Frozen turkeys, All the same??

[DENALI]

Local store has Jenny-O turkeys for 68 cents a pound or HoneySuckle for 98 cents a pound. Is there really any difference in quality for the price difference?

[Horseyrider]

Personally, I think they both taste horrid, and are interchangeablly icky.

I got to where I thought I didn't like turkey anymore. Then I happened to get a Thanksgiving bird from a local grower who pasture raises his birds (about 67,000 a year). He grows them slower and sells them fresh, through butcher shops only, with no injected anything. Omigosh, it tastes like the turkey I had when I was a kid.

I'd rather have meatloaf than a grocery store bird. But I do have a reservation for one of these awesome pasture raised ones. The price is higher per pound than either of the birds you describe, but the difference in quality makes it worth it.

[Callieslamb]

I find that I can make either one taste really good, or cook it until it's so dry we're eating shoe leather.......I think it's more in the cooking than the bird.

[salmonslayer]

We bought a Honeysuckle White which was actually cheaper here than a Jenny-O and a heck of a lot cheaper than a Butterball (we paid $.88 a pound) but I suspect they are all about the same as far as quality. I would much prefer a local raised turkey but we couldnt find one.

Check the labels though, the Honesuckle brand says it has 8% of a solution injected into it while some of the other brands had up to 15%. Kind of makes you ill thinking about it.

[Fae]

I wish I had a fresh turkey but I don't this year but I plan to raise my own for next year.

[Patt]

Originally Posted by DENALI

Local store has Jenny-O turkeys for 68 cents a pound or HoneySuckle for 98 cents a pound. Is there really any difference in quality for the price difference?

No difference between those nope. All raised in less than ideal conditons and then processed and shot full of "solution" to make them tender and moist.

We raise our own or don't have turkey.

[DENALI]

Yeah i know, its not "home grown" and its full of this and thats but unless you want to send me your personal home grown turkey for my table i dont want to hear about it! I just want to know if they are equally nasty or not as compared to the price difference. Thanks!

[glenn amolenaar]

Back in the 60's I spent some time at a poultry plant they sold/supplied several different brands birds all were from same growers, packed with different brand names this was so the grocers could offer a different product than their competitors.
glenn

[BlackWillowFarm]

Originally Posted by glenn amolenaar

Back in the 60's I spent some time at a poultry plant they sold/supplied several different brands birds all were from same growers, packed with different brand names this was so the grocers could offer a different product than their competitors.
glenn

That's pretty much the way it goes. Many, many different brand names, but poultry, pork and beef comes from just a few big suppliers. It's all the same stuff, just sold under different names so you think you're getting variety.

[Wolf mom]

Originally Posted by salmonslayer

Check the labels though, the Honesuckle brand says it has 8% of a solution injected into it while some of the other brands had up to 15%. Kind of makes you ill thinking about it.

Yes, mostly salt water plus some have preservatives. That goes for store bought chicken too, pieces or whole. Check it out. Hate to pay for salt water....

[motdaugrnds]

Denali, yes they are about the same ... all injected with whatever the grower determined will make them grow faster and weigh more; then "embalmed" (Oh yes they use embalming fluid on those store-bought birds.) so they will be nice and presentable for those who need one for some big meal. (My family actually got sick to their stomachs on the last one we purchased .. over 8 yrs ago.)

If I were in your shoes without a way of raising my own bird, I would visit a local farmer's market and get one of their fowl, take it home in a cage and fatten it up for Thanksgiving.

[buffalocreek]

We have a super abundance of wild birds around where I live so I just went out and shot my Thanksgiving dinner a few days ago. Can't beat the flavor.

[Marcia in MT]

I agree with buffalocreek: can't beat the taste of wild turkey!!

Second place goes to the fresh (never frozen) bird we had once.

Otherwise, we just stick to whatever brand is cheapest at the local supermarkets. I've never found a difference in taste or cooking between any of the brands.

[U8sushi2]

Most factory frozen birds are about the same. I have eaten more than my share. I am raising heritage birds this year. But you can make a store bought bird taste good. I recomend brining it before cooking. Makes for a much tastier bird. Just Google turkey brining for instructions. And when cooking NEVER use the pop-up thermometer stuck in your bird. By the time it pops the bird is over-cooked. Get a good probe thermometer and pull the bird about 10 degrees before it reachs target temp. Cover with foil and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting.

[FarmerRob]

DITTO on the Brining or your Turkey (and all poultry for that matter--especially if you have the store bought variety.) The chemical process that goes on with the brine will remove at least some of the "solution" that they put in it. And by adding some aromatics and spices to your brine you can add a little flavor.

We can all agree that pasture raised is the best choice but if that is not an option brining is certainly your next best choice. Break out your Google and you can find lots of recipes for a good brine.

Most important thing is to keep it iced down while it is brining. I use a good quality ice chest, put the bird and brine solution inside large trash bags. Any brine recipe should tell you that after you have brought it to a boil you should cool it to room temperature and then add ice to the brine. You don't want to ruin Thanksgiving with a trip to the ER. Tie off the bags very tight and then put ice on the bottom of the cooler and lots more on top of the bags. I leave the cooler in a cool place overnight. Makes for very moist turkey.

[Paquebot]

Originally Posted by motdaugrnds

Denali, yes they are about the same ... all injected with whatever the grower determined will make them grow faster and weigh more;

Growth hormones for turkeys have been banned for many years. There are none approved for turkeys.

Martin

[flowergurl]

One year I bought a store brand turkey to save money. I won't be doing that again. It just didn't taste as good as the name brand. I stick to either butterball or honeysuckle white now.

[upnorthlady]

Originally Posted by DENALI

Yeah i know, its not "home grown" and its full of this and thats but unless you want to send me your personal home grown turkey for my table i dont want to hear about it! I just want to know if they are equally nasty or not as compared to the price difference. Thanks!

You know - there's no law that says you HAVE to serve turkey on thanksgiving! It is not a day to glorify the turkey! It is not a day set aside just to eat turkey, either. Thanksgiving is a day to spend with family and friends and be thankful for blessings. If you don't like the injected 8% or 15% solutions in turkeys, then serve something else! Try a nice beef roast, or pork roast or ham or......(like me, go vegetarian). There are so many wonderful foods to eat in today's world, there's no reason to limit yourself. How about serving venison? At the first Thanksgiving, that's probably what they served anyway. At our house, my husband hates turkey as he used to work in a turkey processing plant. I will do a ham for his dinner - a real ham, not one of those pressed, injected things - along with about a dozen other dishes that we can both enjoy along with friends and family.

[Beowulf]

Originally Posted by Marcia in MT

I agree with buffalocreek: can't beat the taste of wild turkey!!
...

Mmmm... wild turkey.

Neat, or on the rocks? Personally, I prefer single malt scotch, but as Kentucky Burbon goes, Wild Turkey is pretty tastey.

[geo in mi]

Where's Julia Childs when you need her? She used fresh, not frozen, and to ensure it was good and juicy, she injected it with strips of side pork(lard). Popped it in the oven--no lid or bag.... with a thermometer stuck in it and never opened the door to peek or baste until the temp hit "done"(can't remember the temp). Made the mashed potatoes while the bird rested in a tent to relax the juices. Bon Apetit !!

Grandma did, too, but she eyeballed it once in awhile because the iron cookstove had no glass door, and battery powered thermometers hadn't been invented yet. And fresh turkey, too, until the 1950's when they got a home freezer from Sears. While it 'settled', she made the rabbit gravy to ladle onto Grandpa's sweet potatoes..........

Lids, bags, and electric roasters, blech.....

geo