Unlike some of the side dishes on the Thanksgiving table, turkeys are one of our original local foods and native to the Americas. Sadly, most of the turkeys we eat today have little resemblance to those wild ones from the Colonial days since now they’re bred for their large white breasts.
But there are diverse choices that are more readily available for the Thanksgiving dinner main course. Here’s are some things to consider when thinking about buying turkey and a primer to help you select the right one at the store or butcher shop!
How to Choose the Right-Sized Turkey
If this is the first time you’re buying the Thanksgiving turkey, here are things to keep in mind when thinking about what size turkey to buy:
Amount Per Person: Generally, you will need 1 pound of bone-in turkey per person, or 1 1/2 pounds if you want enough for leftovers. You can even buy two smaller turkeys and serve one at Thanksgiving dinner and roast the second one for leftovers instead!
Light Meat or Dark Meat? If your family just likes eating dark meat and doesn’t care about carving into a whole bird at the table, just roast turkey legs to make everyone happy. On the other hand, if you only like white meat, order a bone-in turkey breast instead.
Oven Size: If your oven is not a standard size and runs small, make sure there’s enough room in there for your turkey and roasting pan!
Roasting Pan Size: Again, if you want to buy a large turkey, make sure you have a pan large enough to fit it in or make plans to buy one.
Fresh Versus Frozen Turkeys
These days, turkeys come fresh, frozen and somewhere in between. That “in between” category is courtesy of a recent USDA ruling on labeling. “Fresh” turkeys have to be stored at 26 degrees Fahrenheit or above; frozen turkeys have to be stored at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below. But what happens to the turkeys stored between one and 25 degrees Fahrenheit? There’s no name for them; some producers call them “refrigerated,” while others call them “hard-chilled or “not previously frozen.”
The National Turkey Federation says, “There is no quality difference between a fresh and frozen turkey.” We can only assume they’re also referring to “refrigerated” turkeys. However, freezing any meat has a disruptive effect on cell structure — when meat is frozen, the ice crystals that form around the cells can cause cell damage and fluid loss, ultimately resulting in drier meat.
Though modern flash freezing techniques minimize the damage done during freezing and thawing (it reduces the size of the ice crystals), many turkey manufacturers still hedge their bets by injecting a liquid “basting” solution of water, oil and seasoning prior to freezing. This basting solution is often high in sodium — it’s essentially a brine and also imparts a flavor of its own. Such turkeys are often labeled “self-basting.”
The flavor of a bird is determined by several additional factors, which may actually be more important than whether your turkey is fresh or frozen. Size is key — smaller birds tend to be more tender; if you have a lot of guests coming, think about cooking two small turkeys instead of one large one. Gender plays a role too — female birds, known as hens, tend to be slaughtered younger (i.e., smaller); larger turkeys are typically males, known as toms or stags.
When choosing your turkey, also keep in mind that frozen turkeys take a long time to thaw — one day for every five pounds.
If you’re hosting a small Thanksgiving, you should be able to easily find birds under nine pounds. If not, go with a turkey breast. If you’re serving lots of sides, figure about one pound per person.
Types of Turkeys
Last of all, and probably the most complicated, is which type of turkey to buy. The various kinds of turkey are raised and processed differently, resulting in varying flavors and textures. The costs of these turkeys also ranges from very inexpensive to expensive, so here’s a guide to help you out, arranged in order from the least to most expensive.
CONVENTIONAL:This perennial favorite—typically a Broad-Breasted White variety—boasts an ultraplump breast that has usually (but not always) been injected with butter, water, and salt; it will be labeled “self-basted” if it contains these ingredients. Though the flesh tastes appealing when spruced up with gravy and cranberry sauce, it can be bland on its own. The price is the real selling point, as conventional turkeys are the least expensive, per pound.
FREE-RANGE: These turkeys must have continuous, free access to the outdoors over 51% of their lives, which some believe makes the meat taste better. While the idea of a range where turkeys can roam free is nice, a free-range label may just mean that the turkey has access to a door outside and there’s no guarantee he actually trotted out for a jaunt. (If it’s important that your turkey actually roamed outside, look for the word “pastured” on the label.) Free-range also does not indicate if the bird was raised without antibiotics or hormones. There are no set regulations for processing, although they are usually humanely processed and contain no additives.
NATURAL:Our favorite turkeys (often described as “minimally processed”) are those that haven’t been treated with artificial colors or flavor-enhancing ingredients. (Higher-priced “organic” turkeys are bred according to strict rules established by the USDA.) Like their conventional counterparts, natural turkeys are usually a Broad-Breasted White variety. Though you’ll pay more than you would for a convention turkey, most have a clean, pure turkey flavor and moist flesh.
ORGANIC:Organic poultry represent a two-stage process. First, the farmer does not use any chemicals, antibiotics or roughage fillers when raising the birds, as well as giving them access to the outdoors and direct sunlight, as with free range. In addition, the animal’s feed must be raised organically — without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. These birds tend to be more expensive, but are potentially the finest and fullest flavored available.
KOSHER: The distinction given to the birds that have been killed according to Jewish dietary laws. Kosher birds are salted inside and out, and left to drain before soaking and washing. Since the salt pulls moisture from the meat of the bird, the flesh is denser. These birds, also prized for their full taste, tend to be more expensive than non-kosher poultry.
HERITAGE: This category of turkeys comprises a host of old-time varieties, like Narragansett and Bourbon Red, which were staples of the pre-World War II American turkey industry. These breeds mature slowly; thus, their flesh can be pleasantly flavorful and moist—or unpleasantly gamy and chewy. It’s worth doing your research before buying: they’re by far the most costly turkeys available.
Got the right turkey now? Here are a few ways to cook it!
