Turkey Alternative for Thanksgiving: Cross Rib Roast #FreshFinds

This is the first year that I am attempting to cook the main course for Thanksgiving dinner. In the past I made the side dishes and dessert while hubby handled the bird. Now I am stepping up to the plate, literally. I don't want to make the usual suspect so I started looking for alternatives to turkey at my local Lucky Supermarket.

I have been carefully planning the menu from the bottom up. I have roasted sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sauteed green beans, cornbread stuffing, and yeast rolls. Everything will be homemade. The only thing missing from my menu was the main dish. After browsing the meat case, I settled on the cross rib roast and pick up one to practice on.

I couldn't help but notice the amazing Buy One Get One deal the Lucky Supermarket was running on turkeys. The BOGO sale will apply to the following meats from 11/13-11/26 so you can mix-and-match:

• Riverside or Honeysuckle White Frozen Turkeys
• Cooks Ham Portions
• Master Cut Beef Cross Rib Roasts
• Pork Shoulder Roasts
• Honeysuckle Turkey Breasts

This is a HUGE savings for larger families. For me, it means I can get a backup meat for free just in case I botch the first one! But hopefully that won't happen. That's why I am doing a trial run now.

Cross Rib Roast is usually made as a pot roast, but I find it can be oven roasted too if it is marinaded to tenderize and then slow cooked which produces a firm, but juicy piece of meat. I start by letting the cut sit in the refrigerator in a soy-ginger-garlic marinade for 24-48 hours (the longer the better the results). The marinade is:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

The next step is to sear the meat on all sides in a pan on high heat. Place it in an oven bag with onions, carrots and fingerling potatoes. Put the bag in a roasting pan in the oven on 200 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees (medium). This will take several hours because the slow food method is all about not rushing. My 4 lb cross rib roast took 3.5 hours.

It turned out lovely! Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The first slices were medium well and the inside slices were medium. You can definitely cook it  for less time if you prefer your roast rarer (to an internal temp of 125-130 degrees).

What are you making for Thanksgiving? The traditional turkey or will you opt for an alternative? Check out the Lucky Supermarket Fresh Finds Pinterest Board for inspiration!