Is one turkey better than another?

[DebBrown]

I'm looking at the grocery ads. I can get a Jennie-O turkey for 43 cents/pound or a Butterball for 99 cents/pound. They are both frozen and in the same size range. I can't believe Butterball is twice as tasty.

Of course, I can also get a fresh organic turkey from Trader Joe's for $1.79/pound. But I'm not sure if I want meat that hasn't been frozen for two weeks.

What do you all recommend?

Deb

 

[radmoo]

fresh turkey, hands down!!!!
Did you ever read the label as to all the "stuff" they inject into Butterball, etc?

 

[DebBrown]

fresh turkey, hands down!!!!
Did you ever read the label as to all the "stuff" they inject into Butterball, etc?

I was wondering about that. I'm pretty sure all frozen birds have some preservatives, etc. added as well as water weight. Of course, they don't print that in the grocery ads.

Deb

 

[LAX Mom]

We've bought fresh turkeys at Costco the past few years and they've been delicious! Although they say they are fresh, they are somewhat frozen from the transportation & storage.

We've also bought fresh turkeys from a local grocery store and the ones from Costco are just as good.

We don't have a Trader Joe's here, but I love everything from Trader Joe's!

 

[DeniseM]

I can't disclose my source, but I live in the heart of the turkey country and many times turkeys are raised by one company, and packaged and sold under a different label.

For instance, there is a well-known, free-range, gourmet Turkey that is sold over the internet for around $100, but right before Thanksgiving, when they run out of birds, they substitute regular old Foster Farms Turkeys, for the more expensive and supposedly "free range" gourmet turkeys - and they don't disclose this to the buyer or charge less.

Right now I can buy a Foster Farms Turkey for less than $10 at most of my local grocery stores, with a minimum purchase. Buyer be ware!

 

[optimist]

I was listening to NPR recently and found out that the definition of "fresh" meat, as far as the dept. of agriculture is concerned is meat that has never reached an internal temperature above 26 F. So they can keep a turkey at a constant 26 degrees for four weeks and still get away with calling it "fresh".

 

[stmartinfan]

Butterball's price is in direct correlation to the additional money they spend on advertising and promotion - like their "Turkey Talk Line"...the 800 line with cooking help. People know the Butterball name and are willing to pay more. I've had lots of great turkeys that aren't Butterball.

If you check the label, you'll see the amount (in %) of additional liquid added. That's what's supposed to help keep the meat "moist," but often just makes it kind of mushy - and means you pay for water instead of meat.

While it takes some time to defrost a turkey, I personally feel like it's a safer way to deal with the bird instead of the long "hold" time allowed for "fresh" turkeys.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Same Here.

I love everything from Trader Joe's!

I got a full refund 1 time on a sub-par batch of Trader Joe medjool dates that were all dried out & yucky -- the only unsatisfactory item we ever got from Trader Joe's.

The Chief Of Staff prefers Trader Joe's chocolate chips (for tollhouse cookies, etc.) over all other brands, including Nestlé & Hershey.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[laurac260]

I was wondering about that. I'm pretty sure all frozen birds have some preservatives, etc. added as well as water weight. Of course, they don't print that in the grocery ads.

Deb

We are going the organic turkey route this year. No pesticides in the food they ate, no antibiotics, no injected sodium solution to make the turkey "appear" more juicy (which also weighs the bird down, making it cost more per lb). The turkey will come in fresh, not frozen. I also bought organic brining mix. I'm going to actually baste it this year, rather than just shoving it in the plastic bag and forgetting about it! I'm looking forward to the bird this year! In fact, I think I will try for an all organic thanksgiving.

 

[wackymother]

Has anyone ever bought a turkey from Stew Leonard's in Connecticut and Yonkers? Their chicken is so good....I'm just not sure if it's worth driving half an hour in each direction to get a turkey from there.

 

[DebBrown]

I was listening to NPR recently and found out that the definition of "fresh" meat, as far as the dept. of agriculture is concerned is meat that has never reached an internal temperature above 26 F. So they can keep a turkey at a constant 26 degrees for four weeks and still get away with calling it "fresh".

Yes... that's what I'm discovering too. I'm a bit uncomfortable with getting a "fresh" turkey that's been in a semi-frozen state for a couple of weeks. I've read today that these can be dried out from repeated partial thaw and refreeze.

For many years, we've been happy with the frozen turkeys. I think I'll save my money and stick with one.

Deb

 

[Rose Pink]

Best Turkey?

The one I don't have to cook. We will be dining at one of our children's homes this year.

 

[Ann-Marie]

I can't disclose my source, but I live in the heart of the turkey country and many times turkeys are raised by one company, and packaged and sold under a different label.

100% accurate! I grew up with my father and grandfather owning a turkey company. This is what I learned. NEVER buy Perdue. Never buy fresh. You pay for more crap injected into the turkey than you want to know. That is why they are "juicy". If cooked properly, they will be very juicy. Shady Brook Farms and Tyson has a good frozen turkey. The ones that are fresh have actually been semi frozen for a while, and also have a lot of preservatives. The frozen ones are frozen immediately after slaughtering, and are much fresher. I was also taught to never cook a "Tom" turkey which is one over 16 pounds. They get tough and dry out. It would be better to cook 2 - 12 or 14 pound turkeys. I can fit them in one roasting pan. Have them in the pan in two different directions. Now for making them juicy. Convection oven these days is the best. However, my mother always started the turkey, breast side down with a piece of foil on the rack under the turkey. Half way through the cooking, she would turn it right side up. A little challenging, but can be done.

