'Trash can turkey': Americans share their unique Thanksgiving food favorites
Thanksgiving dinner brings family and friends around a table full of festive favorites like stuffing, mac and cheese and turkey, but also some not-so-traditional foods too.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mac and cheese, a variety of potato preparations and "trash can turkey" are some of the must-have Thanksgiving dishes this year, Americans in the nation's capital told Fox News.
"Two things: rutabagas, number one," Mark said. "Number two, trash can turkey."
Cooking a trash can turkey involves smoking the bird "under a U.S.-made trash can for six to eight hours," Mark said, adding that the method also has the additional benefit of angering his father-in-law.
Cooking the turkey under a trash can traps the smoke with the bird, charring the skin and providing a different flavor, Mark said. (James M Thresher for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
For Thanksgiving, "trash can turkey is an absolute must-have," along with mashed potatoes, Mark's son, Justin, said. "Growing up in the Midwest, potatoes have always been one of my favorite foods to eat."
Mashed potatoes were ranked as the most popular Thanksgiving side dish in 2023, according to a survey by Campbell's Soup Company, followed by stuffing, mac and cheese, and sweet potatoes. Cranberry sauce, meanwhile, was the most disliked traditional Thanksgiving food, according a survey by The Vacationer.
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"I don't like cranberry sauce. It's a no-no," Victoria told Fox News. "Nobody should have cranberry sauce on their dish at all."
"My mom makes the best potato salad. That's a must-have," she continued, and "you have to have ham, baked macaroni and greens."
Sweet potatoes were among some of the Thanksgiving favorites D.C. residents said were a must-have. (iStock)
Solomon agreed, adding that mac and cheese is the one Thanksgiving "favorite" that he "absolutely" needs.
The majority of Americans that Fox News spoke with preferred side dishes over main dishes like turkey or ham.
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"Sweet potato must be over there," Julio said. "I love mashed potatoes, so it has to be there, too."
Michelle said stuffing is a must-have because it's only cooked for special occasions and "you don't eat it every day."
Roberta told Fox News her must-have is homemade sweet potato pie using a recipe she refuses to give away despite being asked repeatedly.
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"I don't eat pie," Zion said. "I'm not really too into sweets."
It's unconfirmed whether Zion has tried one of Roberta's homemade sweet potato pies.
To watch the full interviews about Thanksgiving must-haves, click here.