The Pioneer Woman (2011–…): Season 4, Episode 3 - Ranch Games - full transcript

I'm ree drummond.

I'm a writer,
blogger, photographer,

mother, accidental country girl,

and I've got
a lot of mouths to feed.

It's Thanksgiving,
and I'm counting down

to a perfect Thanksgiving feast
with all the trimmings.

The centerpiece is a plump,
juicy, golden-brown turkey

that's been soaked
in a flavorful brine

and coated in a delicious
orange Rosemary butter.

The cornbread dressing
is an old family recipe

that I've made my own with
sausage, apples, and mushrooms.



There's an easy
make-ahead cranberry sauce

and thick, dark turkey gravy,

then sweet roasted
Rosemary acorn squash wedges,

and my grandmother's
green beans with tomatoes.

The family's bringing
the mashed potatoes,

buttered rolls, and pecan pie.

This is a Thanksgiving
celebration ranch-style.

If I can do it,
you can do it, too.

happy Thanksgiving.

Welcome to my frontier.

It's 7:00 A.M.
it's Thanksgiving.

We're having a huge feast
up at the lodge.

The kids and ladd are out
feeding cattle and horses,

and I'm headed up to the lodge
to get a jump start on the meal.



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The first time I cooked

the entire Thanksgiving feast
for our family,

I was so terrified.

But it all turned out fine.

In fact,
some of it was really delicious,

so I felt so good about myself,

and I'm always happy
to cook Thanksgiving dinner.

I've learned through the years

that the more you do
ahead of time, the better,

so I did some prep work
yesterday,

including brining the turkey.

You just throw 3 cups of apple
cider into a pot of cold water.

Then you throw in
the leaves of 4 Rosemary sprigs,

5 cloves of garlic,

3/4 cup of kosher salt,

2 cups of brown sugar,

3 tablespoons
of tricolor peppercorns,

5 whole bay leaves,

and finally, the peel of 3 large
oranges cut into large strips.

Then you stir the whole mixture

until the salt and sugar
dissolve, bring it to a boil,

cover it,
and allow it to cool completely.

Give the turkey a good rinse,

then put it into
a large brining bag or pot.

Then pour in the brine mixture

and just stick it in the fridge
for several hours.

My turkey's been brining
in the fridge since yesterday,

so I'm gonna
get on up to the lodge

and get started on the feast.

All right, time to take
the big boy out of the fridge.

This is heavy.

I always do a 20-pound turkey

'cause we have
a lot of people to feed,

but also because
that's what I've always made,

so I do it the same every year.

Okay.

Now, the brine
worked its magic overnight.

The salt works its way
into the turkey meat,

makes it really tender,
kind of makes it juicy.

But it does make the surface
of the turkey really salty,

so I'm gonna give it
a really good rinse,

get in the crevices...

Just like
giving one of my babies a bath.

And then I'm just gonna
submerge the turkey -- whoop! --

right into the water.

And I'm just gonna
let it sit in there

for about 15 minutes or so,

and that'll make sure
all the excess salt

in the cavities and on the skin
gets washed away.

Give my hands a good wash.

And now I'm gonna move on

to one of my favorite
Thanksgiving side dishes --

sweet roasted acorn squash
wedges.

I've got
all the acorn squashes sliced,

and I'll just arrange the slices
in a couple of big dishes.

I put the skin side down
in the pan.

I love Thanksgiving.

Now, I have
two sticks of butter.

They're room temperature,
nice and soft.

Throw them into the bowl.

And then I'll just throw in
about a cup of brown sugar.

This is where
the sweet comes in.

Sprinkle in a little salt.

And then I have
a few sprigs of Rosemary.

And then I like to add

just a little bit of chili
powder to the butter mixture.

It just gives it a little bit
of a different flavor,

a little bit of heat.

It's really, really nice.

And then I'll just smear
all of this together,

mix the butter with the sugar.

It's gonna turn into
this delicious paste

that I could probably eat
with a spoon if I wanted to.

Now, I'm just gonna smear
this mixture

all over the top
of the squash wedges.

I have this adorable
little spatula.

It's just perfect for this job.

Okay. Now, I'm just gonna pop
these into the fridge.

They'll sit in there until it's
time to throw them in the oven.

And that is one easy
and very impressive dish --

really delicious.

All right.

Now we're gonna get back
to the turkey.

All right, now I'll just stick
the big guy on a baking sheet.

I've got some paper towels
on there.

And I want to get him
nice and patted dry

before I put him
on the roasting pan.

Okay, nice and dry.

Now, you don't want the wings
sticking out while it roasts.

So, I just lift up the bird

and tuck him in as tightly
as I can underneath.

Okay, now, for the legs --

I'm just gonna
tie them together.

Tie it nice and tight.

Now, I've got some
really heavy aluminum foil.

Just tuck it over the handles.

I want to trap as much heat
in the pan as possible.

Now,
for the first stage of cooking,

this is gonna go
into a 275-degree oven

for about 3, 3 1/2 hours.

And then I'm gonna
get rid of the foil,

stuff it, smear it
in a gorgeous butter mixture,

and finish the roasting.

It's gonna be so delicious.

Up next, I'll make
the cornbread dressing

with sausage, apples,
and mushrooms.

Then it's time
to stuff the turkey

and get rolling on the sides.

Green beans with tomatoes

are a classic
on my Thanksgiving table

and delicious
thick, dark gravy.

Stick around.
Everything's right on schedule.

The turkey's been in the oven
for about three hours.

It's ready
for its next roasting stage,

and I'm gonna stuff it
before that.

I'm making cornbread stuffing
with sausage and apples.

I've got
4 cups of diced cornbread,

and then I've got
4 cups of ciabatta --

just a real artisan
crusty loaf --

and then 4 cups
of cubed French bread.

This is the great thing
to do ahead of time.

You can always cut up the bread
for the stuffing

the day before
'cause it can't get too dry.

The drier, the better.

Aside from the bread,
I've got all the elements ready.

All I have to do is assemble it,

starting with Italian sausage.

So, all I did was just throw
a pound of Italian sausage

in a large skillet
over medium heat.

Then I just stirred it around
until it was totally brown.

The next element
are these beautiful apples

sautéed with onion,
brown sugar, and a little wine.

And the final element

are these mushrooms,
which I roasted earlier.

I just quartered 32 ounces
of white button mushrooms

that had been washed and dried.

Then I drizzled on
4 tablespoons of olive oil,

sprinkled on a little salt,

then stirred them around
to coat them.

Then I roasted them in the upper
part of a 500-degree oven

for about 20 minutes,

and I gave them a stir
halfway through.

And the mushrooms
just go right in.

And I don't think
i can add anything else.

The bowl is full.

Now I'm just gonna give it
a little bit of a toss.

Whoop!

I probably needed a bigger bowl.

All right,
that's all stirred together.

Now, the final element I'll add

is this glorious flavorful,
yummy, herb-and-broth mixture.

I'll show you how I made it.

So, in the same skillet
i used for everything else,

I just added 32 ounces
of low-sodium chicken broth.

Then I added 1/2 teaspoon
of ground thyme,

1/2 teaspoon of ground sage,

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
for great, great color,

2 teaspoons of minced Rosemary,

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt,

and some black pepper to taste.

All right,
the final, final thing --

and I really mean it
this time --

that I'm gonna add to the
stuffing is some minced parsley.

It just adds a nice green,
nice freshness to the stuffing.

And then I'm gonna add in
a little bit of salt

and some pepper --
a little extra --

and then just toss it together.

That's it.
Stuffing's done.

All right.

The turkey's been in the oven
for 3 1/2 hours.

I'm getting ready to take it out

and get it ready
for the next stage.

I'm gonna smear butter
all over the surface,

and I'm gonna flavor the butter
with Rosemary and orange zest.

I've got two sticks of butter,

and I'm gonna add a good amount
of finely minced Rosemary.

And then I shaved some
orange peel off of an orange

and then cut it
into teeny, little slivers.

Gonna add a little salt.

And then just mush this
all together.

This orange Rosemary butter is
a nice nod to the brine mixture.

The brine has both in it.

Okay.

Now it's time
to flex my muscles.

I'm gonna get the turkey
out of the oven.

The house smells divine.

All right.

Here we go.

One, two, three, up!

Whew!

And I'm gonna raise
the temperature to 375 degrees.

That's what the turkey
will need on the second stage.

All right,
I'll take the foil off.

And that is exactly what
it's supposed to look like

at this stage.

It hasn't gotten brown yet.

It's just started
the cooking process.

So I'm just gonna use my hands
'cause it's faster.

And I'm just gonna
smear the butter all over

the surface of the turkey.

I want the orange zest

to kind of stick to the surface
of the bird.

It's so pretty.

