Tradition with a few twists
Thanksgiving picks up some fire and spice Roast turkey kissed with maple and smoke
What is a traditional Thanksgiving dinner now, nearly 400 years after what historians call The First Thanksgiving? We think turkey and sides, except the wild turkeys then were nothing like the Butterballs now, or even what our grandfathers may have brought home from their factory jobs for our grandmothers to cook.
That’s what my maternal grandfather, the great Frank Hugh, did. But my grandmother Yok Ping let my Uncle Eric roast the bird. He was American as all get-out and was even once crazily courted to be a young Chinese Elvis before he joined the U.S. Army. But his Thanksgiving turkeys were rubbed with black bean and garlic sauce, then chopped up like Chinatown ducks. Delicious though differently traditional.
This year, after quite frankly what’s been one of the most divisive years in our lifetimes, we wanted a traditional Thanksgiving, with a nod to indigenous and immigrant flavors.
For the turkey, I turned to our history. Poring over archives, I was drawn to one of columnist JeanMarie Brownson’s recipes but swapped maple syrup for brown sugar, then added a finish of smoked salt, for a kiss of sweetness and fire.
For the side dishes, consider bringing other flavors to the table. Perhaps Brussels sprouts tossed with Indian spices (cumin, cinnamon and coriander), or roasted root vegetables flavored with soy and ginger. Whatever you decide, give thanks for not only the harvest, as our ancestors did, but the hope to imagine a happy Thanksgiving 400 years in the future where our best traditions endure. Prep: Brine: Cook: Makes: