Fresh Turkey: Worth It?

[Mosca]

A frozen store-brand turkey properly prepared will be better than a fresh turkey poorly prepared.

For my money, I can’t tell the difference anyhow. I have the choice of a “Best Yet” brand turkey for free, or a Butterball turkey for 99¢/lb. I’m taking the free one. I’ll spend the $13 or so on something else.

[fzxdoc]

I'm in the either/or camp as well, since neither I nor anyone else in our family has been able to tell the difference between fresh and frozen turkey over the years. Prepared properly (in the PBC for me), either will do you proud.

That said, I prefer fresh turkey breasts when I smoke them Aaron Franklin-style. With fresh turkey breasts, I don't have to fuss over whether they're completely thawed before putting them in the smoker, dithering over waiting one more day as they luxuriate in the fridge, continuing to thaw. I know that many people smoke all sorts of meat from the frozen state with great results, but a turkey breast is touchy with respect to staying moist in parts while other parts of it need more time to hit the magic 159°. With a partially frozen breast, that situation might make a bigger difference on the Meat Moistness Scale, to my mind.

The only downside of a frozen turkey is that it takes so doggone long to thaw in the fridge, and after several days you still may have to pry the gizzard pack out with a screwdriver. I like a bird that's pretty much all one temp when I put it in the smoker. One or two turkeys hogging fridge space for days on end is not what I need while in the midst of hunting/gathering all of the other items necessary for the feast.

Kathryn

[Mosca]

At the store where I could choose between a whole turkey or fresh turkey breast, I need 400 points and I only have 110. At the store I have 404 points, it’s whole turkey only. A whole turkey is kind of a PITA for two old people, especially since I already cashed one in and now we would have 2.

[jfmorris]

You hit the nail on the head Kathryn. While I don't think starting from frozen matters so much for something like a Boston butt that will smoke for 14 hours, for turkey or chicken, I agree that you want to fully thawed to start the cook, to avoid drying out most of the bird trying to get that deepest (frozen) part of the breast to food safe temperatures.

[hoovarmin]

I gotta know how fzxdoc seasons her turkeys for the PBC. Please share. And do you hang the whole bird, or split it like a chicken and hang the halves? Halve or halve not?

[drobinson]

Fresh or Frozen? Just like a full moon----seen one you've seen 'em all!!

[jayjordan]

Turkey marketing is “we don’t believe you can properly cook a moist turkey, so we’ll inject stuff into them to overcome your incompetence.” Then put “All Natural” followed by list of things they injected into it.

[Mosca]

jayjordan available at teepublic.com

[hoovarmin]

I love this

[Carolyn]

Tempted to get one or 2.

[dpearce]

That episode was classic. I remember sitting there with my parents watching it. One of the few times I heard my dad laugh out loud at the TV!

[SheilaAnn]

straight outta the free side


Fresh or frozen turkey?

“Fresh” poultry means, according to USDA, that the bird has not been taken below 26°F (-3.3°C) by the processor. At that point it is pretty hard (remember, the freezing temp of water is 32°F (0°C)), but not quite a bowling ball because of the proteins and other compounds in the liquids, not to mention the injected salt, preventing it from freezing completely. But ice crystals will still have formed. USDA inspectors allow up to 2°F (1.1°C) tolerance when testing birds in commerce, so a “fresh” turkey can be held as low as 24°F (-4.4°C).

Ice crystals are larger than water molecules, and they are sharp. When ice crystals form, the water expands and the sharp edges punch holes in muscle fibers, allowing precious moisture to escape. That’s the pink liquid in the bag. Called “purge”, it is mostly myoglobin, a protein-laden fluid that helps keep the meat moist. We won’t waste it. It will go in the gravy, but I would rather have it in the muscles where it belongs. To make matters worse, some grocers allow turkeys to thaw a bit so they feelfresh.

This phony “fresh” turkey business is bunk and USDA is allowing marketers to deceive the public.

What is a “fresh” turkey anyway?

Sometimes you can buy truly fresh turkeys with no ice crystals and no purge from a farmer or specialty butcher who has chilled them to between 32°F and 38°F (0 to 3.3°C). You may be able to find truly fresh turkeys raised on Amish-owned family farms. Amish farmers don’t use electricity so their birds aren’t processed on fast-moving disassembly lines and they aren’t up late surfing the net and doing things that get them overexcited. They’re plucked and cleaned by hand and are largely free of pinfeathers.

To get a truly fresh turkey, usually, you have to order it and the butcher or farmer will give you a pickup date. In Chicago, I occasionally drive to John’s Live Poultry and Egg Market where I can pick a live bird, and have it weighed, slaughtered, and dressed on the spot. I get to keep the head and feet too.

Drawbacks

The problem is that, when an animal dies, the muscles can’t get the blood-laden oxygen they expect so they get stiff. This rigor mortis usually sets in within an hour or so, and it doesn’t go away until about 12 hours later, so you don’t want to eat a freshly killed bird. Wait 24 hours. A live turkey for our grilled turkey recipe or smoked turkey recipe.
But fresh meat doesn’t stay fresh forever. Buy a truly fresh turkey only if you are certain it has been killed within a week of the date you will consume it.

