Christmas Menus

[Spur08 382]

What y'all got?  This is will be the first year I host.  I've got 1 oven so I'm trying to be a little strategic and use either my grill or smoker.  Trying to decide on protein(s) but I know for a fact I'm going to do this sweet potato recipe (senator russells) as well as the tamale cornbread recipe

[AustinMT 952]

Bone-in prime rib does great on the smoker

[Anastasis 23475]

How many people and how many proteins you gonna put out.  But yes. Tamale cornbread def should be on the table. 

[Spur08 382]

13 adults 2 toddlers.  No idea.  2?

[PencilPusher 454]

Smoked prime rib for the win. If your crew is more into ham, smoke that too. I will say I have converted my family to smoked hams after doing one for Easter this year. Coat the ham heavily with coarse ground pepper and you've got a smoked peppered ham.....unbelievable. 

[BigDHornfan 6549]

Always do a bone in prime rib on the BGE.  along with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.

Last year did an 8 bone roast and when the butcher at Central Market handed it to me, everyone in line behind me applauded.  Damn thing was about $300.  Fed 19 last year, this year scaling it back to about 7 people.  

[Neonmoon 38129]

My family tradition is to have enchiladas, tamales, beans, rice, and queso for Christmas dinner. It is my favorite tradition. 

[thrillhammer 684]

my dad makes posole for christmas day, and it's fantastic.

[Gen. Applewhite 226]

Christmas Eve: fried oyster/shrimp poboys and hopefully my aunt makes her gumbo

Christmas Day: tenderloin with roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts

 

Your pappy's posole sounds good. I might make a batch to have around for the weekend before.

[Spur08 382]

Smoked prime rib for the win. If your crew is more into ham, smoke that too. I will say I have converted my family to smoked hams after doing one for Easter this year. Coat the ham heavily with coarse ground pepper and you've got a smoked peppered ham.....unbelievable. 

Question on the ham. Are you smoking a whole ham or one of those spiralized hams? Can you smoke a spiral without it being too smoky?

[CooterBrown 18014]

Looks like it'll be osso buco and risotto this year.

[Fudge Nuggets 19206]

Turkey, ham, mashed taters, English peas, cream corn, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce log, rolls, ambrosia and sweet tater pie for dessert.  Same as last year and probably at least three generations before that in my family. 

Some years other items may be added, but this list is always there.

[utee94 15832]

Christmas party:

Smoked pork tenderloin (x6)

Fancy meatballs

Crescent roll Christmas wreath (like this one https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chicken-crescent-wreath/  but made with turkey instead of chicken and with cranberries added in)

Assorted cheese tray

Spiced cider (w/rum of course)

Apple pie and chess pie

and most importantly, homemade EGG NOG

Christmas Eve:

Smoked prime rib

Twiced baked potatoes

Sausage cheese grits

Pecan pie

And whatever green vegetable my mom feels like making that day

Christmas day-- basically a repeat of Thanksgiving

Deep fried turkey

Honeybaked spiral cut ham

Cornbread dressing

Green bean casserole

Roasted root vegetables and Brussels sprouts

Sweet tater pie

 

  

Edited December 8, 2018 by utee94

[Jack Straw 2954]

i'm going to do a Big Night Timpano.  should be epic.

[miguelito 11266]

This year I was thinking of taking some apples, coring them with my spiral slicer/coring thing, sprinkling some brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter all over them, wrap them individually in foil, and baking them for about 30 minutes.  We'll have the oven on already, so they can bake while we eat dinner.  Or, if you have the grill going, you could set them on there.

[hornbri 1400]

For the Christmas party we are doing a red pepper bisque, a whole beef tenderloin, twice baked potatoes, creamed spinach and a chocolate pecan cheese cake for dessert. 

Christmas Eve is TBD but will involve shellfish. 

Christmas dinner is a turducken, tamale cornbread dressing, and collard greens. Dessert TBD. 

[PencilPusher 454]

On 12/8/2018 at 9:44 AM, Spur08 said:

On 12/7/2018 at 8:39 AM, PencilPusher said:

Smoked prime rib for the win. If your crew is more into ham, smoke that too. I will say I have converted my family to smoked hams after doing one for Easter this year. Coat the ham heavily with coarse ground pepper and you've got a smoked peppered ham.....unbelievable. 