 

[BevL]

Cat's (I miss her) brining and cooking instructions for turkey are still in the TUG Lounge archives. It never misses for me.

 

[Michael]

What ever happened to Cat?

- Michael

 

[DeniseM]

What ever happened to Cat?

- Michael

She still lurks - you can send her a pm.

 

[ScoopKona]

Any turkey purchased through a middleman should be considered suspect. Once upon a time, I could visit a local farmer and buy my turkey a couple days before thanksgiving. I have also had access to wild turkey (the bird, not the whiskey).

Anything bought in a store can be mislabeled, poorly handled, injected full of junk, etc.

I'll generally go for kosher birds if possible. I'm hoping the Rabbis are better than USDA inspectors. (But it's a matter of faith on my part. I have no evidence other than anecdotal that kosher turkeys taste better than "big brand" birds.)

Alton Brown has my turkey roasting technique of choice. This system flat-out works.

The problem with other methods is the difference in time it takes to cook the dark meat and the breast. Alton's technique gives me a turkey that's moist and the correct temperature -- leg, thigh and breast.

And don't baste! Basting means soggy skin. My addition to the technique is to inject truffle butter into the bird prior to roasting.

 

[pjrose]

. . .

I'll generally go for kosher birds if possible. I'm hoping the Rabbis are better than USDA inspectors. (But it's a matter of faith on my part. I have no evidence other than anecdotal that kosher turkeys taste better than "big brand" birds.)
. . .

Good timing Scoop - I was just going to ask if Kosher turkeys were somehow better in terms of less junk injected in them and cleaner circumstances. I don't know if it's true, but the concept does make me feel better.

In any case, we'll go with the free frozen turkey we earned from our store's rewards card.

I'll look up your cooking method.

 

[ScoopKona]

Here's an article from a Rabbi: http://kosherfood.about.com/od/asktherabbi/f/rab_koshturkey.htm

I'm a nut about kosher foods -- although my love of pork and shellfish makes a strict kosher diet impossible. But in general, kosher food is in my opinion better (and healthier, and more humane) than non-kosher.

EDIT -- I'm no expert, but kosher means to me that the animal is dispatched quickly and humanely as possible. Then it's bled out as quickly as possible and salted. Back in the pre-refrigeration days, that would mean healthier meat. But even today, that's a good thing. Meat swimming in juices in a plastic container is the antithesis of gourmet food, as far as I'm concerned. Besides, we end up paying $X.XX per pound for freaking water, salt and blood at the megamarts. Unacceptable.

I always troll the halal and kosher markets for my meat (and the Asian and Latin markets, too). Since I rarely experience food poisoning, I'd say it's a good place to start.

For my shopping dollar:

Poultry and beef: kosher (or Japanese beef, when I can afford it)
Any lamb/sheep/goat: halal
Seafood: Asian
Pork: My local butcher -- also my go-to for Japanese beef (which I prefer raw).

The so-called "ethnic" markets simply have better quality control. I rarely buy "plastic packaged" meats from megamarts. There are a few exceptions and they're usually Costco -- mussels, salmon, trout and USDA Prime rib-eyes (which are SCARCE these days.)

 

[Jestjoan]

Wacky, I asked my DD#1 about Stew Leonard's turkey for you. I'll let you know what she says.

 

[wackymother]

Good timing Scoop - I was just going to ask if Kosher turkeys were somehow better in terms of less junk injected in them and cleaner circumstances. I don't know if it's true, but the concept does make me feel better.

In any case, we'll go with the free frozen turkey we earned from our store's rewards card.

I'll look up your cooking method.

Kosher meat and poultry is brined in salt water--it's part of the kashering process. Commercial kosher chickens, like Empire, are very salty indeed.

 

[wackymother]

Wacky, I asked my DD#1 about Stew Leonard's turkey for you. I'll let you know what she says.

Thanks! I want to try them, but the drive is a bit off-putting.

 

[Jestjoan]

DD#1 response

"I recommend their turkey. I have done their ready-to-cook ones at least five times. They clean, prep and marinate them. They put aromatics inside. It comes in its own roasting pan (disposable) and I think they even put a pop-up timer thing on them now. Also worth getting there is the gravy and the delish cranberry orange relish stuff."

You'd probably need to call about the price......

 

[hefleycatz]

Thank's Scoop for the Alton Brown site. That sounds yummy. :whoopie:
I think I will compare "Cat's" technique and this one and combine for a very tasty bird.

 

[easyrider]

I have wanted to stuff our turkey with a game hen. When the little kids see this being pull out of the turkey it could be kinda funny. Then in the game hen I would have a block of spam carved out into a bunny.

But my sweetie pie won't go for it so its just my Thanksgiving fantasy.