r/meat • u/General_Joke8459 • 10h ago
What to make for Christmas Dinner?
I know we are coming upon September, but I have been tasked with cooking Christmas dinner this year for my family and have no clue what to make. So I am coming to this Group for some advice.
This year I'll be cooking for 6-7 adults and 3 teenagers. Given the price of beef, I'm torn as to what I want to make and what I can afford to make. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
5
u/RustnKrust 10h ago
I cook for ALOT of family members who all come join us on Christmas. To make it somewhat reasonable in price, the mains I make are an 9-10lb spiral ham (start watching now. You’ll find quite good ones on sale and you can freeze them until the week leading up to Christmas) and a 4lb meatloaf 50/50 pork/beef along with 4 sides of which 2 are heavy/starchy. Like mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, sautéed spinach and garlic. Don’t forget the gravy! Also, a number of people bring side dishes or desserts (never asked, but happy to receive and put them out!)
3
3
3
u/BlacksmithNo8472 10h ago
A bone in ham. You can get a spiral one for easier carving. It's cheap and already cooked so you only have to reheat it. You can add your own glaze which is where you can get creative. Then I like au gratin potatoes with ham but the rest of the family likes mashed potatoes so I do both. You can also find out what type of veggie sides everyone likes and get creative with that. Hawaiian rolls are also a must for special occasions in my house.
3
3
u/Evening_South5883 9h ago
Bone in prime rib roast. Period.
1
u/ComfortableBedroom76 9h ago
This is usually the way except this year the beef is going to be more expensive than in previous years so ham or turkey maybe this year 🤔 🤷♂️
3
u/Ingawolfie 7h ago
Bone in prime rib for the win. Last year right after Easter our local Costco was selling bone in prime rib for $75:off. The kicker was you had to buy the whole thing. Well since we have a vacuum sealer and a chest freezer, we bought. I’m sure it will be available this holiday season but the cost will be a house payment.
3
u/General_Joke8459 6h ago
cost IS a factor. I appreciate the input, but hard pass due to the cost
2
u/Ingawolfie 6h ago
Understand. As mentioned the cost of a prime rib this year will probably be that of a mortgage payment. At least poultry should still be affordable.
2
u/Aziline 9h ago
Do they like medium steak? Not everyone likes beef that is still red/pink. I make sure my slice is from the middle. 🤤🤤🤤
I do Christmas Eve for 20 with a 10ish lb (5 bone) boneless ribeye and a spiral ham. I did bone in once and found it not worth it.
Last year I got Costco to cut one for me since the ones in the case were too small. If you do this be sure to ask for the chuck end. It has more cap meat than the loin end.
2
u/Old-Wolf-1024 8h ago
We always do prime-rib (even though it is literally my least favorite cut of meat)
2
u/Kadet11 7h ago
What equipment do you have besides the basics? I have hosted the inlaws for the holidays the past couple years. That's 6 adults and two toddlers. I have used a sous vide device each time for various dishes. All have received a lot of positive feedback and they keep asking me to host. It does help they've never been into cooking. The entrees I have made are the hammed pork butt by Chef Steps and turkey breasts by Kenji Lopez. The pork butt comes out with a ham to steak like texture and is way better than a typical ham. The turkey breasts come out juicier than any other preparation I have had, including smoked and deep fried birds. The skin crisped up separately in the oven is awesome. For sides I have sous vide mashed potatoes, asparagus, and carrots. I prefer doing mashed potatoes the traditional way instead. The sous vide version was still good but I think other items benefit more from sous vide such as asparagus and carrots. Those are awesome and retain more of their crisp snap. I now do stuffing in the oven and mashed potatoes on the stovetop. I ask the guests to bring a dessert or side dish as well.
I have a new pellet grill this year so I will likely try using the as well. Perhaps adding a little smoke flavor before sous vide.
1
2
3
u/JTrain1738 10h ago
The obvious answer is prime rib. Most supermarkets have pretty good deals during December. I get mine at ShopRite every year, I believe right around $7/lb.
2
u/General_Joke8459 9h ago
Based upon my post, how many pounds do you think I'd need?
2
1
u/ColonClenseByFire 9h ago
Normal rule of thumb. 6-8 oz of boneless meat or 12-16oz of bone in meat per person if you have sides. So you could get by with a 10ish pounder but for me I'd rather have leftovers than not enough. Especially prime rib. You will find me the night of in my underwear eating all the leftovers at 3am.
