So this week at my local meijer they have Turkeys on sale. $0.97/lbs for butterball, 0.67/lbs for honeysuckle, and 0.37/lbs for meijer brand. I'm questioning if there is any superiority between the brands. I believe theres value in a Turkey with less added saline solution. However meijer has up to 6% while honeysuckle has up to 10%. I have a theory that your average Joe likes the turkeys with added saline solution more because they don't know better and think its extra juicy. Anyhow I'm wondering does anybody have a preference on Turkey brands? Does anybody think it really makes a difference?
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I can't talk brands, but I prefer no added liquid. That usually turns out to be some kind of "natural" or kosher turkey. -
I have tried many turkey brands and it is hard to beat a butter ball, especially if it is grilled or smoked. The added salt is not necessarily a bad thing. Most will brine (dry or wet) here any way.Comment
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We always look for either an organic or "all natural" turkey. They should not have any additives, but you still have to read the label carefully because some producers either fudge or consider a salt solution natural. I want to control the salt content myself...Comment
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Last year I ordered a Butterball brand fresh turkey that was not injected. I did the usual wet brine and it was one of the best I’ve had. If you have a butcher near you try one, it’s worth the effort imo.Comment
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I have done these a couple of times https://www.williebird.com/shop/fresh-turkey/ but to be honest, while very good, they're not better than any other organic bird we've done. I do try to stay away from commercial birds for Holiday meals.Comment
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lonnie mac - did yur thinkin' hurt? I try not to think if possible - it makes my head swim...
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This is Missoura, and the turkeys I've taken weren't branded as far as I could tell, so I'm in the clear there. I don't know where you'd actually brand a turkey.
I prefer the heavy-bearded males. If it's a thin beard, it may be female, so pass it up. A Tom will come along soon.
If you are unlucky, drive over to Monsanto's test fields and just run over a turkey in the parking lot. They congregate there in herds because of the late test crop plantings.Comment
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Be aware that multiple "brands" can come out the same facility, each with a different injection rate.
In other words, same poultry, different "label."
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I just did a test run on my PBC last night with a Butterball that was injected. The label said 200mg of sodium per serving. So I lightly dry brined and it turned out flippin' amazing. I usually (the last couple of years) can find 70mg per serving at Costco as we get closer to Turkey Day. Just wanted to see how the PBC would perform.Comment
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My biggest piece of advice is stay away from the frozen bargain bin turkeys. The "buy $50+ in groceries and get a frozen turkey for $.25/lb" kind. I've done it twice in recent years and they never cook up good. Best to buy fresh if possible, or name brand frozen if fresh isn't possible.
The following is from ABCbarbecue.com (I wrote these words when I helped with their turkey article):
"Important: Look for the sodium content on the Nutrition Facts label. If the sodium content is 200mg or below, proceed with dry brining (discussed below). If it’s 300mg or higher, skip the dry brine. Especially if the package says it’s "enhanced", "moisture enhanced", "injected", "basted", or "self-basting", make sure to check the sodium content before salting!
"Basted", "self-basting", "enhanced", etc. are terms that mean it’s been salted at the processing plant, and they can legally be injected with a salt and water solution of up to 9% or more of the turkey’s weight. Just how much of that 9% solution is salt, no one knows. This is why we recommend checking the sodium content on the label."
So, the takeaway is, that 10% or 6% "solution" might not be 10% or 6% salt. It's not an exact science. You have to wing it. Err on the side of adding less salt since you can always shake some salt on your plate but it's hard to fix oversalted meat.
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I've done a number of Butterballs in my Weber Gassers over the years but this will be the first time I'll be putting a bird in the PBCjr.
Whenever I do six split chickens I notice it takes about an hour longer than what Noah's videos show with the full size PBC so I expect a similar time extension for Mr. Turkey.
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