In the mood to do something different with your Thanksgiving meal this year?
"Wow" your family and guests by adding a few of Myrtle Beach, S.C.-style comfort foods to the table. With these additions, no one will complain about the possibility of having to eat leftovers (if there are any) later on.
Place water, salt and onion in a large pot. Add chicken and bring all to a boil; cook until chicken is tender, for about 1 hour. Remove chicken from pot and let cool.
Remove skin and bones and chop remaining meat into bite-size pieces. Skim off fat from cooking liquid and measure 3 1/2 cups of this chicken broth into a 6-quart saucepan. Add rice, chicken pieces, sausage, herb seasoning and bouillon to this saucepan. Cook all together for 30 minutes; let come to a boil, and then reduce heat to low, keeping pan covered the whole time.
If mixture is too watery or juicy, cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, until it reaches the desired consistency. Stir often while cooking.
Set turkey aside. In a pot, mix all ingredients together and bring to a simmer. Once the sugar and salt are dissolved, remove from heat and cool to 40 degrees. This will serve as the brine.
Take the turkey and remove the back bone on both sides. Set it aside for stock, as needed. Split the bird in half. Submerge each half in the brine until fully covered. Keep the turkey submerged. Place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Pull the halves out of the brine and discard. Rinse the halves well and pat dry. Let sit for at least an hour at room temperature before cooking.
The Turkey can be cooked in the Oven, on a table-top Rotisserie or a charcoal grill. Below is the chef’s preference.
Begin heating charcoal. Once coals have started glowing, push charcoal to one side and add a drip pan down with some water on the opposite side. Place grilling rack down and add Turkey halves, away from the coals. Cover and cook for 1 hour, trying to keep the temperature in the grill at (or below) 210 degrees.
Pull the lid off and baste the turkey with your favorite BBQ sauce recipe (see below). Repeat every 15 to 20 min. until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Once your turkey is close to 160 degrees, your last few bastings can be with a heavier BBQ sauce if you prefer.
Mix all ingredients together and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour.
In large stockpot, cook onions in butter until soft. Add flour, reduce heat to low, stirring constantly for 15 minutes. Add milk products and continue stirring. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Makes 1 gallon.