Main Course Alternatives to Holiday Turkey

From a mustard-crusted rib roast of beef to a smoky glazed ham, here are great main course alternatives to holiday turkey.

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Honey-Bourbon-Glazed Ham

Petrina Tinslay

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In the relatively brief time it takes for the veal chunks to become fork-tender in a pressure cooker (25 minutes versus 2 hours of conventional cooking), the carrot, onions and sage melt into a heavenly sauce.

Christmas Dinner Ideas

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Spiced Coriander and Mustard-Crusted Rib Roast of Beef

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A spice grinder is a key tool, because freshly ground spices have the most vibrant flavor. The spice crust on this roast is peppery, fragrant and so delicious you'll want to pick it off and eat it while the roast rests.

More Christmas Recipes

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Spice-Rubbed Salmon with Herb-and-Pomegranate Raita

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It’s worth a little bit of extra effort to toast and grind the spices for this salmon, because it adds so much additional flavor. The spice mix is also good on pork and beef.

Christmas Dinner Ideas

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Slow-Cooked Sweet-and-Sour Pork Shoulder with Pineapple

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Inspired by the retro combination of ham and pineapple, Jean-Georges Vongerichten created this twist by mixing the pineapple with vinegar for a sweet-sour effect, and marinating pork shoulder with hot paprika and Sriracha chile sauce. “Chile is my condiment of choice: A little here, a little there, makes the food sing,” he says.

F&W's Ultimate Holiday Guide

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Beef Chuck Eye Roast with Paprika-Herb Rub

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This simple, flavorful beef roast—rubbed with thyme, paprika and cumin—is made with chuck eye, a cut from the chuck portion of the rib-eye muscle.

Holiday Inspiration

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Cannelloni with Walnuts and Fried Sage

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For his outstanding cannelloni, chef Matthew Accarrino stuffs homemade pasta with tender braised beef and bakes it in a creamy sauce.

Baked Pasta Dishes

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Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops with Manischewitz Glaze

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The sweet wine glaze for these chops started as a joke. “Someone kiddingly told me to try Manischewitz, so I bought a bottle,” says Rich Torrisi. “I found out it was made from Concord grapes, which are my favorite. And the grapes are from New York state, so I love them even more.&rdquo At Torrisi, the wine-glazed lamb comes with fried Jerusalem artichokes, too.

Christmas Party Ideas

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Smoky Glazed Ham with Red Pepper Jelly

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Chef Jonathon Sawyer’s secret to a successful holiday feast is doing most of his preparation ahead of time, for what he calls “easy game-day execution.” He makes the sauce that becomes a sweet-sticky glaze and the spicy pepper jelly a few days in advance; then, on Christmas day, all he has to do is bake the ham.

Holiday Entertaining

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Butter-Poached Lobster with Kimchi Butter Sauce

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Chef Zak Pelaccio tops sweet lobster with a spicy butter sauce flavored with Korean kimchi.

Holiday Inspiration

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Roast Chicken with Cranberry-Apple-Raisin Chutney

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Cranberries may call the holidays to mind, but this combination tastes great any time of year. You can serve the chutney warm or at room temperature; if there's any left over, use it to light up a chicken, turkey, or ham sandwich.

More Roast Chicken

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Dry-Aged Duck Breasts with Golden Beet Panzanella

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Chef Paul Kahan has a great trick for heightening the flavor of duck breasts: He ages them on the bone in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Boneless duck breasts can be aged using the same method, although the results won’t be as dramatic; if you're short on time, use unaged duck.

Christmas Dinner Ideas

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Roasted Capon with Fig-and-Prosciutto Stuffing

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Capon is like chicken’s richer cousin. It's tender, flavorful and—most importantly—much more forgiving to cook than turkey.

Top Holiday Recipes

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Celery Root and Mushroom Lasagna

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“In Marche, we only make lasagna for special occasions,” Fabio Trabocchi says. For this streamlined version of his luxe lasagna in bianco (white lasagna), he layers flat noodles with a supremely rich sauce, along with a root-vegetable ragú, fresh mozzarella and whole basil leaves.

Luxe Holiday Recipes

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Bacon-Wrapped Rack of Venison

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There’s one rule for venison: It should be served rare and hot. The dish can also be made with a boneless loin; the roasting time will be slightly shorter. Regardless of what cut you use, the meat needs to marinate in garlic and olive oil overnight, so plan accordingly.

Delicious Recipes for New Year's Eve

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Curried Lamb Potpie

Con Poulos

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Matthew Accarrino’s unconventional potpie is filled with coconut-spiked curried lamb.

Comforting Potpies

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Judith's Dungeness Crab Cioppino

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For a holiday dinner, Judith Tirado, Michael Mina’s late mother-in-law, always prepared cioppino—the San Francisco seafood stew that owes its origins to fishermen from Italy’s Ligurian coast. "She’d spend a whole day infusing the broth with basil and tomatoes," Mina recalls. Now he carries on the tradition by making her hearty, briny recipe, full of crab, shrimp and clams.

Feast of the Seven Fishes & More Christmas Party Ideas

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Honey-and-Lemon-Glazed Roast Chicken

Fredrika Stjärne

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Inspired by beautifully browned Peking duck, Piero Incisa della Rocchetta brushes chickens with a mixture of soy sauce and honey from the beehives in his Patagonia vineyards.

Sensational Christmas Dinner Recipes

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Zinfandel-Braised Lamb Chops with Dried Fruit

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A jammy Zinfandel and dried fruit lend a ton of flavor to lamb-shoulder chops.

Braising Dishes

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Stuffed Pork Tenderloins with Bacon and Apple-Riesling Sauce

Kirsten Strecker

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Chef Debra Whiting mixes fresh goat cheese with apple, sausage and greens, then stuffs it inside a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin. To balance the richness of the cheese, look for a wine with good acidity, like a dry or semi-dry New York Riesling.

More Delicious Ideas for Christmas Dinner

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Pasta with Roasted Squash, Sausage and Pecans

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Emeril Lagasse tosses pasta with sausage, butternut squash, sage and pecans for a terrific, hearty dish.

F&W's Ultimate Holiday Guide

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Main Course Alternatives to Holiday Turkey

1 of 20

Honey-Bourbon-Glazed Ham

1 of 20

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Spiced Coriander and Mustard-Crusted Rib Roast of Beef

2 of 20

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Spice-Rubbed Salmon with Herb-and-Pomegranate Raita

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Slow-Cooked Sweet-and-Sour Pork Shoulder with Pineapple

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Beef Chuck Eye Roast with Paprika-Herb Rub

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Cannelloni with Walnuts and Fried Sage

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Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops with Manischewitz Glaze

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Smoky Glazed Ham with Red Pepper Jelly

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Butter-Poached Lobster with Kimchi Butter Sauce

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Roast Chicken with Cranberry-Apple-Raisin Chutney

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Dry-Aged Duck Breasts with Golden Beet Panzanella

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Roasted Capon with Fig-and-Prosciutto Stuffing

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Celery Root and Mushroom Lasagna

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Bacon-Wrapped Rack of Venison

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Curried Lamb Potpie

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Judith's Dungeness Crab Cioppino

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Honey-and-Lemon-Glazed Roast Chicken

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Zinfandel-Braised Lamb Chops with Dried Fruit

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Stuffed Pork Tenderloins with Bacon and Apple-Riesling Sauce

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Pasta with Roasted Squash, Sausage and Pecans

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