Win Your Thanksgiving Turkey!
Do you know where you're getting your turkey this year? Not yet? Then we've got a contest for you! The good folks at D'Artagnan are providing us with a turkey a day to give away to one lucky Serious Eats reader from today until Sunday, November 18.*
D'Artagnan is a purveyor of many things delicious—from pâtés to sausages, foie gras to wild mushrooms, game meat to truffles. But what we're especially interested in right now is their turkey.
D'Artagnan's certified organic birds are fed organic grains and pure spring water—no protein supplements, added poultry or fish byproducts, pesticides or herbicides. Additionally no antibiotics, no growth hormones. The result is a poultry with great flavor, tenderness, and a 25 percent lower fat content than standard commercially raised turkey.
We will be giving away 12- to 14-pound organic free-range birds for the duration of the contest. Contest open only to participants in the continental U.S.
Win a Turkey
To enter to win, just answer the following question in the comments below:
What do you do with the neck and giblets, etc.?
One (1) winner will be chosen at random from among the commenters. Feel free to enter every day, but you may win only once during the lifetime of the contest. Comments for this entry will be open until noon ET tomorrow (Nov. 16). The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
*Sorry, but we have to limit shipping to the continental U.S. Birds will be shipped from D'Artagnan no later than Monday, November 19.
Comments are closed: 163 Comments:
Toss the neck in the pot to make stock for the dressing; giblets are for gravy.
CrispyGirl at 12:13PM on 11/15/07
I throw them into a pot w/ stock to make gravy.
Alm25 at 12:15PM on 11/15/07
Put them in file 13. I use the juices, wine, chicken broth and demi to make gravy.
JerzeeTomato at 12:17PM on 11/15/07
The neck gets thrown in with garlic, chipotle peppers and cider to cook collard greens. The giblets and everything else are for gravy and dressing.
negociants at 12:17PM on 11/15/07
They end up in a pot to simmer and make the house smell good - and then become a pre-feast snack for those who are willing.
MissFive at 12:18PM on 11/15/07
like a poster above, i use them to make a stock that forms the base of my gravy.
pfibiger at 12:20PM on 11/15/07
They get cooked and used in a variety of ways, depending on who is dining. If my Opa is there, he gets the neck- end of story. If he doesn't get that neck he's a rather unhappy man. If he's not there, the neck and the giblets all get cooked together, their resulting broth used in making the gravy, and the meat being cut up and split between the gravy and the stuffing... or sometimes they all go into the stuffing if I'm left to my devices. Stuffing with giblet and neck meat... is there anything better than that plus The Best Part, and a giant pile 'o taters? No- there isn't, in case you weren't sure.
EtherMaiden at 12:21PM on 11/15/07
Since I make dressing, not stuffing, I usually just put the neck on top of the casserole of dressing to add more good turkey flavor.
Library Lady at 12:21PM on 11/15/07
stock and gravy
dowbits at 12:21PM on 11/15/07
I don't usually use the spare parts.
mmiller at 12:23PM on 11/15/07
I use them to make the stock for the gravy, though sometimes I skip that and eat them in the kitchen!
ntyracademy at 12:23PM on 11/15/07
I throw them out!
NYkittyNY at 12:23PM on 11/15/07
Get rid of them! Eww!
bobcatsteph3 at 12:24PM on 11/15/07
make stock for gravy.
mrsbao at 12:25PM on 11/15/07
I'm squeamish - into the trash!
AnaisKoi at 12:26PM on 11/15/07
Make stock for the gravy.
sjwoodin at 12:26PM on 11/15/07
At my house, we have two batches of gravy - one with giblets and neck meat, for those who like it, and one without, for the squeamish.
Nicholas H at 12:27PM on 11/15/07
I throw them away....I know it's flavor but there are a few things I find too gross to deal with.
LizNYC at 12:34PM on 11/15/07
Sometimes I make stock for gravy, but usually they just get tossed.
uncleozzy at 12:36PM on 11/15/07
stock with the neck, the liver for paté, and the other giblets (heart, kidneys etc.) for gravy.
seyo at 12:36PM on 11/15/07
The neck for stock, giblets for gravy
Mike Sula at 12:38PM on 11/15/07
I make stock with the neck and all giblets except the liver. The liver I cook in butter for my husband, who really likes them.