Okay, now,
my father-in-law, Chuck,

is the only member of our family
who likes stuffing in the bird.

The rest of us
like it in a baking dish.

And I'll just stick it in the
oven before the guests arrive.

Nan and I always joke around
that Chuck likes soft food.

Everything he eats,

he wants it to be nice and soft
and soaked in liquid,

and that's why he likes
his stuffing in the bird.

Now, the very last thing to do

before it goes
back into the oven

is to insert
the meat thermometer.

I've got a heavy-duty one here,

and I just stick it in the
really thick part of the thigh.

And that's the only way

I can really tell
if the turkey's done.

Now, the turkey's gonna go back
into the 375-degree oven

for about 2 to 2 1/2 more hours,
until the temperature reads 165.

And while it cooks, I'm gonna
baste it every 30 minutes

with the golden butter
and the juices

to make sure
it's golden brown and awesome.

Up next, I'm making
green beans with tomatoes --

one of my all-time-favorite
Thanksgiving sides.

Then I'm finishing up the feast
with classic giblet gravy,

in perfect time for
the drummond bunch to show up.

happy Thanksgiving.

I love it when the whole plan
comes together.

I'm moving right along

on the big "countdown
to Thanksgiving" dinner.

The turkey's roasting
in the oven.

I've been basting it.
It looks delicious.

It's on its last stage
of cooking.

Ladd and the kids
are wrapping up feeding,

so I'm gonna whip up

another one of my very favorite
Thanksgiving side dishes --

green beans and tomatoes.

It starts with
eight slices of bacon.

I just cut them into chunks.

And I've been sautéing it
just over medium-low heat.

I just wanted to render the fat.

So, now I'm gonna throw in
one chopped onion.

Bacon and onions cooking --

I mean,
there is nothing like it.

I don't want to get
too much color on it.

I just want the onions
to start cooking a little bit.

All right, now I've got
some fresh green beans,

and I just washed them up.

And I am very relaxed
about trimming green beans.

I just sort of stack up
a few and chop off the ends.

This is about 2 pounds
of green beans.

All right.

Now, on top of the green beans,

I'm just gonna add three
regular cans of whole tomatoes.

You can do diced tomatoes,

but I really like
the big red chunks in the dish.

Now I'll add in
some salt and pepper --

good amount of black pepper.

And then this is
the essential ingredient --

cayenne pepper.

It gives it
just a little bit of spice.

And I hate to say it,
but that's it.

I'm just gonna give them
a quick stir,

put the lid on,
and let them simmer for an hour.

And that's another dish done.

All right, Charlie, let's see
where I am with everything.

One thing I always do every year
on Thanksgiving is make a list.

It helps me stay organized.

I like to do as much as I can
ahead of time,

and one of the things
i did yesterday

was make the cranberry sauce.

I just throw
two bags of fresh Cranberries

into a medium saucepan.

Then I add
2 cups of cranberry juice,

2 cups of maple syrup,

6 tablespoons of orange juice,

and a tablespoon
of finely grated orange zest.

Then, with the heat on high,
i stir it all together.

When it's at a rolling boil
and the berries start to pop,

I turn the heat down
to medium-low

and cook it
for another 10 minutes,

until it's really thick.

Then I just pop it in the fr
llhanksgiving dinner.

Another thing I love doing
ahead of time is set the table.

And I had the girls do that
for me yesterday.

They just laid out the flatware,
glasses,

my favorite
brown-and-white plates,

simple brown bandanas
for napkins,

velvet pumpkins for decoration,

and just a few
simple pillar candles.

Another thing
that saves me a lot of time

is to lay out all my serving
pieces the night before,

'cause I don't want to
go searching for my gravy boats

when the guests show up.

I've gotten a lot done,

but I've still got
a few boxes unchecked.

Charlie, I'm gonna go get busy.

All right, time to put
the dressing in the oven.

I'm just gonna put it
in a 375-degree oven

for about 20 to 25 minutes.

It just needs to heat through

and get nice and crisp
and golden on top.

The squash have already been
going for about 20 minutes,

and they are looking gorgeous.

And now it's time to take
the turkey out of the oven.

So exciting.

Oh! Boy, oh, boy.

Look at that.

The turkey couldn't look
more gorgeous.

Oh!

Yum!

Now, I'm gonna take the turkey
out of the roasting pan.

That's why I love these racks.

I'm just gonna let it rest
for a little bit.