Question on the ham. Are you smoking a whole ham or one of those spiralized hams? Can you smoke a spiral without it being too smoky?

Spiral cut, which are precooked. For those you only need to smoke at around 225-250 for a couple of hours, until the internal temp gets up to 150 or so. That prevents it from getting "too smoky" as it were but adds a nice smoke flavor. It is really hard to mess up unless the smoker gets too hot.  If you go the spiral route, get a plain one-do net get the pre-smoked ones.

If you go with the whole ham, if it is uncooked you have to smoke for as long as you would a pork shoulder but again I've never had an issue with a pork shoulder being too smoky after 8 hours of slow cook. 

Happy smoking!

[Baboontyme 2813]

Just curious, where are you getting whole uncooked hams? Not that it would mean anything to me since I'm out of state anyway. I've always wanted to do one but could never find a fresh ham. 

[Mo Horn 8849]

Christmas Eve tradition of tamales, beans, and rice. 

Christmas Day, beef short ribs, risotto, green beans, and rolls. Creme Brulee for dessert. 

[Brew 3049]

My entire communist extended family voted pizza apparently. I will be smoking a couple of chickens (extra for chicken salad and stock) for myself along with some potato salad and whatever else I come up with. They can eat their pizza which I’m sure I get to provide.

[Guest]

Christmas Eve: Chicken Spaghetti   Wife's family tradition that i will not let die.  i loved her grandmother dearly and she was the purveyor of such tradition. I always liked the change of pace.

Christmas morning: Breakfast casserole- basically eggs, sausage, cheese, & buttered toast all in one bowl with copious amounts of cheapass LA hotsauce.  Alos: monkey bread made in a bundt pan that is glorious cinnamon/ sticky/ buttery/ toasty bread goodness.

Christmas lunch: Baked ham, green bean casserole, homemade creamed corn, homemade hot rolls.  other various sides, but these had better be on the fucking table, or shit ain't right.

[Spaulding Smails 1553]

Friday party for my employees (approx 60) at the office:  Shrimp boil to include taters, onions, cauliflower, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, sausage

Sunday evening (first night of guests):  Blackened redfish, shrimp & grits with andouille sausage, collard greens, homemade French bread and bread pudding with homemade ice cream and bourbon sauce

Christmas Eve:  Beef tenderloin, béarnaise sauce, mushrooms, asparagus, loaded mashed potatoes, rosemary bread with olive oil, and pumpkin cheesecake / chocolate pecan pie for dessert

Christmas Morning:  Homemade cinnamon buns and breakfast casserole

Christmas Day:  Beer-belly turkey on the smoker, venison sausage, pinto beans, German potato salad and cookie cake a la mode for dessert

Needless to say, I need to up my run mileage to offset this pending caloric onslaught.  

[Horn80 6129]

Christmas Eve: various nuts, home made bread with cheese, wild gulf shrimp, various chips and Kirby Lane queso dip.  Various drinks with vodka, etc,  including shots of Kraken Rum (my college kid introduced this tradition) and Peroni beer.

Christmas Morning: Krinkles from O&H Bakery in Racine, Wisconsin

Christmas Day: Turkey with all the fixings, glazed ham, and duck with orange sauce and numerous deserts.  Wine, champagne, various drinks and beers.

Needless to say, day after Christmas is serious coma time.

 

[Okie State 3821]

Christmas Eve tradition growing up was mushroom soup and various non-meat sides as an appetizer, open gifts, go to Midnight Mass, come back home and gorge on kielbasa, honey baked ham, bobalki, nut rolls, and pizelles until we passed out.

 

Things are different now, but I am trying to start a tradition of hosting Christmas Eve dinner while my in-laws host Christmas Day. Did Hungarian chicken and smoked pork ribs last year. May do some variation of short ribs this year.

[Jack Straw 2954]

14 hours ago, Horn80 said:

Christmas Morning: Krinkles from O&H Bakery in Racine, Wisconsin

i would kill a puppy for a raspberry kringle 

[Horn80 6129]

9 hours ago, Jack Straw said:

i would kill a puppy for a raspberry kringle 

Not sure if you can get raspberry but Traders Joes carry’s O&H Krinkles.

