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Your Thanksgiving Guide (The Alt-Weekly, Issue No. 4) (Patreon)
Content
The Alt-Weekly, Issue No. 4, November 14, 2025
Notes, News, and Nerdiness from JKLA World HQ
Welcome to your one-stop-shop for all things Thanksgiving dinner! You'll find all the links and info you need included here.
The Turkey
Like most of you, I wasn’t a huge fan of turkey growing up, mainly due to dry breast meat that all the gravy in the world couldn’t save. But since then, after figuring out a few different ways to cook the bird perfectly, I’ve become a true turkey lover. When cooked right, it’s as tender and juicy as chicken, but with thicker, cracklier skin and more flavorful meat.
Want to know what type of turkey to buy? Here’s my Definitive Guide to Buying, Prepping, Cooking, and Carving Your Holiday Turkey.
Before you begin: Dry-Brine it
No matter how you are roasting your turkey, dry-brining it should be the first step. Salting a turkey and letting it rest overnight will allow that salt to penetrate the meat, loosening up muscle fibers and precenting them from expelling as much moisture while the turkey roasts. I prefer a dry-brine to a wet brine because it’s easier (no need to fill a cooler or pot with salt water) and it also allows the turkey to retain more of its natural flavor. Need more details? Here’s my complete guide to brining a turkey.
Seasoning the Turkey
A good roast turkey doesn’t need anything more than salt, pepper, a little oil rub, and some good browning and crisping. If you want to add extra flavors (like, say, herbs and garlic), the traditional method is to make a flavored butter or oil and rub it over the skin before roasting. The problem is that no matter how much butter you use, it ends up melting off the bird and collecting in the pan as soon as it heats up.
A better method is to make a flavored mayo and slather that all over your bird. Mayonnaise provides a stable base for the herbs and seasonings that doesn’t melt off as the turkey heats. Plus, the egg proteins contribute to the Maillard reaction, the chemical process responsible for the desirable browning and complex flavors developed during cooking. You can find the Mayo-Roasted Turkey recipe on NYT Cooking (paywalled) or borrow the method from this chicken recipe right here on Patreon. The technique is the same for turkey as it is for chicken. Make your flavored mayo, and slather away.
Roasting the Turkey
Provided you don’t mind doing a little poultry-based origami (or asking your butcher to do it for you), spatchcocking is the best way to roast a turkey is to spatchcock it. This speeds up the cooking process significantly (you can roast a whole 12-pound bird in about 90 minutes) while also allowing the light and dark meat to finish cooking at the same time. It also delivers much more browned, crispy skin, as well as giving you a backbone which you can use to reinforce the flavor of your gravy. You can find my complete guide to roasting a spatchcock turkey over on Serious Eats.
Other Great Ways to Roast Turkey
While I’m a devotee of the mayo-slathered, spatchcocked bird, I understand it might not work for everyone. Here are some other approaches for the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving table.
If You Want it Whole and Juicy: Use a Baking Steel
Norman Rockwell, eat your heart out. If you want to roast the turkey whole for that picture-perfect finish, this is how I would do it. (And if you’re a visual learner, you can watch how 2016 Kenji would take this on.) When cooking turkeys whole, the light and dark meat cook unevenly. The main trick here is to utilize a baking steel or stone in your oven. Swap out the roasting pan—which can further exacerbate issues with uneven cooking times—for a simple rimmed baking sheet and wire rack and pop it on the stone.
If You’re Outdoorsy: Smoke It
Low and slow smoked turkey. This recipe has all the deep flavors you’re looking for while avoiding the biggest pitfall of smoked turkey: dry and leathery skin.
If you Like to Live Dangerously: Fry It
A deep fried turkey cooks fast and furious and delivers a bird with very crisp skin and juicy meat–and a good deal of risk if you don’t do it right. My friend Daniel Gritzer has a great guide to deep-fried turkey over on Serious Eats. (And if you’re a fan of buffalo wings, check out my deep-fried buffalo whole turkey).
If You’ve Got a Smaller Party: Just the Breast (or Just the Legs)
Separating the turkey into its breasts and legs (or buying them that way) not only makes it easier to cook them to exactly the right temperature, but it’s also a great way to feed a smaller crowd. Here’s my guide to roasting a whole turkey breast on a bed of stuffing, or for braising turkey legs in red wine.
For the Juiciest, Most Flavorful Turkey Breast: Make a Turkey Porchetta
If you feel like going all out and want a sliceable, juicy, and flavor-packed centerpiece, try this “turchetta.” This is turkey breast that’s cured and seasoned, wrapped in its own skin, and roasted in the style of a traditional Italian porchetta. It’s time-consuming and technique-heavy, but the results are outstanding.
Let’s Get Saucey
If you’ll be spatchcocking your turkey, you’re in luck! The removed backbone can be used to give your gravy an extra dimension of turkey flavor. Be sure to add it to your broth, right along with the neck and giblets.
Even if the backbone isn’t available, this gravy recipe will work for you. You can also watch the video here. (Backbones aside, a splash of soy sauce for an umami boost is my favorite way to finish gravy. It’s what made my grandmother’s gravy taste like my grandmother’s gravy.)
There’s only one other sauce that comes to mind on Thanksgiving day, and it’s of the cranberry variety. I like to keep my cranberry sauce real simple, but if you want to gussy it up, try adding a cinnamon stick, some orange zest, or (if you like it winey) maybe a splash of port or madeira. Follow the recipe for simple cranberry sauce here or watch the video.
Potatoes Please
As a holiday based on gravy, mashed potatoes makes the most sense for this table. I typically prefer my mashed potatoes the right way: creamy, smooth, and super buttery. You can read the recipe for my pommes purées (rich and creamy mashed potatoes) here.
My sister, on the other hand, like them light and fluffy (AKA the wrong way). But no worries, I don’t judge (much). You can get my recipe recipe for fluffy mashed potatoes (and nerd out on starch science with me) right here, or watch the video on my YouTube channel.
My take on a classic potato gratin is one of my most popular recipes ever. And I understand why: It has all the creamy decadence of a classic potato gratin but with more crispy edges.
Read the recipe on NYT Cooking (paywalled), get it for free on Serious Eats or watch the video over on the NYT Cooking YouTube channel.
My extra-crispy roast potatoes is a science experiment that really, really works. Parboiling potatoes in alkaline water with baking soda breaks down their exteriors, creating a starchy slurry that crisps up in the oven, enhancing both texture and flavor. Plus, they’re gluten-free and vegan (when you opt for oil instead of butter). See the steamy magic on YouTube.
Due to their high sugar content, sweet potatoes don’t cook exactly like your traditional russet or yukon, but par-boiling will still help them, increasing their natural sweetness. You can find the par-boiled version here, or use a simpler technique and take them straight to the oven.
Mashed sweet potatoes are a great option to cook ahead and reheat before serving—and they’re even better when complete with maple, thyme, and brown butter. Find the recipe here or watch the video.
Stuffing, Dressing, Savory Bread Pudding
Whatever you call it—I like it. In fact, this is probably the most indispensable part of my Thanksgiving plate.
My classic sage and sausage stuffing keeps it simple. Pro tip: While most recipes call for stale bread, they really want dry bread that can slurp up delicious stock. Read all about it on Serious Eats.
I also revisited this recipe here on Patreon last year. Cook it with me from my POV!
Vegetables and Salads
By this point, our plates are in dire need of a splash of color. Bring on the greens!
Brussels sprouts are my family’s green vegetable of choice for the holiday, and most of the time, I’ll do them real simple by roasting them in a real hot oven until browned, crisp, and nutty. Here’s my recipe for simple roasted Brussels sprouts. That said, there’s something magical about deep-frying them (plus it frees up your oven for other things). Complete with shallots, honey, and balsamic vinegar, these are a guaranteed win.
Green bean casserole is a classic—if not the classic of Thanksgiving—and there’s nothing wrong with green beans, canned cream of mushroom soup, and canned French’s fried onions. But if you want to brave making it from scratch, be my guest! If you want to keep it simpler, you can sauté green beans with almonds (the French way), or braise them with bacon until they’re pale green, meltingly tender, and amazingly delicious (the American way).
This make-ahead roasted squash and kale salad will reduce your holiday stress levels, and this roasted pear salad with endive, blue cheese, and hazelnut is a hearty, savory salad perfect for winter weather.