LJS
WT fan at 12:40PM on 11/15/07
boil it down and add to cornbread dressing.
malenky at 12:41PM on 11/15/07
Make stock for the gravy.
schnitzel at 12:41PM on 11/15/07
freeze 'em. they're bait next summer for crabbing on the Chesapeake.
kitchengeeking at 12:41PM on 11/15/07
Stock
Marilyn at 12:41PM on 11/15/07
The giblets get tossed. The neck goes into the stock that I always make on Thursday night.
TheJTrain at 12:42PM on 11/15/07
We cook them with leftover stuffing vegetables and eat the parts we like.
amusingcalliope at 12:42PM on 11/15/07
My mom eats them.. nasty (I'm too squeamish!)
Dirkey at 12:43PM on 11/15/07
I'm in the stock for gravy camp. But they get strained out after giving up their all.
CheesePlease at 12:43PM on 11/15/07
Frighten small children.
pdc at 12:48PM on 11/15/07
Throw out the giblets and save the neck for stock.
robotbill at 12:48PM on 11/15/07
The heart and liver get cooked up for a lucky Corgi to snack on. The rest get put in a pot with water and aromatics to simmer, simmer, simmer throughout the day. The stock that comes out of that brew is the basis for our gravy.
....yum!
wendywoowho at 12:55PM on 11/15/07
Boil them up for the cats.
SelimaCat at 12:57PM on 11/15/07
They go in the circular file....
jamiephoto at 1:00PM on 11/15/07
The neck and giblets get roasted with the turkey, then the neck is used for stock and the giblets get chopped for the doggies.
threedogkitchen at 1:00PM on 11/15/07
I do not like them here or there
I do not like them anywhere.
ontheleftwing at 1:01PM on 11/15/07
gravy and stock
thebigguy at 1:05PM on 11/15/07
i cook them in the gravy!!!!! YES ma'am.
prouddragonfly at 1:15PM on 11/15/07
Give them to my uncle to take home and make something with (I don't want to know what).
wisekaren at 1:17PM on 11/15/07
I use the neck for stock, the giblets usually get composted
grahams at 1:18PM on 11/15/07
Simmer for broth & gravy, although I all too often forget about them and they burn up. I certainly have put my Revereware to the test over the years. By the way, what IS The Best Part?
For me it's the iliotrochantericus caudalis.
mcmvox at 1:20PM on 11/15/07
Since my mom doesn't really like to cook (she finds it stressful) so I cook Thanksgiving dinner for our family now, which I love!
The neck goes to my grandpa (who always takes the opportunity to tell the story of how my grandmother used to stretch one roasted chicken to feed their entire family of 7).
I like to pan-fry the liver as a little snack for the cook, spread on a little toasted buttered bread.
The rest of the giblets go to grandma who puts them in her secret gravy recipe which she insists on cooking every year.
I would love to introduce my family to the delicious difference of an organic bird!
sugarmeg at 1:28PM on 11/15/07
Turkey fried rice ( substitute the pork with the turkey dark meat)
Pokee at 1:29PM on 11/15/07
Stock for gumbo
isol8d at 1:31PM on 11/15/07
The giblets go in the gravy. We used to boil the neck for stock, but these days we just use chicken stock.
billygoat at 1:32PM on 11/15/07
turkey stock
ceforrester at 1:33PM on 11/15/07
Use them to make gravy or flavor stuffing that doesn't fit in the bird, then the giblets go to the dog so he gets something special on thanksgiving, too.
ScienceandtheCity at 1:36PM on 11/15/07
feed 'em to the cat.
christianne at 1:37PM on 11/15/07
Last year was my first Thanksgiving to prepare the bird. I brined it using an Alton Brown recipe--it was fantastic!
Anyway, I simmered the neck for stock & discarded the giblets. My parents would have used them in the gravy but I've never been a fan. Sorry
kevlney at 1:39PM on 11/15/07
I use the neck for dressing, giblets for gravy.
lo82070 at 1:41PM on 11/15/07
The neck boils for stock on a back burner of the stove while the turkey itself roasts, and that, with the giblets, becomes gravy.
nita at 1:43PM on 11/15/07
Great for stock
palmsey at 1:48PM on 11/15/07
I save them in case there is a sick turkey around who needs a transplant.
jb_dc at 1:58PM on 11/15/07
My dad makes gravy with them. I don't touch them. I am too new to turkey cooking, and that is a level I just haven't gotten to yet. :)
brandi at 1:59PM on 11/15/07
Toss the giblets, but keep the neck for stock
Sarahrm at 1:59PM on 11/15/07
I'll be cooking them down to use in stock and gravy. But, I have to make it a covert operation or too many people run screaming from the kitchen. I'm surrounded by food wussies.
