Maine to Pennsylvania or better yet a 4-6 hour airport/air plane combo. One Christmas we "blessed" a hotel room to the point where my family jokes that it went out of business because of the "great flu." One year I was in an airplane with one of the hundred ear infections I've had in my life, which I can say was one of my most painful life experiences. This year so far Halloween (my birthday) we were in the ER, Connor had an ear infection. The day before Thanksgiving, well Riley ended up in the ER getting staples in the back of his head, he decided to play topsy-turvy with chairs and busted his head open on the coffee table. Probably one of the most terrifying moments in my life. I about died from panic. Do you see the pattern? The holidays often mean ...the worst of the worst. So you see, Wenesday evening I was the proud recipient of the flu/stomach bug Riley and Connor so generously shared with me...wait for it, it gets better. Thanksgiving day I woke up feeling wicked gross but cooked and sorta  cleaned for the big day. I did what most momma's do, I sucked it up. I figured it was just me right? Uh no, tag your it! Stephen got it. My holiday meals are planned and thought about for months before they actually take place. I had a 20 pound turkey brined and honestly I feel terribly selfish but I missed my dad and really wanted to see him. So I went on with it and now poor Pop-pop is blessed with the "holidays cheer." 

All sickness and icks aside, the big day was surprisingly peaceful and quiet. It was simple, and even though I still made my mistakes I really learned a lot. The most valuable lessons I learned were really around refining the recipes and minimizing the "chores" from the holiday. In the future I want to make the recipes I've used for years and actually trying to do them right. Who cares if its the same as last year...thats what they want! These are the new rules I'll try to remember. (notice I said try because well, I'm me.)

#1: Focus-  I should avoid walking off, although Stephen "dying" was a valid excuse I should strive to pay attention more when possible because this year I undercooked my stuffing and had to shove it back in the oven to toast up, last year however I over-cooked it. (this is where a timer would be handy right? well Connor stole my $20 digital timer and its anyones guess where it went. I canst hear the one on the range over the pellet stove's blower and ...children) I get so caught up in the "importance" of all of the the details and I run around like an idiot. In the process I get flustered, I forget things, mess things up etc. Which leads to the next important lesson. 

#2: Simplify- Everyone would probably be most pleased with a plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn. Homemade dressing and green bean casserole are important but need be, we can do without something. Although I could run to the store because I forgot carrots for the dressing...why bother I don't think I like them that much anyway. 

#3: Share (the food and the work) - With being sick and feeling like ick, my dads pumpkin pie and doughnuts were greatly appreciated and probably the single most relieving part of my day. I did not have to make dessert and I could work on breakfast when I was ready to. I planned to make a pumpkin pie and other desserts but hadn't gotten around to it yet. Instead of running around I actually was able just sit down eat supper, have some pie and that was that. Although I had to run around and tend to the dying moose and crabby kids, there wasn't an urgency to do what was next on "the list". 

Making pop corn, gingersnaps and watching a movie, was the well needed relaxing finale. In previous years I really kind of got upset about the idea of not providing the perfect home made bread, or the absolutely decadent buffet of desserts. Paper plates and napkins, strictly banned. This year I kind of let some of my "rules" slide and the world did not end. YES, I absolutely do feel guilty and quite lazy but just because this year was crazy doesn't mean that next year will be. At the end of the day I have these things that are really important to me but its just ME. Not them. So hopefully future holidays I can get over myself and just be thankful I have people that want to help. I've played the game my way, I've drowned myself in anxiety and for what? I'm not saying that I wont continue to be Sgt. Holiday, but in the future I really want to stop being so terrified. I mean gosh...what if its not perfect? Pffft. Chances are it wont be. I'm no Martha Stewart, I'm just me. This is not semi-homemade, this is still me and my home cooked food on a plate. If theres an inevitable short cut ...well I'll feel like garbage but no one else cares so maybe I should just shut up and eat. 

Which leads me to:

The golden rule of holiday meal planning- Throw the plans away. Feeding four to forty the expectations and plans will just overwhelm you. I'm not saying don't make a grocery list or come up with a meal plan, but the ax is not hanging over you, a dry turkey or forgotten side dish will not cause the apocalypse. 

