Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: sumpnz on September 12, 2021, 04:31:52 PM
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Finally getting cool and wet enough for SWMBO to want to roast a turkey. Going to put one of the broad-breasted turkeys I harvested a couple months ago in the fridge to start thawing.
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I was on the ball this year and got fresh plums from the farmer's market to make plum sauce for my Tday and Christmas turkeys. I'm actually making and freezing the last batch this evening. I forgot to do it last year and ended up using plum jam that I had to cut with apple juice. Doesn't compare.
I've had a goal of shooting a turkey on my land, but happen to sit within a stupid draw area and haven't drawn a permit yet. The wild turkeys around here won't taste anywhere near as good as a raised or even store bought turkey, but it's just the point of harvesting it from my own place. =)
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If you shoot a wild turkey it’ll be tasty if you pluck it rather than skin it. Also I would recommend carving off the leg quarters and wings, and braise those. Breast can be roasted. If there’s not much fat under the skin (and when cutting up the bird keep maximum skin with the breast) then either pork back fat or fatty bacon in a thin layer over the breast will help it stay moist. Also, dry brining the day before, and most critically not cooking past 155F should produce a very tasty meal. Letting the breast come up to room temp will also help by keeping the gradient from hottest to coldest part of the breast to a minimum.
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MMMMmmmmmm turkey...
I love oven roasted turkey.
My family loved turkey so much that in the middle of July we'd have a full-on holiday dinner - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, the whole 9 yards.
I've not roasted a turkey in some years. I need to rectify that.
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MMMMmmmmmm turkey...
I love oven roasted turkey.
My family loved turkey so much that in the middle of July we'd have a full-on holiday dinner - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, the whole 9 yards.
Ha - my family did the same. =)
Either some time in the Summer, or if we had relatives from Germany visiting, so they could get a taste of US culture (and we could get our turkey on). :laugh:
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I prefer wild turkey over domestic turkey. Pissed I missed one last spring.
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I prefer wild turkey over domestic turkey. Pissed I missed one last spring.
Ever tried a heritage breed turkey? Curious how you think they compare to wild.
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Ever tried a heritage breed turkey? Curious how you think they compare to wild.
No, but I want to try one. I also don't feel like spending $100 on a 15-20# bird from the folks that raise them near by either.
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Ever tried a heritage breed turkey? Curious how you think they compare to wild.
Patty bought one a few years ago. It was better than a Butterball (etc), but not much better and it cost twice as much for a smaller bird. I was not impressed. It was good, tho'.
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I have a frozen turkey in the freezer that I bought last Thanksgiving to cook at Christmas and then didn't. I need to thaw it out and make a huge pot of gumbo with the dark meat and roast the white meat
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Patty bought one a few years ago. It was better than a Butterball (etc), but not much better and it cost twice as much for a smaller bird. I was not impressed. It was good, tho'.
First time I raised them I had the family vote on broad-breasted or heritage as I raised both. It was hands down, unanimous, in favor of heritage turkey.
The ones I sell I get $7/lb and the buyers think it’s a good deal. And charby - I don’t make much at that price. Their feed conversion is really poor. But, imho, worth it.
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First time I raised them I had the family vote on broad-breasted or heritage as I raised both. It was hands down, unanimous, in favor of heritage turkey.
The ones I sell I get $7/lb and the buyers think it’s a good deal. And charby - I don’t make much at that price. Their feed conversion is really poor. But, imho, worth it.
Heritage Turkeys are like cattle, about 6# of ration to 1# of gain. 22# tom should have 140# of ration in it, or $50 of feed in 2.75-50# bags bought at big box farm stores. Probably at lot cheaper bought in bulk from a mill. Also starting your own breeding program will lower your chick costs. I think that is the problem with the "hobby" growers is that they don't get big enough to get the prices down for the consumer, need to start thinking 500+ birds and working with a inspected processor.
I figure I have about $50 in a wild tom. $28,50 for a tag, $20 in gas and $1 for a shot shell.
White turkeys are 2.5# ration to 1# gain. Why they are .99 #.
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I’ve got quite a few baby turkeys that hatched in my back yard running around. We shall see if that’s any more economical than buying hatchery poults. Hopefully I can sell enough to make my effective poult cost go to zero.
If I bought my feed in bulk I could get it down to $50 per bird. More like $60-65 in the smaller quantities I’m stuck with. Plus $15/poult shipped from a hatchery, and some miscellaneous stuff like wood chips for the brooder, electricity for heat lamps, processing equipment rental, and averaging losses due to predators and turkeys just being death magnets, and before we even discuss land costs and things like fencing $100/bird is about right. At $7/lb I’m breaking even on a 14lb bird.
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I've had heritage turkey. Good, but not good enough to justify the price.
My family used to get our holiday turkeys from the factory store at the Empire Kosher Food plant near where we lived. Untreated, so they needed to soak in a brine to make them really good and moist.
The last couple of years I've been spending the holidays with Castle Key and his family. At Thanksgiving he's been getting locally raised all natural birds that we brine. One goes on the smoker, one goes in the fryer. They are GOOD.
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I’ve got quite a few baby turkeys that hatched in my back yard running around. We shall see if that’s any more economical than buying hatchery poults. Hopefully I can sell enough to make my effective poult cost go to zero.
If I bought my feed in bulk I could get it down to $50 per bird. More like $60-65 in the smaller quantities I’m stuck with. Plus $15/poult shipped from a hatchery, and some miscellaneous stuff like wood chips for the brooder, electricity for heat lamps, processing equipment rental, and averaging losses due to predators and turkeys just being death magnets, and before we even discuss land costs and things like fencing $100/bird is about right. At $7/lb I’m breaking even on a 14lb bird.
Fencing/shelter you need to depreciate the cost over the life of the equipment.
The local locker is about $8 a turkey for processing. Killed, plucked, gutted and bagged up.
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I rent the equipment (kill cone stand for 8 cones, thermostatic controlled scalder, and a plucker (can do 3 chickens or 1 turkey at a time)) for $27 for 48 hours. Even if I only process 10 turkeys that’s $3/bird with a heat shrink bag. Granted I then have to do the work, but driving the birds to a processor, and then driving back when they’re done would be similar time. Plus I often have people come help so they can learn what to do.