Acme Instant Food at 2:00PM on 11/15/07
I roast the heart and the neck along with the turkey (although for a lot less time) because they are my husband's favorite parts. The rest I throw out.
linda at 2:07PM on 11/15/07
I usually cook them in a little water for the base for my gravy, but occasionally forget about them altogether and later find them in the turkey. Yuck.
nellopea at 2:09PM on 11/15/07
Used in makin g soup stock
bojabb at 2:12PM on 11/15/07
Grimace at them then boil for stock.
Freyacat at 2:16PM on 11/15/07
My aunt eats them. Seriously.
waterreflecting at 2:19PM on 11/15/07
Yep. Gravy.
Cynikell at 2:20PM on 11/15/07
throw them out...
sln123 at 2:24PM on 11/15/07
Throw them away
cairech at 2:26PM on 11/15/07
I toss them out!
jpark107 at 2:26PM on 11/15/07
Giblet gravy baby!
foodiegirl at 2:27PM on 11/15/07
Like most people i use them to make a stock for gravy
Eroca at 2:27PM on 11/15/07
I throw them out without touching them any more than necessary. Ewwww.
jcparkins at 2:28PM on 11/15/07
Stock and gravy-er here as well.
Although pdc's "frightening small children" idea has some merit... it wouldn't be a real holiday without some level of emotional scarring.
corycm at 2:33PM on 11/15/07
Cook the giblets for the lucky cats and use the neck in the stock.
etyper333 at 2:33PM on 11/15/07
thrown away
feep at 2:39PM on 11/15/07
My name isn't Anthony Bourdain. I don't like the nasty bits. I toss things like that out
Erin at 2:39PM on 11/15/07
They usually get boiled for the only person who will eat them....my father. Everyone else is too squeamish to even look at them.
elderberry44 at 2:43PM on 11/15/07
We simmer them to make stock which we add a bit of to the gravy and save the rest for the huge, inevitable pot of turkey soup which is traditionally made the day after Thanksgiving. The neck is thrown out afterward, but some people (who shall remain nameless) like to eat the giblets...usually in their gravy, but not necessarily.
Junie at 2:48PM on 11/15/07
For the giblet gravy, of course.
tmdonahue at 2:56PM on 11/15/07
I cook them and feed them to the cats.
outsidecounsel at 3:00PM on 11/15/07
I usually chase someone around the kitchen w/ the neck! Then it gets tossed or becomes a treat for four-legged friends.
The other bits end up in the gravy. (Try using an immersion blender if your guests don't like bits of....things.)
jd7979 at 3:01PM on 11/15/07
The neck goes into the stock for the gravy. The giblets: Ewww.
jbrodsky at 3:01PM on 11/15/07
trash 'em
zekks at 3:02PM on 11/15/07
they start as stock which then becomes gravy.
logicalmind at 3:05PM on 11/15/07
make the gravy
awtane at 3:09PM on 11/15/07
Make stock for gravy.
AimDM at 3:12PM on 11/15/07
In the roasting pan with the juices. They add flavor to the gravy and provide a good snack. Throw them out! The meat on a well cooked neck is very delicious. I love hearts and gizzards as well. The liver is my least favorite.
hungrylikethewolf at 3:16PM on 11/15/07
Boil them with the neck and a few aromatics to make stock for gravy. I do not eat them or add them to the gravy.
lakeloverhh at 3:18PM on 11/15/07
Neck - chomp.
Giblets - chomp.
miso at 3:18PM on 11/15/07
turkey stock
hoosier cook at 3:21PM on 11/15/07
Simmer them up either for stock or for doggie's thanksgiving treats, depending on how much time we end up having
lorrior at 3:23PM on 11/15/07
Trash!
jonfoxx at 3:31PM on 11/15/07
They're eaten with gusto after a good simmer in a salty herb bath. Often referred to in our house as the Cook's Treat.
Tableau Vivante at 3:32PM on 11/15/07
I cook them with rice for my pooch!
aungeinphx at 3:33PM on 11/15/07
This is my stock answer: stock.
dikaryon at 3:35PM on 11/15/07
gravy and stuffing :D
rhino876 at 3:39PM on 11/15/07
Fried giblets and neckbones...tasty with a shot of cholula or a healthy portion of ketchup.
