Cabela’s Field to Fork Favorites: Thanksgiving Edition

Thanksgiving is a time for friends, family, and—who are we kidding, it’s all about the food! Looking to serve-up something special at Thanksgiving dinner this year?

If you’ve had a busy hunting and fishing season, chances are your freezer is packed with locally sourced meat. Here are some tips and recipes to help turn your fall harvest into a field-to-fork feast.

Turkey-Fried Thanksgiving

If there’s one dish that everyone looks forward to gobbling up at Thanksgiving, it’s that big juicy bird. Whether you bought a fresh turkey from your local grocer, or were fortunate enough to hunt a wild one in time for Thanksgiving, using a turkey fryer is an excellent alternative to the traditional oven-baked method. Here’s why: it’s faster, produces juicer meat, and gives the turkey a nice, crispy brown skin. Deep frying is also a great way to free up additional space in the oven for more side dishes, like casseroles, perogies and pies!

Safety tip: be sure to defrost the turkey before cooking. Putting a frozen turkey in a deep fryer can cause the oil to boil over, which can lead to injury or a fire.

Fried Wild Turkey – By Tiffany Haugen (Cabela’s Pro Staff)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30–45 minutes

Servings: 10–12

Ingredients:

1. Dry turkey thoroughly and coat with 2 tbsp. of seasoning.

2. Heat rice brain oil in the pot until it is 400°F. Place turkey, legs up, on fryer rack and lower into fry basket, submerging in hot oil.

3. Fry for 3½ minutes per lb. or until internal thermometer reads 155°F. Make sure to keep oil at 350°F during cooking process.

4. Be careful when checking internal temperature. Carefully lift fry basket out of oil and place thermometer in thickest part of turkey breast.

5. When done, remove turkey from oil and place on carving surface. Sprinkle remaining Cabela’s seasoning on turkey, cover in foil and let sit for 15 minutes before carving.

Throw a Pizza Party

Tired of the same old turkey dinner? Throw a Thanksgiving pizza party! Homemade pizza can be a delicious addition to your holiday spread, especially when you use quality toppings and ingredients. Have some leftover venison sausage or pepperoni from hunting season? Combine with your favourite veggies and cheeses for mouth-watering masterpieces. Use a pizza stone to cook pizzas right on your BBQ or pellet grill, to give your pizzas that authentic wood-fired taste.

Wood Fired Pizza

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10–12 minutes

Servings: 2–4

Ingredients:

  • Your favourite pizza crust
  • Grated cheese
  • A jar of your favourite pizza sauce
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Italian seasoning
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Any of the following ingredients: pre-cooked venison sausage, venison pepperoni, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced pepperoni, bell peppers, diced onions, sliced tomatoes, crushed red peppers

1. Preheat your pellet grill with a pizza stone on the grates to 375°F, following pellet grill instructions.

2. Spread sauce and toppings on the pizza crust and top with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Add a dash of Italian seasoning and garlic salt to taste.

3. Place pizza on stone using a pizza peel. Monitor the cooking of the pizza, rotating 90° at least once to help the bottom of the crust brown evenly.

4. Remove pizza once cheese is melted and crust is browned (approximately 10–12 minutes).

5. Cut into desired slices, top with crushed red peppers and parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

Room for Dessert?

For a lighter take on the traditional apple pie served at Thanksgiving time, try this fun and easy recipe from Cabela’s Pro Staffer, Lesley Tennessen.

Apple Rollups – By Lesley Tennessen (Cabela’s Pro Staff)

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Servings: 4–8

Ingredients:

  • 1 Granny Smith apple
  • 1 tube of crescent rolls
  • Cinnamon
  • Sugar

1. Peel and core the apple. Slice it into eight pieces if you have one tube of crescents, 16 pieces if two tubes.

2. Roll each apple slice in the cinnamon sugar.

3. Roll an apple slice up from the wide end of the crescent, then roll that in cinnamon sugar.

4. Place rollups into the bottom of a Dutch oven. Put the lid on and 1½ rings to make a 350–375(d)F oven.

5. Cook for about 15 minutes until the apple is soft and the crescent is browned These will be very hot, so let them cool before eating.

We hope these recipes will inspire you to get creative in the kitchen this Thanksgiving, and turn your hunting and fishing harvest into something everyone can be thankful for.

To learn more about the latest in outdoor cooking and kitchen accessories, visit your local store or cabelas.ca