[PencilPusher 454]

On 12/10/2018 at 3:19 PM, Baboontyme said:

Just curious, where are you getting whole uncooked hams? Not that it would mean anything to me since I'm out of state anyway. I've always wanted to do one but could never find a fresh ham. 

butcher shops and/or meat markets. Generally though I stick to the spiral sliced pre-cooked since it is less work to smoke. 

[chesthair 231]

3 generation tradition will continue...swedish tea ring for breakfast.

Then prime rib for dinner.  i have 2 four bone prime ribs in the beer fridge dry aging...cant wait. 

[Etexhorn13 3051]

I force the issue with both my family and my in-laws and insist that we have boudin from Best Stop our Lafayette on Christmas morning. My wife’s family is from Lafayette and I always pick up a box to stick in the freezer after thanksgiving. 

[gecko 1104]

Spaghetti and meatballs......family recipe, family tradition.

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

Nothing but greasy finger foods on Christmas. As many tamales as we can buy, queso & chips, guac, 10 different kinds of cheese & crackers, as many kinds of salami/pepperoni/etc. as I can find, sausage-cheese-balls, fried mushrooms, etc.

The vegetarian daughter usually sits in a corner grumping, but this year she's got a job waiting tables at a movie theater, so she'll be serving blintzes and egg rolls all day somewhere else.

[Moby Ric 2058]

I am making beef wellington.  Have not figured out the sides yet, but it is going to be pretty fucking fantastic.

[Uncle Nate 2097]

Hosting my side of the family starting Saturday.  This is as far as I've gotten in my planning:

Saturday Night:  Prime Rib on the BGE.  Mashed potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Green Beans (for those who don't eat asparagus)

Sunday Night:  Smoking a brisket all day for Sunday night dinner. Baked beans, tossed salad, and still working on the last side (maybe broccoli/rice/cheese casserole or just mac & cheese).

Christmas Eve:  Ham smoked on the BGE.  Creamed corn, dressing, green bean casserole

Christmas Day half the family is leaving for Europe, so I'm thinking of going to enchilada casserole.  But toying with a turkey, too.  Problem is I'm signed up to do both altar and readings at the 10:00am church service, so that is having me lean away from trying to have a turkey for lunch.  Maybe enchiladas for lunch, turkey for dinner.  Hell, may have enough leftovers from the previous two days it will be a moot point.

[Buzzrock 14922]

Where might I find that tamale cornbread recipe?

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Just bought a honkin' big tenderloin from Costco.  The $25 a lb. shIt... not that $11 a lb. crap....

Edited December 22, 2018 by Onboard 2.0

[AustinMT 952]

1 hour ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Just bought a honkin' big tenderloin from Costco.  The $25 a lb. shIt... not that $11 an lb. crap....

Did that last weekend.  It was awesome...

[CooterBrown 18014]

1 hour ago, Buzzrock said:

Where might I find that tamale cornbread recipe?

https://www.kxan.com/studio-512/food/a-tasty-recipe-for-tamale-jalapeno-cornbread-dressing/995047216

Edited December 22, 2018 by CooterBrown

[Limp Brisket 546]

On December 18, 2018 at 4:13 PM, Etexhorn13 said:

I force the issue with both my family and my in-laws and insist that we have boudin from Best Stop our Lafayette on Christmas morning. My wife’s family is from Lafayette and I always pick up a box to stick in the freezer after thanksgiving. 

I was a Best Stop boudin junkie until I discovered Rabideauxs, just off I-10 at the Iowa, LA exit. 

[hornbri 1400]

19 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

Where might I find that tamale cornbread recipe?

Did you mean this one?

[Underdog 28711]

Wife and I work tmorrow through Wednesday, did a roast chicken with potatoes,carrots,mushrooms and brussel sprouts tonight for our xmas dinner. 

[AustinMT 952]

25 minutes ago, Underdog said:

Wife and I work tmorrow through Wednesday, did a roast chicken with potatoes,carrots,mushrooms and brussel sprouts tonight for our xmas dinner. 

Sorry you guys have to work over the holidays.  Hope you guys have a Merry Christmas anyway!

[Underdog 28711]

Thank you and you have a Merry Christmas also.  Christmas just happended to fall on our work days the last few years(we work compressed shift first part of week).  At least we have T-day off every year, which I prefer. 

[Tailgate 3022]

I’m on the ham train too. Smoked one for thanksgiving and it was one of the best I’ve ever had.

