Taste test - BBB vs heritage

So this is my fourth summer with turkeys. My first year I accidently purchased 4 Royal Palm poults (we were told they were Broad Breasted Whites). They never got very big, but our Thanksgiving turkey was so amazingly delicious that we decided to try again the next year with several Bourbon Reds. Those were awesome too, and the third year I decided to try one more breed and purchased Naragansets. Somehow I ended up getting a Broad Breasted Bronze tom turkey in the batch. He was 29lb butchered at something like 20 weeks compared to the maybe 16lb Narraganset tom at around 28 weeks. Unfortunately, we pieced the BBB, smoked some, made sausage with some, had turkey breast cuttlets and so forth. It was all quite tasty, but I never actually roasted one, Thanksgiving style to see how it tasted.

This summer I have a bunch of heritage turkeys again, a mix of Narraganset, Broad Breated Bronze and Black Spanish and every day they're flying over the fence (even after having wings trimmed) and at 13 weeks the hens are smaller than my 9 week old chickens. I'm wondering if I should just order BBB next year. Has anyone done an actual taste comparison?

Taste is in the tongue of the beholder In my opinion breast meat is king, and BBW is the best. The BBs will have the softest flavor, but will be the most tender to cook at the same weight (20lbs vs same age where tenderness should be about the same) But that is just my opinion.

Have you tried clipping just one wing, so that they are off balance and can't fly?

eviemethugh said:

Taste is in the tongue of the beholder In my opinion breast meat is king, and BBW is the best. The BBs will have the softest flavor, but will be the most tender to cook at the same weight (20lbs vs same age where tenderness should be about the same) But that is just my opinion.

Have you tried clipping just one wing, so that they are off balance and can't fly?

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I will agree that the BBB Tom I raised last summer had huge breasts, very meaty bird. What I've loved about the heritage birds was that all of the meat, both light and dark were rich and flavorful. They tasted like turkey, but there was none of that "wow this is dry, let's smother it itn gravy" thing that some store bought Thanksgiving turkeys have. Even the breast meat had the texture of good dark meat.

I've never tried the 1 wing clipping thing. I've always been afraid they'd injure themselves trying to fly. I do usually trim their wing feathers more often during the summer to keep them in their run, but I've got a lot on my hands right now and am overdue to get it done. It's also a two person job and I don't always have someone I can call on for help.

Anyway, we did process one fo this year's the BBBs early because the flock was growing too large for their night time shelter. I think we may roast him Thanksgiving style before all my eldest moves away this fall for a new job and my two other kids leave for college. Who knows when we'll all be together again.

If anyone else has wisdom to share I'd sure love to hear your opinions.