Heirloom turkey -- have you cooked or eaten one?
I'm in the midst of writing an article about alternatives to the standard turkey, and I need some input on the heirloom birds. If you've cooked or eaten one, what were your impressions? Was it worth the cost? Did you order online, or do you have a local supplier? Would you do it again? Thanks!
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14 Comments:
My mom and dad raised some one year. There were 12 of them. 1 gobblers, 11 hens. As the turkeys grew, and Thanksgiving got closer, mom and dad got more attached to the birds. All the birds lived out their natural life spans. The last one, the gobbler, died a couple of years ago at 13 years old. Sadly, no heirloom turkey ever made it to the table.
beth1 at 7:45PM on 10/12/08
Since my knowledge @ heirloom birds is admittedly limited, I have to ask if you mean the way turkeys looked before scientists started fiddling w/ them to create a bird w/ a much larger breast (1940s?), or if you mean the American wild turkey.
I've had the distinct pleasure of eating turkey from a local farm, raised there based on the # of [pre-paid, as I recall] Thanksgiving orders received from folks in the area. Each purchaser was free to stop in and see how the birds were doing. Finally, a few days before Thanksgiving, each purchaser picked up his/her bird after it was butchered.
This happened a # of years ago, when one of my co-workers brought in a bit of leftover turkey a few days after Thanksgiving. Having been eating store-bought bird and its leftovers, it was immediately clear that this bird had a different taste - I can only describe it as "clearer" @ this point, sorry.
Hope this helps.
Robbo at 8:20PM on 10/12/08
Just to clarify, the turkeys I'm interested in are the older breeds that are now being brought back to market, and are the ones that used to be sold before the big white birds took over.
Also known as Heritage Breeds, according to one website I found.
Thanks!
@beth1 -- it reminds me of the easter chick I got one year. When it got a little older and more chicken-like, mom sent it to a friend who had a farm. Later, the same friend invited us for a chicken dinner. Mom refused. I wanted to go because I wanted to see how my chicken was doing. I didn't make the connection between "my" chicken and chicken dinner unitl many years later.
dbcurrie at 9:48PM on 10/12/08
I was the winner of one of SE's giveaway of D'Artagnan turkeys last year, and I believe they're heirloom birds. (If anyone knows otherwise, speak up.) I did not find it much different at the initial meal, served hot with the traditional holiday sides we have. Where we all ageed it was remarkably better was later, with the leftovers, which were remarkably more flavorful, more turkeyish.
lemons at 11:02PM on 10/12/08
We've had a number of Heritage Foods turkeys and one is on order for Thanksgiving. I would rather have thisturkeey a few times a year, because of the considerable expense, than have the tasteless cardboard from the mass producers. The meat of the heritage birds has flavor that I remember from my grandmother's holiday tables. And the stock made from the carcass is not to be believed: impossibly fragrant and delicious. I ordered a frozen bird this spring, and it was not as good. I think the problem was mine; I was distracted by other things going on at the time, and didn't give the turkey the attention it deserved
islandexile at 1:26AM on 10/13/08
Wegmans has a Fresh Mary’s Heritage Turkey. We bought it last year. It was a great choice.
JerzeeTomato at 3:25AM on 10/13/08
You guys are totally AMAZING! Heirloom Turkeys? Seriously, even though I do not eat turkey, You would have thought at the very least I would have heard of an Heirloom Turkey! This is exactly the reason I hang out at SE. Simply amazing!!!!!
izatryt at 9:14AM on 10/13/08
If you want to grow your own, check out Sandhill Preservation. Glenn and Linda have an incredible assortment of heirloom turkey, duck, geese and chickens. I don't have room for their Bourbon Reds, Cuckoo Marans, Barnevelders, Jersey Buffs and Dewlap Toulouse but do grow their heirloom vegetables.
DavidinCT at 10:02AM on 10/13/08
We purchased heirloom turkeys from a local farm via a local shop for a few years in a row from about 2003-2006 and we found them to be far better than other turkeys we've had both in terms of flavor and texture. What I can't speak to directly is what amount of difference is attributable to the fact of being an heirloom bird versus the way in which the birds were raised. I know the local farm and know that the turkeys were free-range, ate a good diet and were basically left to roam and grow and live on a fairly large piece of land.
Compared to turkeys I can buy in grocery stores near me the heirloom bird was quite a bit more expensive (4 or 5 times as much on a per pound basis) and there was less choice about how large a bird one could get (that is, you sign up for a bird and specify over or under 17 pounds or so and they'll do their best, but the turkeys grow until its time to slaughter them and they're however big they are). It was, though, very much worth the additional cost and we will purchase one again this year now that we're back in town.
ccbweb at 11:40AM on 10/13/08
What is an heirloom turkey?
Chew on That at 5:12PM on 10/13/08
@Chew, they're also known as heritage turkeys, and they're breeds that existed prior to the big-breasted white turkeys that are sold in supermarkets today.
dbcurrie at 6:44PM on 10/13/08
i've cooked and eaten heritage turkeys for the last three thanksgivings. as you'd expect, they are not as big, perfect, or photogenic as regular birds. Think Sophia Lauren vs. Pamela Anderson. They tend not to weigh as much, they have a little more skin in proportion to its overall size, and have lest breast meat. Some would say that they taste better. for what it's worth, i suppose that they do have a slightly more gamey, rich flavor, and cook up a little moister. But sadly, i'm biased- despite roasting the turkeys for the family every year, i find the taste of roast turkey, no matter how you brine it and stuff it, is pretty damn boring, heritage or not. Give me a heritage ham over a turkey any day,
mr guy at 2:34PM on 10/14/08
@mr guy--while I understood the point you were making, I think your analogy (SL vs. PA) needs a little work.
My sister ordered a heritage bird two or three years ago, the cost was outrageous. It was her first time hosting the holiday and she went all out, but there was a certain gamey quality that I didn't enjoy. I don't know if it was the brine (WilliamsSonoma) blend or the turkey, but the cost of the bird and the number of people we usually host made that bird a one time deal. I'd be willing to try a smaller one minus the brine, just to get a better sense of the flavor.
wookie at 3:29PM on 10/14/08
I've seen them, but since I'm a white meat lover, they didn't appeal to me at all. Since I've been around quite awhile, I wonder if I ate them as a child? I have always loved turkey, with gravy and without. It is a subtle flavor - maybe some don't taste it? With my recent illness, I've learned a lot about how tastes can completely change. I hope I always enjoy turkey.
@ mr guy ~ SL vs. PA???? Are you saying real vs. fake? 'Cause I think the sizes are close (at least after PA had the kings resized to queens which were still quite ample. I like a big breasted bird..
PerkyMac at 3:59PM on 10/14/08