Biscuits and Breads
You spend so much time worrying about the other stuff, there’s no need to stress over the bread.
Using self-rising flour simplifies biscuit-making by combining flour, baking powder, and salt in one, allowing for a consistent, soft texture without extra steps. If you have self-rising flour on hand, give this two ingredient biscuit recipe a try.
If you have all purpose or soft wheat flour sitting around, this five ingredient biscuit recipe might be more your speed.
For flaky, tender biscuits, try this approach using greek yogurt and milk as the liquid or the buttermilk biscuits from “The Food Lab.”
I’ve worked on (almost) no-knead bread recipes for years. The most recent incarnation of my recipe can be found on NYT Cooking, though an earlier (and more free) version exists on Serious Eats and my YouTube channel.
Just Desserts
Fun fact: One of my earliest “viral” recipes was a vodka pie crust recipe I developed at Cook’s Illustrated magazine back in 2006. This updated version takes it a step further. Rather than leaving butter in discrete “pea-sized pieces,” you take the butter and half the flour and blend it into a paste before pulsing the remaining flour in with a food processor. The result is a foolproof dough that's easy to work with and bakes up beautifully.
As for the filling, I don’t personally have recipes for pecan or pumpkin pie (see the recipe roundup at the bottom of this article for some great recipes from my friends and colleagues), but I got you covered on apples! Try this classic apple pie or this extra gooey version. No matter which version I choose, I always par-cook my apples—either using a dutch oven or sous-vide—before putting them in the pie. This, paradoxically, helps them retain their shape and taste better as they bake (thank you, enzymes and caramelization).
More Recipes
Make-Ahead Dishes Served With No Reheating
Easy Make-Ahead Carrot and Chickpea Salad With Dill and Pumpkin Seeds
Make-Ahead Chickpea Salad With Cumin and Celery
Whole-Grain Spelt Salad With Leeks and Marinated Mushrooms
Roasted-Chickpea and Kale Salad With Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
Carrot and Rye Berry Salad With Celery, Cilantro, and Marcona Almonds
Endive, Shallot, and Goat Cheese Tart
Sicilian-Style Broccoli Rabe With Eggplant and Capers
Roasted Cauliflower With Pine Nut, Raisin, and Caper Vinaigrette
Roasted Carrots With Harissa and Crème Fraîche
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Chutney Vinaigrette
Bourbon Old Fashioned Glazed Pecans
Make-Ahead Dishes Finished or Reheated in the Oven
Easy Roasted Mushrooms (quick reheat)
Over-the-Top Creamed Brussels Sprouts Gratin (make ahead through step 2)
Extra-Crispy Herb-Roasted New Potatoes (make ahead through step 2)
Crispy Mashed Potato Casserole With Bacon, Cheese, and Scallions
Cheesy Onion, Bacon, and New Potato Gratin (make ahead through step 4 and transfer mixture to baking dish; continue with step 5 the day of)
Hasselback Potato Gratin (bake halfway through step 3; finish baking until golden brown the day of)
Classic Sausage and Sage Stuffing or Vegan Stuffing (prepare until just before baking step)
The Ultimate Green Bean Casserole (make ahead halfway through step 13; bake and top the day of)
Make-Ahead Dishes Finished on the Stovetop
Creamy Roasted-Broccoli Soup With Buttermilk and Spiced Pepitas
Creamy Cauliflower and Bacon Soup
Spicy Carrot and Ginger Soup With Harissa
Roasted Pumpkin Soup With Brown Butter and Thyme (really, any of our soups would be a good choice for reheating stovetop or sous vide)
The Best Mashed Sweet Potatoes (best reheated sous vide)
Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Risotto With Frizzled Sage and Brown Butter (cook through step 9, chill by spreading on a rimmed baking sheet, reheat by stirring in hot stock in a saucepan until creamy)
Ultra-Fluffy or Rich and Creamy Mashed Potatoes (best reheated sous vide)
Roasted Shallots With Buttery Sweet-Tart Glaze
Desserts
BraveTart's Easy, Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
BraveTart's Butternut Pumpkin Pie
Thank you again for joining me as a Frienji of Kenji here on Patreon. I want my content here to serve you and your needs in the kitchen. Comment down below what recipes, techniques, or topics you’d like to see me cover!
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