I'd strip about 1/2 of it off the bone and freeze. And would probably devour the rest in a few days! One traditional meal, several sandwiches, including hot turkey sandwiches, maybe a casserole and just grabbing a hunk and snack on while watching tv.

TURKEY BOWLING!!!!!

I think you need to share it. With me.

I'm seeing wild rice salad....

To serve, just unwrap it and put it on a baking dish or roasting pan, cover lightly with foil and warm it up in a not too hot oven (300 ought to do it) until warmed through.

FWIW, I usually am lazy on the holidays and simply buy one of those smoked turkeys. I like to cook other items--capons, ducks, rib roasts--but I have a smoked turkey available for those guests who have a desire for turkey.

By all means save the carcass and trimmings--it will make the most delicious soup or stock. (In fact, one year I bought one turkey to use just for soup. Magnificent.)

Want to hear Jim's story of visiting his cousin the first year she was married (many many years ago) and she ROASTED a whole smoked turkey. Was on the phone to her mother for instructions, and everything, just didn't tell mother that it was a smoked turkey. Jim says that they eventually went out to eat.....

If you really want to be adventurous, use it as a basis for a turkey and andouille gumbo.

Assuming the turkey is about 8 pounds, and assuming you know how to make stock, here's how to do it:

1 smoked turkey, about 8#
2 to 3 lbs andouille sausage (see notes) cut into 1/2" 'coins'
1 lb baked ham, diced (see notes)
2 bell pepper, chopped
2 bunch green onions, chopped
4 cups onions, chopped
4 qt turkey stock (made from the carcass--see notes) or water
2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
4 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp cayenne
3 tsp thyme
6 bay leaves
Flour
vegetable oil
Salt
Gumbo Filé

Remove the skin from the turkey (save it) and carve the turkey. Save the meat. Take the carcass and skin and make stock. (Use a couple of onions, a few ribs of celery and some fresh parsley, about 6 qts water, DON'T ADD SALT, simmer for hours, strain; don't bother defatting because you will defat the gumbo later)

Have all the vegetables prepped and chopped before starting the roux. To make the roux: in a large 8-cup pyrex measure or microwaveable glass bowl, use 2 cups oil and 2 cups flour. Put it in the microwave on high for 3 minutes. ItÂll bubble and froth. Stir it well, nuke it again for 2 minutes. Stir. Nuke again for 1 minute. Stir. Repeat the nuke/stir cycles, 30 seconds at a time, until it turns medium brown (about the color of peanut butter) At that point throw in some of the chopped vegetables to arrest the browning. ItÂll steam (be careful). Mix well. Put the roux and the rest of the vegetables in the bottom of a stock pot, mix well, add a little of the stock and mix again; then add the sausage, ham, all the seasonings except for salt and file powder, and the rest of the stock. Simmer for about 30 minutes. The oil from the roux and the sausage will rise to the top; ladle it off and discard. During this time, make some rice. Add the reserved turkey meat, simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Degrease the dish again. If the gumbo is too thick, you can add more stock or water. Add salt if needed (but you probably wonÂt need it, because there's salt from the turkey stock and the sausage). Serve over boiled rice. Each diner may wish to add ¼ to ½ tsp of gumbo filé to his dish, and adjust the level of spiciness with Tabasco.

Notes on ingredients: Andouille is a rich and spicy smoked sausage. Acceptable substitutes are kielbasa or smoked sausage. DonÂt use low-fat turkey sausageÂitÂll taste like hot dogs. Ham: get a chunk from the deli and cut it into ½ inch dice. Gumbo filé is powdered sassafras leaves; it thickens the broth and gives an herbal touch. Chicken Stock: If you donÂt want to make stock, you can use canned stock but that can make the dish salty. Half canned stock and half water is okay. ItÂll even taste good if you use 100% water instead of stock, but stock makes it richer.

I made soup from a smoked turkey once. It tasted fine but smelled like hotdogs. We didn't finish it...I hope you don't end up with hotdog soup!

That gumbo sounds like a good thing to try.

Turkey Enchiladas

Thanks! These are good ideas. The smoked thing throws me a little. We did enchiladas after thanksgiving. I may try the rice salad and/or gumbo.

It WAS as hard as a bowling ball when it arrived!