Chances are Thanksgiving this year will be different than most other years. Pandemics tend to have far reaching effects and even family holidays aren’t immune. With people traveling less, isolating more, and having smaller gatherings the big family Thanksgiving with a giant Normal Rockwell turkey are probably on hold this year. If Thanksgiving will be far from traditional this year why not look at these 5 alternative thanksgiving dinners for 2020.
All these dinner ideas are delicious and in some ways even a bit extravagant. Since your group will most likely be smaller it opens up a lot more possibilities beyond a turkey. In no particular order here are 5 alternative Thanksgiving dinners to try this year:
Lobster Rolls or Lobster Tails Alternative Thanksgiving Dinner
If you don’t live in the Northeast chances are you don’t have a good source for lobster rolls or maybe you have never had one. Well, that needs to change.
I know a lobster roll makes for an odd Thanksgiving dinner but if it will just be your immediate family eating why not get something you probably won’t eat on a regular basis. If most of the day will just be watching football save yourself a lot of time in the kitchen and get a lobster roll kit from Luke’s Lobster.
Luke’s Lobster has a number of restaurants around the country and even have their own seafood company. This allows them to control the entire supply chain ensuring fresh lobster and sustainable fishing practices.
I had some of these lobster rolls earlier this week and they taste every bit as good at home as any of the lobster rolls I have had. The kit comes with lobster meat, some authentic split top buns, and a seasoning packet. Toast the buns, spread some mayo on the buns, load them up with lobster meat, sprinkle on some seasoning, and drizzle on some butter. All in all it takes about 5 minutes to make these lobster rolls.
Here is a video I put together on how to make these lobster rolls:
An 8 pack of lobster rolls makes 8 STUFFED lobster rolls with 1/4 pound of delicious lobster meat in each. I received my kit on 10/6 and the lobster was packed on 10/3. Most likely this lobster was swimming 4 or 5 days before I got it and ate it. That is fresh!
8 lobster rolls from Luke’s will run you $120 which is only $15 per roll. Most restaurants sell lobster rolls for $18-20 or even more. Switch things up this Thanksgiving and order your lobster rolls from Luke’s.
Want something a bit fancier than lobster rolls? How about some lobster tails.
An 8 pack of lobster tails (~4 ozs each) is only $105. Throw these lobster tails on the grill and they will be ready in just a few minutes.
Prime Rib Roast
Who doesn’t love a prime rib roast? Perfect medium rare meat inside and a great salty crust on the outside makes for a great eating experience.
Snake River Farms sells a variety of prime rib roasts but this 7 pound boneless prime grade prime rib roast would be a great option for your alternative thanksgiving dinner. A 7 pound roast will easily feed most families and there might even be a bit left over.
I know prime rib is usually reserved for Christmas dinner but if there was a year to get the party started early this is it. Cook up some yorkshire pudding, mash some potatoes, and if you really need to throw a vegetable or two on the plate. That is a meal you won’t regret.
Order your rib roast early though as they do tend to sell out as we get closer to the holidays. Snake River Farms has some of the highest quality beef I have ever had and $209 might seem expensive but the splurge is definitely worth it.
Porter Road also has a great rib roast bundle that comes with some bacon and sausage for breakfast (or appetizers) and some sage sausage for a dressing. And of course a 5 pound rib roast.
These Porter Road holiday boxes generally sell out quickly so get your order in soon. They will arrive by the 25th at the latest. Porter Road says this will feed 8-12 people but that is probably a bit optimistic. With a 5 lb roast I would probably expect more like 6-8 people and these boxes cost $160 and ship for free. Order your rib roast box from Porter Road today.
And if you are wanting to smoke your prime rib check out this Smoked Prime Rib with Horseradish Butter recipe from Vindulge.com.
Pasture Raised Chicken Alternative Thanksgiving Dinner
If you are still set on the poultry thing but don’t want to cook a giant turkey you could always go with a pasture raised chicken. I did a post on Where to Buy Pasture Raised Chicken you can check out.
Pasture raised chickens are raised on pastures rather than crowded in giant barns. They forage on grass, seeds, bugs, worms, and everything else chickens are supposed to eat. As a result they have a much, much better flavor than standard chickens.
Pasture Bird has a great Thanksgiving chicken dinner box and if you use code COMPLETECARNIVORE10 you can save 10%. That brings the price down to $98.10 and shipping is free. This alternative Thanksgiving dinner box comes with:
- 4 Pasturebird Half Chickens
- 1.2 oz Piment d’Ville Chile Powder from the Boonville Barn Collective
- 500 mL ENZO Organic Medium Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3/4 lb. Jacobsen Pure Kosher Sea Salt
- “Roasted Half Chicken with Lemon and Potatoes” Recipe Card
Here is a video of what the dish looks like:
Or you could just roast it or smoke it like you would a regular chicken.
Add your own lemons, garlic, and potatoes and you have a great meal. If you want to use this as an excuse to buy an new roasting pan I would check out the carbon steel roasting pan from Made In Cookware. Or you could just use your regular old roasting pan.
Buy this Thanksgiving dinner box from Pasturebird for only $98.10 with code COMPLETECARNIVORE10
Japanese A5 Wagyu Beef
Now we are getting pretty far out there for alternative Thanksgiving dinners. Maybe a new round of stimulus money will hit before Thanksgiving and you are looking to really splurge on a meal. This A5 Wagyu Japanese beef is pretty much the best beef you can buy.
Pursuit Farms is the best source for real Japanese A5 Wagyu beef I have seen. They ship the best of the best when it comes to Japanese Wagyu and ship it fresh unlike most of the other online merchants that ship frozen. Of course it is ridiculously expensive. But unlike regular American steaks you don’t need a giant steak for everyone. This beef is so rich even 4 or 5 ozs is more than enough. Sear it quickly in a pan and you will have a meal you will never forget.
The steak above is one of their olive fed NY strips and they have a number of different wagyu cuts available.
Order some Japanese A5 Wagyu beef from Pursuit Farms.
Pork Loin Roast
Kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum from that Japanese A5 Wagyu beef is a pork loin roast. Whole pork loins are generally around 8 lbs and you can get them for around $2 or less per pound. You can easily feed 10-12 people on one whole loin and spend less than $20.
Pork loin can be smoked (Read How to Smoke a Pork Loin) or roasted in the oven in about 2 hours. If you don’t overcook it (keep the internal temp at ~150) you will have a nice, juicy hunk of meat.
Porter Road is selling a great holiday pork loin box that comes with a 3 pound pork loin, 2 types of bacon, and 2 types of sausage for only $90. This box should feed a family of 4 or 5 people easily.
You can also just order the pork loin roast by itself for $50 but why would you say no to sausage and bacon???
Order the pork roast holiday bundle from Porter Road today.
If you want a bit fancier pork loin roast check this Kurobuta Rack of Pork from Snake River Farms:
This frenched bone in pork loin will drop jaws when you bring it to the table. Kurobuta pork is from 100% purebred Berkshire hogs which produce some of the best tasting pork. Are you used to somewhat flavorless, dry pork chops? This pork from Snake River Farms has a much richer flavor than anything you can get from the grocery store.
Order your Rack of Pork from Snake River Farms.
Of course if you don’t want an alternative Thanksgiving dinner and want to keep it traditional make sure to buy a pasture raised turkey. It will be one of the best turkeys you have ever eaten.
