Over the Top Thanksgiving Turkeys

Suntanned Turkey

With a little aluminum-foil ingenuity, Thanksgiving can be just another day at the beach. Courtesy of the blogs The Whole Enchilada and Raven's Brain, we found an easy way to surprise your Thanksgiving dinner guests: (1) Cut out aluminum foil in desired swimsuit-inspired shapes. (2) Arrange the turkey in the roasting pan and position the foil carefully. (3) Roast according to your own recipe and serve. (4) Watch your guests' faces ...


Deep-Fried Turkey

This is it — traditional turkey with all the trimmings, except Jive Turkey owner Aricka Westbrooks deep-fries her turkeys in a pressurized fryer. This method yields crispy, golden-brown skin and remarkably tender, juicy meat that's ready in just 18 to 24 minutes. But this technique is not to be attempted by amateurs (it's even illegal in some states), so it's best to order from the professionals, like Jive Turkey, who ship nationwide.

Turducken

What would this list be without the opulent Cajun delicacy known as turducken? Part turkey, part duck, and part chicken, this bird-in-bird-in-bird masterpiece will provoke oohs and ahhs of delight. The Blue Star's version, which they ship nationwide, features deboned turkey stuffed with boneless chicken wrapped around duck breast fillet, layered with sage-butter bread stuffing and Andouille stuffing. Oooo-wee!

Lifelike Vegetarian Turkey

Forget tofurky — that vegan mainstay looks nothing like the real thing. Make way for the Vegetarian Plus brand Vegetarian Whole Turkey! This faux-meat bird is shaped like a real turkey, replete with drumsticks and a golden exterior, and is made from non-GMO soy. The whole turkey kit comes with a 4-pound turkey, a pound of Himalayan Barley Fried Rice as stuffing, and a pound of gravy.

Barbecue Whole Turkey

Described as the "prime beef" of the white-meat world, Joe's barbecue whole turkey comes in regular-, Cajun-, or jalapeño-smoked. As long as you live in the continental U.S., you and 10 of your loved ones can enjoy this slow-cooked Texas masterpiece on Thanksgiving. The bird ships cooked but frozen, so order early enough to allow 72 hours to thaw.

Thanksgiving Dinner Cake

Why stop at the main course when you're craving turkey? Delight your guests during dessert with this sweet Thanksgiving Dinner cake! The cake, which can be prepared in any flavor, is frosted with just the right shade of chocolate buttercream. Trimmings are created with colored frosting, whipped cream, cinnamon-dusted challah bread. Delish!

Beer-Can Turkey

We're not sure who invented this moist method of meat cookery, but beer and poultry make great partners. For detailed instructions on how to cook a beer-can turkey on your home grill, we turn to a post from Cooking for Engineers. Blogger Michael Chu explains it all, from the best way to brine to the optimal-size beer can and the tastiest blend of spices.

Roast Turkey with Alligator Stuffing

Unleash some wild Bayou flavor with this Cajun-style delicacy. The chefs at Hebert's stuff a whole boneless turkey with this one-of-a-kind rice stuffing that features onions, bell peppers, and alligator meat smothered in a zesty Cajun-spiced tomato sauce. Hebert's makes and ships a variety of New Orleans-style stuffed turkeys, but the alligator caught our eye.