On the other hand, in an efficient slaughterhouse operation, turkeys are flash-frozen in extreme cold. This process forms smaller ice crystals and that helps prevent purge. I would rather have a bird that was flash-frozen right after slaughter than a so-called “fresh” bird that has been sitting around in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Bottom line: Proper cooking is far more important than having a fresh bird.

[jtw]

I am lucky enough to have a turkey farm only a few miles away and they offer fresh turkeys (truly fresh, not frozen... slaughtered and cleaned same day).
The price is much higher; this year it's $4.89/lb but they really are better than store bought. They cook faster, too.

[fzxdoc]

I gotta know how fzxdoc seasons her turkeys for the PBC. Please share. And do you hang the whole bird, or split it like a chicken and hang the halves? Halve or halve not?

Dave, since you asked, here's my spatchcocked turkey method on the PBC:

1. 24 hours before: Spatchcock the turkey. Rub with PBC AP Rub (very salty, so it serves as a dry brine) on the muscles under the skin as far as possible on the breast, legs, and thighs. You can loosen the skin, then smooth it back down. As long as it's attached in a few places in each area, it shouldn't go anywhere. Mix 2 tablespoons PBC AP Rub to ½ tablespoon baking powder and sprinkle this rub onto the skin and pat it in.
2. Rest the bird on a rack set onto a rimmed sheet pan, uncovered, overnight in refrigerator so the skin can dry. Longer than 24 hours in the fridge: skin will get leathery.
3. Get the fire in the PBC going using the 10-10-10 (or any other combo) method. Meanwhile, remove the turkey from the fridge.
4. If desired, inject the breasts in a few places with melted salted butter. Work quickly with the injections because when the syringe needle gets cold, the butter will start to firm up.
5. Spritz the skin lightly with oil and sprinkle with a little more PBC AP Rub or sweet paprika just for color, patting it in.
6. Slide the hooks under armpits, piercing the points through the muscle between the back ribs. This prevents any holes from marring the breast meat.
7. Put oiled foil booties on the ends of the legs.
8. Hang turkey on one rebar so the other rebar can be removed if needed to keep the temp up in the 350° range

Expect around a 2 hour cook time for 14 lb spatchcocked turkey


In this photo, by the time Mr. Turkey was done, he had lost one of his foil booties. But you get the idea.

Hope this helps,

Kathryn

[hoovarmin]

Splendid! I'm going to do exactly this!

[Bluetail66213]

Bought a frozen turkey breast from the local grocer. After smoking for a couple of hours, I wrapped in foil and got up up to temp. Turned out tender and juicy. We do but a fresh whole turkey for Thanksgiving just to keep the family happy, but honestly, I can't tell the difference.

[fzxdoc]

Wow, that looks perfect. What great color! What temp was your PK?

[JCBBQ]

Huh. I guess I’m the odd man out. I always get a fresh one from a turkey farm. There’s several fairly close. My theory is I’m disgusted by the way chicken is mass produced in this country so I always buy from a butcher who sources free range chickens. Those unequivocally taste better. So I extend that logic to turkeys. Honestly I don’t know if the taste is better bc I only eat turkey once a year so I don’t have enough data to be sure. That said, one year when we were down in PA I found a turkey farm that raised “Heritage Turkeys”. I don’t know much about them but they are a totally different bird. Very small breast but the dark meat was incredible - the legs were purple under the skin prior to cooking. Best turkey I’d ever tasted. Nobody in my family is super excited by turkey though. So this year I’m gonna try a turkey porcetta to see if the enthusiasm meter gets higher.

[SheilaAnn]

Wanna see that porchetta for sure. +1 on heritage dark meat. I, too, only buy my whole chickens from a reputable farmer. We do get wings on the fly from Rosie’s or Mary’s.

[efincoop]

Whole foods had their frozen organic turkeys on sale a week or so ago, so we decided to pick one up and give it a try in hopes of striking a balance between fresh and mass produced.

[Bluetail66213]

Temp of the turkey breast on the PK360 varied between 300 and 325. The PK likes to hold at lower temps unless you load up a bunch of fuel beforehand.

It's really easy to go for the yearly 98 cent turkey this time of year, but I do agree that if I had a choice, I would cook a fresh farm turkey (free range?) every time.

[Bluetail66213]

Did something different (in a drizzle). I have been growing a batch of Jerusalem artichokes in a large planter (they are like a tall weed that will spread if left unchecked). They have tubers that 🪴 underground, and they don't require much if any attention. I harvested the larger tubers, boiled until soft, oiled, seasoned and fried them on the griddle plate of the PK. Turned out to be delicious. Can't wait until the next harvest! (Now we see if their nickname of 'fartichoke' is true or not. Lol)

[SheilaAnn]

Are Jerusalem artichokes the same as sunchokes? I’ve had sunchokes sliced thin and fried like potato chips. They were the bomb! I’ve heard that sunchokes are also good for people with glycemic issues, as these little guys are a great sub for regular potatoes.

[Bluetail66213]

Yes. They are also called Sunchokes. Only wish I had more. Can't wait for next year!

[Huskee]

I think if you mean "fresh" as in from a butcher, or if you have Amish in your area as we do, then yes you'll be happier with the end result. But you'll pay. If you mean grocery store "fresh" then as has been pointed out many times above, not at all.