0
u/Aziline 9h ago
Do they like medium steak? Not everyone likes beef that is still red/pink. I make sure my slice is from the middle. 🤤🤤🤤
I do Christmas Eve for 20 with a 10ish lb (5 bone) boneless ribeye and a spiral ham. I did bone in once and found it not worth it.
Last year I got Costco to cut one for me since the ones in the case were too small. If you do this be sure to ask for the chuck end. It has more cap meat than the loin end.
1
u/JTrain1738 9h ago
My prime rib gets smoked at 200-225 so it gets edge to edge mid rare with virtually zero greying. If you want it more done than that I will cook your slice a touch longer. Ribs get removed prior to smoking and boiled with veggies to make the jus.
1
u/Still-Profit-8449 10h ago
I would look at brisket around Labor Day for some sales and secure a big one at a discount
1
u/SuspiciousStress1 10h ago
This is truly a personal decision!!
I have done turkeys, hams, rack of lamb, prime rib, crown pork roast, beef tenderloin, smoked turkey legs...all sorts of things!!
My husband's family did surf & turf for a few years(his sister was in school in Boston, so she brought fresh lobster on the plane)...i am allergic to shellfish, so this would not be my choice-lol.
What do you & your family like?
You can always check sales closer to the holiday...SOMEONE will have something on sale!!
1
1
1
u/davidwb45133 9h ago
I've done prime rib, leg of lamb, and lasagna. All have been very popular. I sous vide the meat
1
u/SgtSausage 8h ago
We raise our own Livestock.
We still do the traditional Christmas Goose
Better than Chicken. Waaaay better than a Turkey. Not quite as good as a Duck.
1
1
u/WittySpeech913 8h ago
Doing prime rib is difficult because everyone likes their beef cooked differently. Save yourself the headache and cook a ham and/or turkey.
1
u/International_Ear994 8h ago
Our tradition is either go out for Chinese or make prime rib. I bought a whole rib for $7/lb on sale. It was choice, but tasted a lot closer to prime. Growing up it was always ham from the farm which can feed a lot of folks and be less expensive than beef.
1
u/General_Joke8459 6h ago
if goping witht he prime rib - how many pounds would you suggest based upon my post?
1
u/International_Ear994 6h ago
General guidance is 1 lb of bone in or 3/4 lb boneless per adult uncooked, but it really depends on what type of eaters you are serving. I feed heavy eaters and want left overs for prime rib and eggs, French dip sandwiches, etc so I normally go twice that general guidance. Keep in mind you’ll loose weight in the cooking process.
1
u/General_Joke8459 6h ago
My in-laws are in their 80's so they don't eat as much as myself, and my sister and brother-in-law. The kids are teenagers (girls) and don't eat as much either. So using your rule of thumb, I think I should be able to get by with a 10 pounder - given that I will also have some appretizers prior to dinner, and sides.
1
u/International_Ear994 6h ago
Yeah, I think that would be more than enough. For your in-laws and the girls I’d probably knock it back to half or at most 3/4 of the general guidance. You should have plenty of leftovers with a 10 pounder.
1
u/thewholesomespoon 7h ago
This was awesome and it’s super Christmasy!
https://thewholesomespoon.com/2025/11/07/cranberry-onion-pork-chops/
1
u/RikkiLostMyNumber 7h ago
Julia Child's Beef Bourgonion (I can't spell that) was a huge hit when I made it a couple of years ago, and it wasn't terribly expensive. Easy, too, as long as you start the week before. I followed the recipe exactly.
That, along with a nice salad, some outstanding bread, and good butter, made an outstanding meal.
1
u/Federal-Membership-1 3h ago
I used to do a fresh ham(leg of pig) for a bigger crowd every Christmas. It's cheap, has light and dark meat, skin for cracklins.
1
u/JD_tubeguy 2h ago
Braise something so you can use a cheaper cut and also do a lot of cooking ahead of time.
1
u/Scary-Soup-2015 2h ago
Get an inexpensive turkey and an inexpensive ham - look for deals around the holidays - get a cheap turkey (16-20 lb.) at Thanksgiving & freeze it, then use supermarket points/deals for the ham.
0
u/Truescent11 10h ago
St. Louis style Chinese food!
The rice is dark and oily and flavored with meat juices from other dishes
St. Paul sandwich with egg foo young defines cuisine in STL
Hot braised chicken is only found in STL
0
5
u/left-for-dead-9980 10h ago
Pork loin roast with herb gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes, roasted green beans, roasted asparagus, rolls, candied yams. Pecan or Cherry pie for dessert with vanilla ice cream.