All I did:

1. Bought hickory smoked HEB spiral ham. Tossed out seasoning packets that came with it.

2. Injected whole 12oz bottle of maple syrup into ham the night before and poured some pineapple juice over it and put in fridge.

3. Heated smoker to 225 and dropped ham on when it reached temp.

4. Mixed two jars of honey with two cups of brown sugar over low heat to make the glaze.

5. At hour three I put on a first coat of glaze.

6. At hour four put on rest of glaze.

7. Pulled off at hour five.

Will be doing it again for Christmas. Looking it up online they call it a double smoked ham...but it’s not overly smokey at all. You’d never know it was smoked twice...just damn good. I’ll let Mrs. Tailgate worry about sides but scalloped potatoes are always one.

[Doc Reeves 6434]

so far i gotz:

 

36oz porterhouse finished on salt slab

2 racks of lamb

24oz poke belly

32oz Chateaubriand 

mac

mashed tats

sweet taters

cornbread stuffing

18lb turkey for deep frying

giblet gravy

green bean casserole

king ranch chicken

apple strudel w/ ice cream

scratch dinner rolls

assorted salad, fruit and champagne

 

[AustinMT 952]

Going easy this year

Christmas Eve:  going out to Flemings at the Domain for steaks

Christmas Day:

Scratch yeasted waffles for breakfast

Dinner:

Barbacoa and pork tamales from Leroy & Lewis

Making ancho bbq sauce and green chile tomatillo sauce

Beans, green chile rice

Homemade queso

Making Butterfinger creme brûlée for dessert

And lots of wine...

[Horn80 6129]

1 hour ago, Tailgate said:

I’m on the ham train too. Smoked one for thanksgiving and it was one of the best I’ve ever had.

All I did:

1. Bought hickory smoked HEB spiral ham. Tossed out seasoning packets that came with it.

2. Injected whole 12oz bottle of maple syrup into ham the night before and poured some pineapple juice over it and put in fridge.

3. Heated smoker to 225 and dropped ham on when it reached temp.

4. Mixed two jars of honey with two cups of brown sugar over low heat to make the glaze.

5. At hour three I put on a first coat of glaze.

6. At hour four put on rest of glaze.

7. Pulled off at hour five.

Will be doing it again for Christmas. Looking it up online they call it a double smoked ham...but it’s not overly smokey at all. You’d never know it was smoked twice...just damn good. I’ll let Mrs. Tailgate worry about sides but scalloped potatoes are always one.

Looks outstanding.  

[Horn80 6129]

On 12/12/2018 at 5:39 PM, Horn80 said:

Not sure if you can get raspberry but Traders Joes carry’s O&H Krinkles.

Went there today and they are out of Kringles  

[PittsburghTiger 6190]

Pork and prime rib on the smoker

scalloped potatoes from scratch

green beans

probably some brussels sprouts since my sister likes them a lot

a good selection of breads, including cornbread

Chinese style cucumbers (seedless cucumbers, rice vinegar, a bit of sesame oil, touch of soy sauce and thinly sliced fresno peppers, a bit of sugar if the vinegar is too sour)

Not sure about dessert, perhaps a pecan pie, that was Mom's speciality, but she died last year right after Thanksgiving so I have to study up on that.

[AustinMT 952]

8 hours ago, PittsburghTiger said:

Pork and prime rib on the smoker

scalloped potatoes from scratch

green beans

probably some brussels sprouts since my sister likes them a lot

a good selection of breads, including cornbread

Chinese style cucumbers (seedless cucumbers, rice vinegar, a bit of sesame oil, touch of soy sauce and thinly sliced fresno peppers, a bit of sugar if the vinegar is too sour)

Not sure about dessert, perhaps a pecan pie, that was Mom's speciality, but she died last year right after Thanksgiving so I have to study up on that.

This pecan pie is easy, and awesome.  Chocolate chips wind up forming a layer of chocolate at the bottom of this pie

https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/chocolate-bourbon-pecan-pie-recipe

 

Edited December 23, 2018 by AustinMT

[BearSchlong 8098]

I was a Best Stop boudin junkie until I discovered Rabideauxs, just off I-10 at the Iowa, LA exit. 

I need to investigate, because a detour to Scott to best stop adds miles to my trips to Church Point, where all my wife's people have been steadily buying up much acreage. Thank you.