Another mild and dry morning as we all gather remotely.  President Dan Rodriquez rings the bell at 7.  The friendly voice tells us it’s 7 on this Friday.  Karl Geil gives the invocation this morning.  Dear Lord, we have some trying times with us which is impacting all areas of our lives.  Hopefully this will change soon but for now we do what we can.  Give us the strength to continue to do these things for the children of our community which we believe is part of your work.  Thank you for this day and give us the will to continue on and help our youth.

Do we have any guests?  We do have a new member we would like to induct this morning.  Jeff Wilson, are you with us?  As soon as he comes on President Dan can get on with the induction. 

 

Shown below are those the selected officers from each of the six Denver Police Department Districts, who were presented their awards earlier this year.  Thanks and Kudos to Steve Kady, who did an excellent job of running our Respect for Law program this year!

 

 

 

Here Turkey Turkey!  Having packed 100 boxes for delivery to Boys and Girls Clubs on Friday, once again, in the spirit of giving, the men of MSOC showed up Saturday morning to deliver  baskets to those in need.  Although the names of all the volunteers were not known at press time, the efforts of all were greatly appreciated by Allen Pierce and Jim Easton, who were the prime movers of this event!

 

 Karl Geil has an announcement, The Brain Bowl is going to be held in a virtual format this year.  The bugs are still being worked out, and the committee is trying to work out the kinks before going live.  They are trying different formats to see which might work best.  They are looking for volunteers who can help portray the “teams” and a volunteer who can work as score keeper.  Help them figure out how best they can work with this new reality.

 

Tom Mauro has a couple announcements.  Bob Avery on his own accord attended Tom’s grandson’s eagle scout ceremony recently and Tom is grateful for his being there.  This past week Tom played a round of golf at Aurora Hills GC and broke 90.  A surprisingly small percentage of golfers ever achieve this feat.  Bob Avery announces congratulations to Tom’s grandson for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

 

Frank Middleton asks who is the only store in Denver that gives our club a donation every time you shop there?  All you need to do is call King Soopers and sign up.  Call 800-576-4377,  Press 3 and tell them which store you shop at, and you’re done.  The only thing left is to shop and allow the club to reap part of the total.

 

 

Andy Towt reports on Dime A Day, please send checks to Andy for this program.  We need to make sure Monaco South is credited for donations raised. Checks should be made payable to the OI Foundation.

 

 

1. Granddaughter Ellie’s Team        http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/ElliesDiabetesBusters
2. The Type 1 Diabetes Optimist Team        http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/T1DOC

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Joe Marci announces the Jr Golf group are meeting this morning to determine dates, locations for tournaments for 2021. Note from Bob Finkelmeier for MSOC Golfers:
Update on members we haven’t seen at meetings recently:  Tom Mauro spoke to Donlie Smith recently and Donlie is doing fine.  Joe Marci says Ron Cisco is doing well but doesn’t feel comfortable with zoom format.  

 

Jason Ganahl is our guest speaker this morning.  He is the founder of GQue-BBQ and Ice Cream Farm and likes to compete in BBQ competition.  Jason also won the third place at the largest BBQ competition in the country.  He is married and has 4 children, and lives in Lone Tree.
 
Jason tells us he is a social person and really likes to interact with people, so ZOOM is a challenge.  He wants to talk about Thanksgiving prep.  One of his least favorable proteins to work with is turkey.  He likes cooking chicken and beef better than the turkey.  As Americans, we like food that makes us feel good.  The Thanksgiving meal is probably the most iconic meal that we have, instantly taking us back to great times with family and friends.
 
As for the turkey itself, most are purchased frozen.  Jason recommends getting your bird this weekend, giving it time to thaw properly. Turkey also is one of the most dangerous foods Americans eat, for food borne illnesses.  Give the turkey 5 days to thaw in the refrigerator for best results.  Brining does help it stay moist, giving you a bigger cushion on when to bring it out of the oven.  Now a days brining has been added for you and the turkeys are being chemically enhanced, so this is an unnecessary step.  Feeling adventurous?  Spatchcock, use a pair of heavy duty scissors to cut out the breast plate and this helps the bird cook more evenly and cut down the time needed to cook the bird.  If you have a convection oven you need to have the convection on to cook the bird more evenly.  If not the bird can cook unevenly.  Get a real thermometer, and cook the bird to 165 degrees.  Jason reports that some person in US Agriculture determined that 165 was the proper temp to cook it, so it may not be optimal.  He tells us that 140 degrees and let it sit for half an hour to continue cooking, will give you the most flavorful turkey.  He never advises cooking less than 140, and the time to sit is key.  He pulls out his turkey at 140, and uses the spatchcock method.  The bird will be flavorful and moist.
 
He also recommends using 2 large ziplock bags filled with ice to keep the breasts cool while the rest of the bird warms during preparation is a great trick to keep the bird at a uniform temperature.  Stuffing: Jason recommends using favorite bbq rub, or your favorite seasonings on the stuffing.  Thyme, rosemary, and poultry spices.  Crispy skin tastes better, so don’t baste.  Gravy makes everything better (yes!).  All of your drippings gather in a pan, the fat will separate from non fat.  Equal amounts fat, and flour, and you will use temperature to cook out all the flour favor.  Cook it over medium heat and it will reduce the flavor of the flour.  The texture of it also gives it the pleasure of eating. 
 
Bill Litchfield asks about the rue.  Jason suggests 8-10 minutes, and go for a dark caramel color.  What about weber cooking, and throwing an apple or onion in the cavity?  Jason recommends putting the apple or onion in the pan that collects the drippings.  Jason also says use real butter, and apply it in between the skin and the meat and will give you an increased flavor of the bird.  Do everything you can to keep the moist in the bird.  Jason says don’t put the stuffing in the bird, that takes the moist out of the bird, while also not letting the air flow freely to cook evenly.  Stuffing is delicious no matter what.  When you put it in the bird all of the air flow gets interrupted and dry out the entire bird – so don’t do it.  400-450 is a good temp to cook the bird, cook it fast.  When you spatchcock, it cuts down the cooking in half.  Always use a thermometer and not time to cook the bird best.  Cut out the spine, open it up and push down on the breast plate.  Fried turkey is also good.  Jason reports that Costco is the best place to get meat.  Go on the website for some great coupons.  What a great presentation.  Thank you Jason!
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Editors note:  members are reminded that meetings are not the place for political commentary.  Current times being what they are, those comments are best saved for another venue.  Were present day circumstances not so unbelievable they might be funny.  All that and the pandemic soars.  One would think that would be enough to keep those in power focused on keeping Americans safe.  Be well and stay safe.