So now that I've rambled and waisted your time I'll set to discussing the food. Although my meal was not without flaws it was special and still quite delicious. For sides I made a basic sausage dressing with a home baked loaf of bread, sausage, celery and onion. Homestyle garlic mashed potatoes made with garlic butter, baked corn, gravy and of course homemade cranberry preserves. The main event was our 20lb mead brined turkey. For those who don't know, mead is a fermented beverage similar to wine made from honey. It can be carbonated like champagne, or flat  like regular wine. Its essentially "honey wine", rumored to be the first fermented beverage known, popular up until the middle ages because honey was found more abundantly than grapes or hops. Most historians note that mead was essentially the original aphrodisiac. The term honey lips referring to mead on a maidens lips, and the term honey moon actually refers to the tradition of drinking mead for 30 days after a marriage, some say it was to encourage fertility and the production of baby boys...(I say its just encouraging.)  I've found that its the Renaissance, Scandinavian and Norse Mythology, that I refer to most when describing it because thats how I relate to it most. Although the cliche's about mead are Beowulf and the Renaissance fair, thats not all of it. The main reason I fell in love with it in the first place, the history. Mead is the drink of the gods, theres vikings and mead halls, and the mythology of  Odin and Valhalla. Its the history and lore and especially the lost art of making things yourself. So we, I make it at home and find that home brewing in general is a lost art that not enough people try. I've made probably a dozen varieties, some better than others but this turkey was bathed in a slightly spiced brine made with a traditional sack mead. Sack mead meaning there was a larger amount of honey involved and as the sugars ferment it results in a higher specific gravity. (alcohol level, this one probably ranges in the 13-16% range.)  Its on tap in a keg, we've got lots of it on hand.

Okay so wait now, don't run off if your head is spinning and your ready to sign off on this idea keep in mind you can find mead in a lot of well stocked wine shops. Although more expensive than making it yourself I encourage you to try it, and if you have some left over try cooking with it in recipes you would use beer or white wine. (Like with this turkey.) The details on my mead brine and the Thanksgiving menu follow. Happy Holidays, Enjoy!

I made my brine and learned many cooking lessons this year mostly the turkey gave me a swift kick. This tom did not go down without a fight. I will not buy a 20 pound turkey again any time soon, and when brining follow the time line. When people say or up to 24 hours...don't listen. 8-12. No More.  

3/4 cup salt

1/2 cup sugar

2-4 cinnamon sticks

4-6 bay  leaves

1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1-2 bottles mead (750ml/2 liters) *See Note

4-8 cups of water, to cover

Combine 2 cups of water with salt, sugar, cinnamon, bay, pepper and cloves. Bring to a boil and simmer about 5 minutes until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Allow to cool fully before pouring over the turkey (or whatever your brining). You can combine this with cold water and ice to make the process faster. Rinse the turkey well and place in a large food safe bucket. I actually hate to admit this but I had to use garbage bags because I had absolutely  nothing that would hold such a big bird. Cover with brining liquid and mead. Cover with water as needed to cover. Close container air tight and allow to rest in a cold place, the refrigerator or if your in the north and your sure the weather will be cold enough a porch or garage. (40 degrees max, preferably lower, a cooler packed with ice or using lots of ice instead of some of the water will work)

8-12 hours later No More- Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse thoroughly. Pat the turkey dry and roast as usual. 

My 20 pound turkey- 500 degrees 30 minutes, this gets the ball rolling and browns the skin. Lower the temperature to 350, tent with foil and cook until you reach a 155 degree temperature in the breast or 165 degrees in the thigh. This rule applies no matter what size bird you have. Start high to crisp the skin, and lower until the thermometer says its ready. If it has a pop up timer ...ignore it. 

Note: If you've found that store bought mead is two expensive or your looking for a milder flavor use 1 bottle. If you want a more intense mead taste or you  have an abundance of it like I do use two bottles, or 1 1/2 whatever you have around. 

Homestyle Garlic Mashed potatoes: Boil 2-3 pounds of un-peeled golden potatoes until tender, Mash them with a potato masher and combined them with 1 tub of garlic butter. (about an 8 ounce portion) and whole milk/cream as needed. 3/4-1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste, and pepper.