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Christmas

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Original poster

Christmas dinner dilemma

64 replies

Citizenerased123 · 29/10/2016 07:34

I'm hosting christmas for my family so there will be 11 in total (including 4 kids and a greedy baby). My DSis and her family love turkey and insist that we have to have it at Christmas but my DH hates turkey, thinks it's a waste of money and prefers duck/ beef (which did not go down well with the rest of the family in the past!) I don't know what to make- I have even seriously thought about doing two roasts to try to keep everyone happy but I only have one normal sized oven. Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

OP posts:
ManaFleet · 29/10/2016 08:11

I'd also bear in mind that it's difficult to do really rare roast beef in a slow cooker.

ChickyDuck · 29/10/2016 08:16

It may be that it was poorly done, but the only time I've ever had a beef "roasted" in a slow cooker I may as well have been eating the sole of my shoe! It was tasteless and as tough as anything - for me the joy of roast beef is the crunchy outside and then lovely thin slivers of very rare juicy meat.

I kind of agree with previous posters in that Christmas Day is the only time we really eat turkey and beef or duck can be had any other day of the year. However, big joints of meat stay warm for aaaages wrapped in a bit of foil and a towel or two, so it would definitely be feasible to do one after the other if you really wanted to!

Don't do goose! You will spend a fortune on a massive one and end up with enough meat for three and goose fat to last a lifetime...toast goose is delicious but not great for feeding a crowd!

ChickyDuck · 29/10/2016 08:16

*roast goose!!!

OhTheRoses · 29/10/2016 08:17

My life's very easy then. Here Christmas lunch is:

Turkey (8-10)
Pigs
Stuffing (I do make and stuff)
Gravy (Sainsburys)
Sprouts
Chantenay carrots
Runner beans
Roast spud and parsnip
Bread sauce (home made)
Cranberry sauce (jar, warmed with juice of an orange and a cpl cloves)

That 8-10 turkey does cold meat on boxing day, and a turkey and ham pie on 27th.

Giblet and carcass stock gets frozen in one pint pots for soups in January.

Contemplating ringing the changes with a three bird roast this year. None of mine will complain.

ememem84 · 29/10/2016 08:19

We're having Christmas this year at ours. I'm making a beef wellington.

I don't like turkey.

AppleAndBlackberry · 29/10/2016 08:22

Goose and turkey go really well together, the people who aren't fussy can have a bit of both. Get a parcel or crown of one so they both fit in the oven. Duck instead of goose would also be great.

Ditsy4 · 29/10/2016 08:29

I cook a gammon on Christmas Eve. I boil then roast it so it isn't salty then they can have some of each. It is great cold but I wrap some slices in foil and heat through just beforehand or micr9owave. Could you make him a fillet steak? That would be a treat and solve the problem of cooking. Otherwise a Sirloin of beef and a turkey crown.

ChristmasEvePJs · 29/10/2016 08:32

A turkey crown and a beef join should fit easily. I certainly wouldn't cook beef a day in advance 👞 .
Alternatively a boiled ham glazed in the oven to finish with a whole turkey.

LilaTheLion · 29/10/2016 08:45

Surely this is the perfect excuse for Turducken?

ClashCityRocker · 29/10/2016 08:52

Could you just cook a chicken fillet or a duck fillet for your dh?

What would you prefer? or vice verse, a turkey joint for your sil and beef joint?

I read on here that one mner with limited oven space cooked the turkey Christmas Eve then carved it and put it in the slow cooker in gravy - would this be an option?

I'm not a huge fan of roast beef in the slow cooker, the only joint it works with is brisket and even then you have to be careful with the timings so it doesn't turn into mush.

I do love turkey at Christmas though - although your sil is being unreasonable to insist on it.

ClashCityRocker · 29/10/2016 08:53

Or get one of those three bird roast things.

MrsSparkles · 29/10/2016 08:55

Sorry should have said I have a turkey crown and leg of lamb and they fit. I used foil trays to roast them so I could squish them in!

topcat2014 · 29/10/2016 08:56

I'm doing a lasagne on Christmas day.
We had curry one year.

I recommend trying it. It feels wierdly non conformist - but - they sky doesn't fall in, and you are not a slave to food on the day.

I have also done the full turkey / home made pudding / cake thing as well - but it was great to have a change.

GinIsIn · 29/10/2016 09:16

I never do turkey - it's boring! Last year was an extremely rare fillet of beef. The year before was a whole salmon, and the one before that was beef Wellington. This year we are having a maple and mustard glazed gammon roast. You are cooking - what do you want?

Redken24 · 29/10/2016 09:23

ham in cola?

FrancisCrawford · 29/10/2016 09:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GrendelsAunty · 29/10/2016 09:49

You could do turkey and beef Wellington. Prep the Wellington the day before, then it will only take half an hour to cook, while the turkey is resting.

Bestthingever · 29/10/2016 09:58

I agree with Francis. Why should the Op stress herself all the people all the time. She is kindly hosting and saving the dsis a lot of work. If she loves Xmas traditions so much, she can do dinner herself. However, it's easier to get a turkey that feeds 12 than a joint of beef. My dh also loathes turkey. As a compromise, we have roast beef on NewYears day.

OhTheRoses · 29/10/2016 10:06

How is turkey boring when you only have it on Christmas day, well we do. We have beef, duck, ham, lamb, pork throughout the year!

Also, for those who serve beef and turkey do you do two sorts of gravy? Pigs and turkey accompaniments just don't go with beef

DragonMamma · 29/10/2016 10:14

We always have turkey and beef. The turkey gets cooked the night before, after being brined Nigella style and the beef gets cooked on the day.

GinIsIn · 29/10/2016 10:20

ohtheroses and that's the evidence in itself- surely if turkey was so great you'd have it more than once a year....?

emwithme · 29/10/2016 10:22

We don't have turkey. I'm meh about it, DH actively dislikes it, so when we moved in together I gave him the option of what he wanted. It took some explaining that "no, just because it's Christmas doesn't mean we HAVE to have turkey, and I want your honest answer because cooking turkey for 2 is a ballache". We've had beef (fillet/chateaubriand) ever since. It means my Christmas cooking is down to less than an hour, including prep and I LOVE it.

(Although I do cook a small tray of pigs in blankets and stuffing balls etc - the ready made ones from posh supermarkets- because they are excellent for late night snacking on Christmas day, we don't have them with the meal)

OhTheRoses · 29/10/2016 13:43

I don't quite agree Fenella. It's only at Christmas I do sufficient entertaining to warrant a ham on Xmas Eve and a turkey. Usually 20 grown up dinners over three days. Making giblet stock on Xmas Eve, baking the ham and having it hot, etc.

INeedNewShoes · 29/10/2016 13:49

You would need a lot of ducks to feed 11 people anyway, so perhaps this isn't the year for duck (I cooked one duck for four of us a few Christmases ago and it just wasn't enough meat).

I'd stick with the traditional turkey for Christmas day and maybe do a beef joint for New Year or another day for you and DH to enjoy.

Christmas dinner is a big enough job as it is without cooking two different meats!

Rhythmsticks · 29/10/2016 13:59

If you get a really nice bit of fillet beef joint it will cook in 20 mins in the oven if you sear it in a pan first so I would cook the turkey and let it rest and then cook the beef.

We normally rest our turkey for an hour at least as we put the veg and potatoes in after it and it is still boiling hot, just cover it in a few coats of tin foil and tea towels.

You probably won't have time to do beef gravy though, wold your dh be happy with beef with turkey gravy?!

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