And I'm gonna pour off
all the wonderful, magical,

flavorful, incredible,
heavenly juices from the pan.

I'm gonna use that to make gravy
in a little bit.

Now I'm gonna get the stuffing
out of the bird --

Chuck's stuffing.

It has his name written on it.

There's plenty
for the rest of us in the oven.

Just gonna carefully
reach in there.

And that is exactly
how Chuck likes it --

really, really moist,
almost wet,

with all the drippings
of the turkey.

Now, I'm just gonna cover
the turkey and let it rest.

That actually helps
all the juices

evenly distribute
around the turkey.

And then my hubby's
gonna carve it later.

I love Thanksgiving.

Up next, we're getting close.

I'm fixing gravy,
ladd's carving the bird,

and then it's our
full-on Thanksgiving feast.

I use the same basic strategy
every year,

and I promise, if it works on
the ranch, it'll work for you.

For recipes from this episode,
go to...

Hut!

Oh!

All right, the last thing I have
to do is make the turkey gravy.

The turkey's out of the pan,

I poured all the yummy drippings
out of the pan,

and I let the grease separate
from the drippings.

All right, now, into the grease,

I'm gonna sprinkle in
some flour,

and I'm gonna make a nice roux

out of all of this
turkey yumminess.

And then just whisk it together.

If the paste
seems to be overly greasy

or if the grease starts
to separate from the paste,

I just sprinkle in more flour.

Oh!

I'm gonna grab a carton
of low-sodium chicken broth.

I always use low-sodium
chicken broth when I make gravy,

'cause then I can
always add in more salt later.

And I'm just gonna whisk it
around while I add the broth.

Okay.

Next thing I'm gonna do is
pour in some of the drippings.

Now, the drippings are all
the liquid from the turkey,

minus the fat.

I'm gonna pour in
about a third of them.

I don't always pour
them all in at once.

Now, I'm just gonna let the
gravy cook over medium-low heat.

It's gonna get
thick and start bubbling.

And while it does that,

I'm gonna get to work
on the giblets.

I've been boiling them
just in simmering water,

and I'm gonna chop them up
and add them back to the gravy,

and that just makes
even more flavor.

Now, I also boiled the neck.

I don't want any part
of the turkey to go to waste.

And I'm just gonna get
a little bit of the meat off,

just to have a little added
texture, a little added flavor.

So, I'm gonna go ahead
and throw all the giblets in.

Then I'm gonna stir them all in.

Now, this just needs to thicken
for a couple more minutes,

and then everything is ready.

Hey.

How you doing, man?

Hi.

happy Thanksgiving.

happy Thanksgiving.
happy Thanksgiving.

happy Thanksgiving,
brother-in-law.

happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks for the pie.

I'll take those taters.
Thank you.

So, who wants
a glass of wine?

happy Thanksgiving,
everybody.

happy Thanksgiving.

Well, you guys ready to eat?

Where's the turkey?

Let's go carve it
and get ready.

All right,
sounds good.
Come on.

I made you a big old bird.

All right.

That looks good, honey.

I'm gonna get
everything else served up.

Cranberry sauce.
Wow.

Well, did you get all
the feeding done, honey?

Yeah.

I got all the cows
taken care of.

That's good. You can relax.

Yep.

It's kind of nice.

All right.

Ooh! Wow. Look at those.

Yeah.

Yuh-um.

Grab the squash.

We're doing great.

Hey, honey, I'm just gonna
say this in here,

without
everybody watching.
Sure.

I'm thankful for you.

Aww. I'm thankful
for you, too.

Now, hurry up.

I think we're ready.
Let's get this show
on the road.

All right.
I think everybody's hungry.

I think so, too.

Me included.

I am, too.

All right, guys, I say
we just start digging in.

Pass your plate.

Sure.
I'd love some turkey.

Well, I think it's
so much more fun

when everybody brings
something, don't you?

Oh, it makes it
so much easier for everyone.

It really does.

So, guys, I was thinking
we could go around the table,

and everybody could say
one thing they're thankful for.

I'm thankful for the rain.

Family.
Green grass.

Grandchildren.
Food and family.

Food and family.

All the generations here today.

My father and mother.

We're thankful
for you, too, Todd.

I'm thankful for having
all the family here.

This beautiful ranch.

All of our good health.

I'm thankful for horses.
Good family.

This and any other opportunity
to come together as a family.

People who love to cook.

happy Thanksgiving,
everybody.

happy Thanksgiving.