Let’s say you dropped the (Butter)ball this year. And despite your best attempts, there is not a large-breasted fowl to be found within a fifty mile radius of your home, where you kindly offered to host this year’s Turkey Day. Or maybe you’re just looking for something different. Either way, abandoning turkey on Thanksgiving is not a crime.
While it’s true the Thanksgiving turkey is a symbol of Americana, and was perhaps once suggested as the national bird by Benjamin Franklin, there’s no need to get caught up in traditions for tradition’s sake. There are plenty large cuts of meat (and even hearty vegetables) that can easily feed a crowd. And when rubbed and coaxed with the right seasonings, these dishes are so damn good that you’ll regret all the years you hauled a 20-pound bird home from the grocery store.
From an elegant prime rib roast with porcini stuffing, to Momofuku’s Korean-style bo ssam, here are 15 reasons to ditch the turkey this Thanksgiving.
Whole Suckling Pig
Recipe: Serious Eats
While it seems intimidating to cook an animal whole, this little piggie is a no brainer for the inexperienced cook. Young pigs have more collagen than their more aged counterparts, which means ridiculously crispy skin and tender, moist meat, even if it sits in the oven for longer than planned. (Photo: Serious Eats)
Slow-Roasted Lamb with Citrus and Herbs
Recipe: Gourmet Traveller
There’s something Medieval about sitting down to a huge lamb-shoulder roast. The naturally tender cut doesn’t need much to be the star of your meal—just rub the outside with bay leaves, garlic, and thyme before putting it in the oven for an hour and half. For best results, baste frequently with melted herb butter. (Photo: Gourmet Traveller)
Texas-Style Smoked Brisket
Recipe: Bon Appétit
It’s a serious commitment to recreate Texas pitmaster Aaron Franklin’s legendary brisket at home—it takes a whopping 13 hours—but remember that barbecuing is best with copious amounts of beer and friends to pass the time. Serve with raw onion and pickles for the full Texas experience. (Photo: Bon Appétit)
Roasted Goose
Recipe: Chow.com
The beauty of the turkey’s more sophisticated cousin? A goose’s skin renders while it roasts in the oven, yielding a luxurious fat that you can easily swap in for olive oil or butter in your favorite holiday sides. Make moist and flavorful stuffing a part of this feast, either cooked in the bird or dressed up in a rich gravy made from the pan juices. (Photo: Chow.com)
Whole-Baked Fish in a Salt Crust
Recipe: The Italian Dish
You can’t beat the elegant presentation on this light holiday dish. To feed more people, get a bigger fish and double (or triple) the recipe. (Photo: The Italian Dish)
Pernil Asado Con Mojo
Recipe: Saveur
It’s pretty hard to go wrong with 30 cloves—repeat, 30 cloves—of garlic rubbed over a Cuban-style pork shoulder. Reduce the citrus marinade with the pan juices for a killer sauce. (Photo: Saveur)
Stuffed Standing Rib Roast
Recipe: The New York Times
Rich juices from the thick chop will trickle into the porcini-studded stuffing while it cooks. (Photo: The New York Times)
Holiday Stuffed Pumpkin
Recipe: Green Kitchen Stories
Even your most allergy-afflicted guests can enjoy this dish since it’s endlessly adaptable. Depending on your crowd, mix plump cranberries, creamy nuggets of goat cheese, and raw almonds into the millet salad. For the record, stuffed pumpkins are Daniel Boulud-approved. (Photo: Green Kitchen Stories)
Leg of Lamb
Recipe: Esquire
This leg of lamb recipe from Chicago chef Chris Pandel will make you feel like a Flintstone. Ask your butcher to remove the hip bone‚ but leave the leg bone intact, to get a single bone all way through. Pandel creates an intense crust for the lamb by crushing the herbs in a mortar and pestle with honey, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. (Photo: Esquire)
Momofuku Bo Ssam
Recipe: The New York Times Magazine
While it’s definitely not a traditional holiday food, there’s a reason chef David Chang consistently has a line outside his restaurant. He raises this humble pork shoulder to super stardom by roasting it with sugar and salt until the fat starts to puff up. After, you have what The New York Times calls, “the soufflé effect,” or a moist interior protected by a shell of caramelized sugar. Whether you serve it for a crowd, or eat alone with your hands at midnight, Korean bo ssam is never a bad idea. (Photo: The New York Times Magazine)
Whole Smoked Goat Neck
Recipe: Food Network
New York’s Ducks Eatery marinades a goat neck in a mixture of curry, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves overnight, then adds it to a hickory-wood smoker. After basting the meat for four and a half hours with the curry sauce, the neck forms a delicious, dark-golden bark. Give traditional cranberry relish a run for its money by deglazing your roasting pan with white wine and dried cherries—it produces a deep red sauce that’s fantastic for pouring on top of the dish, or using for dipping. (Photo: Food Network)
Lime Beer-Can Chicken
Recipe: How Sweet Eats
How Sweet Eats makes a strong case for propping up this roasted chicken on a beer can, “ALL of the skin gets crispy and then we don’t fight over it.” We’re sold. Rub spicy butter and lime slices under the skin and grab the tallest beer can you can find. After an hour and fifteen minutes, every inch of the chicken will have crunch. (Photo: How Sweet Eats)
Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Apples
Recipe: Bon Appétit
This dish manages to use three kinds of pork—prosciutto, pork loin, and the ground stuff—in one elegant package. To get layers and layers of flavor, Bon Appétit suggests butterflying a large pork loin and wrapping it up like a cinnamon roll with earthy apple-mushroom filling before it goes onto a bed of tiny apples. (Photo: Bon Appétit)
Crisp-Skinned Porchetta with Lemon and Chile
Recipe: Food & Wine
Southerners have figured out how to improve this Italian classic. Instead of layering in ground pork, Bettola chef James Lewis laces the inside of his fatty ham porchetta with ground pancetta. Since pancetta is basically Italian for bacon, we have no problem with that choice. (Photo: Food and Wine)
Crown Roast of Pork with Apple, Cranberry, and Pecan Stuffing
Recipe: Williams-Sonoma
Forget about stuffing a bird. This majestic crown roast is the ideal vessel for holiday dressing, producing both tender and perfect browned portions in the same pan. (Photo: Williams-Sonoma)