Posted on 11/21/2021 8:38:10 AM PST by mylife
Purchasing and preparing the turkey for Thanksgiving has taken on a kind of mythical status through the years. It's a big hunk of poultry that you only cook once a year, so taking the care to properly store, thaw, and cook the big bird in time for a glorious entrance to the harvest table can be tricky. While it may not be as easy to control for seasonings, cooking times, and temperatures, there is one easy way to start off your Thanksgiving feast preparation on the right foot: Buy the best bird.
To help you decide which turkey to buy for this Thanksgiving, we bought, roasted, and tasted five brand-name frozen turkeys from the supermarket. We had taste testers judge the birds based on tenderness, texture, and flavor to determine a winner.
Here's how we did it. We visited three local grocery stores—Food Lion, Harris Teeter, and Whole Foods—to source our big birds. They were all frozen and ranged in the 12–14-pound range. Two of the birds were not injected or didn't have any added salt, while the other three were already brined in the bag.
(Excerpt) Read more at eatthis.com ...
Where can you purchase Organic Prairie? Any idea? Thx.
Yes, 49 cents is a steal.
I always hold out for a fresh turkey a couple of days before TG. Kroger has a brand called Grey’s that cooks up beautifully.
I have spatchcock turkeys for years. They come out great and other than cutting the spine out of the bird, they cook spectacularly. The breats and dark meat cook evenly and they are moist as can be. Ugly presentation admittedly, but throw a bacon weave on top of it and I guarentee you wont cook it another way.
Just as I was about done shopping they got in a pallet of Kroger brand and Honeysuckle White(didn't have a good experience with those in the past...was missing a wing + the giblet package)to fill what was an empty bin, so I grabbed one.
...now how to cook it...???
I've done the brine thing in the past, good texture/flavor...but the salt ruined the drippings. Did the spatchcock method last year...turned out pretty good, much shorter cooking time... but of course the presentation of a flattened bird...ehh(suppose I could have performed surgery).
Got a guest(rare)for dinner this year...hope it turns out good.
Just returned from Wal-Mart. I’d estimate about 1/4 of the shelves are empty.
And in under an hour
I think mass produced turkey all tastes about the same. They must all use similar feed. But Butterball’s are the most bland, IMHO. That would be the last resort for me. If that’s the number one brand in the country, it’s no wonder so many people hate turkey, and only eat it once a year. I’ve never had a problem with dry turkey, because I cook them in a covered roaster, with a vented lid. But this year, I’ve been asked to cook the turkey with a super crunchy skin. Not too happy about roasting it in an open pan, but I’ll comply, just this once. America’s Test Kitchen has a recipe for a super crispy skin; maybe I’ll try their method.
Outside of ButterBall I’ve never seen those brands
If my Turkey guy hasn’t got a fresh one for me ( unlikely since I order early) then I order a Cajun Turkey from Popeyes
Jennie O has a pretty good bird
you need a lie down.
And Whole Paycheck
Not where I shop except for specialty items
Put it on a super clean bath towel, or several layers of newspaper, with paper towels over them.
It does sound good. And the presentation aspect doesn’t bother me. Just the thought that my kitchen and I might be a biohazard after all that stabbing and slicing and cutting and pulling.
If I could do it outside I’d try it. But not in my teeny kitchen. It’s far easier just to do it the old-fashioned way, at least from a prep and clean-up standpoint.
I use the store brand of stove top stuffing. I add extra liquid (water or broth), and if I’m not too harried, I mince up about ¼ bell pepper. You can’t really taste the pepper, but it adds another layer to the flavor somehow.
Warm up by doing some Cornish hens, then a chicken, a month or two before.
I grill spatchcocked chickens fairly often.
“There was a big scandal about 25-30 years ago when Food Lion was altering sell-by dates on their meat and poultry.”
Hadn’t thought of that in years. They were also accused of washing old meat in bleach to change the smell.
I’m going to brine a butterball then cold smoke it for 3 hours and finish it in the oven.
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