Tired of Roasting? Order Unique Meats for the Holidays

By Anthony Todd in Food on Dec 16, 2011 4:20PM

We're not likely to discourage home cooking, but the holiday rush can get pretty nuts. This year, you might not want to sit down and cook an entire turkey, goose or ham for your big holiday dinner. Plus, if you're like our family and do separate dinners for Christmas Eve and Christmas day... phew. Instead, try something new and order the main course. Contact these Chicago restaurants and let them do the cooking for you!

Frontier is serving up home-made smoked meats for holiday dinners. Ever tried a smoked turkey? You can order turkey, bone-in ham, goose, Cornish game hen or pheasant for your holiday table. Prices vary depending on the type of meat, from $4.50/lb for turkey up to $11/lb for pheasant. Or, go Dickensian and have a traditional christmas goose for $10.50/lb. You can order in advance by calling 773-772-4322, and the meats are available for pickup early on the 24th and 25th - we bet you can negotiate for other holiday party dates if you ask nicely.

Smoked hams and turkeys are tasty, but if you really want to wow your holiday guests, how about a roasted pig? Mercat a la Planxa is serving their classic roast sucking pig - and this year, you can get it to-go for your holiday dinner. You get enough pig to stuff 6-8 people, grilled green onions, herb-roasted fingerling potatoes and rosemary white beans. The price is a little steep ($220) but for 8 people, you could definitely spend more than $30/person on Christmas dinner. The pig requires 48 hours notice. Call 312-765-0524 to reserve.