...cook, chef, culinary sponge, traveler, volunteer, missionary.
tyronebcookin
tyronebcookin at 3:52PM on 11/15/07
They're for stuffing and gravy!
MercuryJV at 3:59PM on 11/15/07
Toss them.
jlouise210 at 4:00PM on 11/15/07
I tosse them, though I've recently considered trying some dish with them.
Bebemiqui at 4:06PM on 11/15/07
they are roasted along side the bird and then into the stock pot they go. obviously what they leave behind with the pan juices goes for gravy
tenpointfarmer at 4:07PM on 11/15/07
The neck gets boiled separately to make stock for the dressing. But the giblets...well, those get roasted alongside the turkey and then get nibbled on when I have an alone moment in the kitchen.
ErikaWaz at 4:14PM on 11/15/07
brown and simmer for stock and gravy- great with some sage for a hot brown later!
Ravara at 4:19PM on 11/15/07
Paint them gold and arrange them for a centerpiece surrounded by parsley.
For a more elegant look, you can gold-leaf several sets and arrange lined up down a rectangular table as a table-scape.
Karen Resta at 4:22PM on 11/15/07
Alas. I throw them away (better than my first turkey, when I stuffed the bird with the giblets still in the cavity. Who knew better?)
Stushi at 4:24PM on 11/15/07
the neck and gizzard get simmered to make broth to make gravy with......the liver........i try and beg livers from everyone that doesent like them.....then i smoke them and make the BEST liver pate that you have ever tasted !!!!!.....my twin sister got mad at me last Thanksgiving cause everyone liked my pate better than hers !!!!!
onepercent99 at 4:28PM on 11/15/07
MMMMM! Turkey!
thaddius at 4:37PM on 11/15/07
I should do something with them but toss them because I can't get over what they are
xalexx at 4:39PM on 11/15/07
Since this will be my first year without the FEAR of turkey offal, they will become integral parts of gravy & stuffing.
sheldel at 4:43PM on 11/15/07
GRAVY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!
prostudent at 4:43PM on 11/15/07
Nothing
beanish at 5:01PM on 11/15/07
Toss the giblets, roast the neck and fight for it when it's done! :-)
Curlz at 5:04PM on 11/15/07
Boil them, chop them, and mix with the dog food. Perfecto for your favorite doggie.
rosierozzz at 5:14PM on 11/15/07
Make turkey stock for adding to the gravy. Then chop them up and add those to the gravy too.
doglover at 5:17PM on 11/15/07
Roast it all with the turkey; sometimes, someone chooses to eat them.
LindaY at 5:21PM on 11/15/07
I toss them.
cherierj at 5:29PM on 11/15/07
Why bother with the peasant parts ,I don't pretend to be a gourmet cook just a country cook,when you have a D'artagnan certified organic turkey with great flavor flay,tenderness,and 25% lower fat content? I toss,hurl,pitch,cast,fling these parts to the trash.
tgr1104 at 5:37PM on 11/15/07
I toss them.
nokrapt at 5:43PM on 11/15/07
Both are for the gravy, but we pull the meat from the neck after that.
MerMade07 at 5:47PM on 11/15/07
gravy
proccers at 5:50PM on 11/15/07
stock for gravy if I'm feeling ambitious, trash most years
emmarus at 5:52PM on 11/15/07
sauteed with wine and herbs, then they go into an offalicious gravy.
comestibles at 5:56PM on 11/15/07
Throw them out
tsegada at 6:34PM on 11/15/07
peanut butter and giblet sandwich
beegoode at 6:44PM on 11/15/07
Sometimes I give them to my mother to make the gravy, sometimes I keep them for myself to make a stock, and sometimes I give them to the puppers because she's so durn cute.
Jewels at 6:59PM on 11/15/07
make stock for the stuffing or gravy
PattiA at 7:08PM on 11/15/07
i give them to the feral cat dolly!
she LOVES them...
mforrest at 7:17PM on 11/15/07
I "brown" them in a little butter and onion, then cover with water and make stock for the gravy. When it reduces to my liking, I pull out the "stuff". I scrap off any neck meat and dice up the giblets and put them back into the pot.
Sometimes I make a roux to thicken, sometimes I kneed butter and flour to thicken...then season with pepper and a touch of kosher sea salt. Mmmmmmmm.
AND we never ever tell the kids what is in the gravy. Ever. At least, not until they are grown up and want to make that awesome gravy that Mama makes ;)
kiniwoman at 7:57PM on 11/15/07
I simmer the neck, gimblets and heart in a little bit of salted water (I toss the liver) and then chop the meat after it's cooked and add it to the gravy when the turkey is done.
debralu at 8:05PM on 11/15/07
When my dad was alive, my mom used them for soup....now we toss them!
Teri at 8:06PM on 11/15/07
Throw them out. I'm lazy.
jessie at 8:14PM on 11/15/07
eaten, thrown out - respectively
prozzmozz at 8:23PM on 11/15/07
Giblets: in the stuffing (in the turkey!)
Neck: in the soup stock
stevea at 8:39PM on 11/15/07
In the gravy they go!
sobriquet at 8:52PM on 11/15/07
Everything boiled for a bit of stock for gravy.
maialisa at 8:53PM on 11/15/07
I throw them out
cupcup at 9:13PM on 11/15/07
They go into a pot for stock and then the neck gets stripped and reserved for gravy.
rickster at 9:25PM on 11/15/07
Soup or gravy.
le_avion at 9:28PM on 11/15/07
feed them to the dog
chrface at 9:47PM on 11/15/07
stock for the gravy, then cut up and added to the dressing.
cybercita at 9:48PM on 11/15/07
I use the neck & giblets (minus the liver,which I throw out) for stock that will then be used for gravy.
Scoggdog at 10:04PM on 11/15/07
I roast them with the turkey. I snack on them as the turkey rests.
Lyds1 at 10:06PM on 11/15/07
Gravy.
Eliz. at 10:29PM on 11/15/07
we also use them to make stock.
Littlebluesiren at 10:53PM on 11/15/07
stock for the gravy
salty at 11:04PM on 11/15/07
In the past they were fed to the dogs, but this year I want to make stock, so maybe I will add them in.
ariner at 11:52PM on 11/15/07
Hot turkey sandwiches are what Thanksgiving was made for!
gregsmom at 11:58PM on 11/15/07
Use the neck for stock
Use the giblets for the gravy...except for the liver. Pan fry that with some onions. Yum!
ralaw at 12:19AM on 11/16/07
Stock. Then the dogs get the meat.
madball911 at 1:31AM on 11/16/07
Use them for Stock. I give any meat scraps to our cat too.
blogged ya: http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2007/11/thursday-edition-of-contests-galore_15.html
LauraWilliamsMusings at 2:17AM on 11/16/07
neck & giblets go for gravy. though i sear the liver and eat it on toast, sprinkled with a little salt.
purpleceline at 3:20AM on 11/16/07
make gravy
lovetoeat at 5:41AM on 11/16/07
turkey stock, then giblet gravy!
eolhava at 7:32AM on 11/16/07
either toss them or cook them up for the dog
smorgen at 7:51AM on 11/16/07
I know this is terrible but I throw them away .
NewEnglandBites at 8:34AM on 11/16/07
I cook them to make stock for gravy. Sometimes I use the liver for wonderful liver dumplings with turkey broth.
agardener at 8:41AM on 11/16/07
cook them to make stock and then either chop a little up to put in the gravy for a little extra flavor or feed them to the cats.
Michaela at 8:51AM on 11/16/07
I would throw it away, but my mom boils them and throws them in the stuffing, so I might think twice before I tossed them.
crystalcmiller at 9:32AM on 11/16/07
they go into the stock pot
DwayneW at 9:54AM on 11/16/07
Stock for the stuffing.
kitchenninja at 10:03AM on 11/16/07
broth for gravy, fight over the cooked bits with the dog
ha
guido at 10:38AM on 11/16/07
I give them to Big Mama Anna and she makes the best damn gravy in the world!! Anyone that doubts that statement will get a Brooklyn Beatdown™!
ronn at 10:45AM on 11/16/07
Stock for the gravy, of course, but the liver is for me!
NO_Pam at 10:53AM on 11/16/07
They either get tossed in the freezer for later stock making or tossed into existing stock for gravy.
The liver gets fried up as a snack.
jo at 11:03AM on 11/16/07
I put them in a freezer bag with the bones to save for stockmaking later.
MaudB at 12:04PM on 11/16/07
We have a winnah!
NOKRAPT, come on down! You've won the 11/15 turkey!
Someone from Serious Eats will be contacting you soon for shipping info.
For everyone else, you still have three more chances to win—today, tomorrow, and Sunday.
Adam Kuban at 12:09PM on 11/16/07