Disappointing Turkey

[jaj121159]

I have never cooked a heritage turkey, but I would imagine they would be a lot like a wild turkey. Even though you rested it, it still needs a lot of moisture added because of the lack of fat. I always put some water in the bottom of a cooking bag and put a lot of bacon on my wild turkeys. You should expect a stronger flavor and tougher dark meat on a wild turkey, so I think that would apply to your turkey. Your smoking method on the grill could of really dried things up. I cooked an 81/2 pound Cornish X chicken for Thanksgiving. I did "beer can chicken" in the oven, though I used Dr. Pepper instead of beer. It turned out great, and very moist. Biggest problem was the can disappeared into the birds chest cavity. It didn't stand up great, but did stand up.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

After processing the bird you need to let it rest in the fridge for 3 days. Then all rigor has worked out. 48hrs was not long enough. Sorry

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

After processing the bird you need to let it rest in the fridge for 3 days. Then all rigor has worked out. 48hrs was not long enough. Sorry

I've been trying to find a source or explanation for this information ... but no luck so far. Do you happen to have a link to a site that details the "resting" times for turkeys and chickens? And maybe a scientific explanation about why resting is necessary?

We raised our first turkeys this year (massive Broad Breasted Bronze). Some of our customers had bought live turkeys before and insisted that they wanted theirs processed the day before Thanksgiving, so I presume these birds rested only a few hours before they were cooked. Everyone is saying how amazingly delicious they were -- flavorful and moist and they all cooked way faster than expected considering their enormousness. We ended up having to process one way early in November so we kept that for ourselves. It did spend some time in the freezer and it was also quite delicious. I should say "is" delicious ... we'll be eating from it for quite a while.

 

[emptynesterMom]

I haven't smoked a turkey yet, but when I have processed one of my heritage breeds early they don't seem to have the layer of fat that I see in my birds who are over 9 months old. If he had just gobbled and hadn't begun to strut yet, I think he was probably on the young side to have finished his growth. I have processed mine youngish and they have been tastey, just not much too them. My birds free range and have commercial feed. I give BOSS and scratch grain for the last few weeks as a supplement. Hmmm, maybe I'll have to try a little beer too. The night before cooking, I brine the bird in a vegetable broth base with herbs and then slow roast. Good luck with the rest of your birds. I hopr they are yummy.

 

[yinepu]

I've been trying to find a source or explanation for this information ... but no luck so far. Do you happen to have a link to a site that details the "resting" times for turkeys and chickens? And maybe a scientific explanation about why resting is necessary?

We raised our first turkeys this year (massive Broad Breasted Bronze). Some of our customers had bought live turkeys before and insisted that they wanted theirs processed the day before Thanksgiving, so I presume these birds rested only a few hours before they were cooked. Everyone is saying how amazingly delicious they were -- flavorful and moist and they all cooked way faster than expected considering their enormousness. We ended up having to process one way early in November so we kept that for ourselves. It did spend some time in the freezer and it was also quite delicious. I should say "is" delicious ... we'll be eating from it for quite a while.

The resting is needed because rigor mortis sets in after death. There is a chemical change which takes place causing the muscles to stiffen (staring from the head downwards through the body) until the body becomes "stiff as a board". Allowing the bird to rest for a few days allows the muscles to relax. I check the leg/thigh/hip joints to see how easily the leg will bend. If it bends easy then I know rigor has passed.

I did a google search for you for the scientific explanation.. and i came across this website: http://chemistry.about.com/cs/biochemistry/a/aa061903a.htm
(for those who do not like to click links here's what they had to say on the subject):

"A few hours after a person or animal dies, the joints of the body stiffen and become locked in place. This stiffening is called rigor mortis. Depending on temperature and other conditions, rigor mortis lasts approximately 72 hours. The phenomenon is caused by the skeletal muscles partially contracting. The muscles are unable to relax, so the joints become fixed in place.

More specifically, what happens is that the membranes of muscle cells become more permeable to calcium ions. Living muscle cells expend energy to transport calcium ions to the outside of the cells. The calcium ions that flow into the muscle cells promote the cross-bridge attachment between actin and myosin, two types of fibers that work together in muscle contraction. The muscle fibers ratchet shorter and shorter until they are fully contracted or as long as the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and the energy molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) are present. However, muscles need ATP in order to release from a contracted state (it is used to pump the calcium out of the cells so the fibers can unlatch from each other). ATP reserves are quickly exhausted from the muscle contraction and other cellular processes. This means that the actin and myosin fibers will remain linked until the muscles themselves start to decompose."

Then they go on to add: "Rigor mortis can be used to help estimate time of death. The onset of rigor mortis may range from 10 minutes to several hours, depending on factors including temperature (rapid cooling of a body can inhibit rigor mortis, but it occurs upon thawing). Maximum stiffness is reached around 12-24 hours post mortem. Facial muscles are affected first, with the rigor then spreading to other parts of the body. The joints are stiff for 1-3 days, but after this time general tissue decay and leaking of lysosomal intracellular digestive enzymes will cause the muscles to relax. It is interesting to note that meat is generally considered to be more tender if it is eaten after rigor mortis has passed."

I hope this helps

 

[aka Rachel]

After processing the bird you need to let it rest in the fridge for 3 days. Then all rigor has worked out. 48hrs was not long enough. Sorry

So, why do the birds that I get processed at the abattoir, who go directly into the freezer when I get home, taste fine and the texture is great without the resting period. Many people also process their own birds that day for consumption that evening.

While the above quote explains rigor, it does not explain that.

 

[maggiemo]

So, why do the birds that I get processed at the abattoir, who go directly into the freezer when I get home, taste fine and the texture is great without the resting period. Many people also process their own birds that day for consumption that evening.

While the above quote explains rigor, it does not explain that.

I have asked this question several times and have never gotten an explaination. Maybe you can get someone to explain.
Thanks for asking again.

 

[Island Roo]

So, why do the birds that I get processed at the abattoir, who go directly into the freezer when I get home, taste fine and the texture is great without the resting period. Many people also process their own birds that day for consumption that evening.

While the above quote explains rigor, it does not explain that.

I've noticed the same thing with cornish X birds. Rigor seems to affect them much less - probably due to the age of the bird. They are better after a resting period but edible without. Unlike heritage cockerels - they need to rest but are processed at twice the age of a cx.

As to the taste of the turkey - I have used smoke with turkey and did not care for the flavour. Smoked chicken is ok.

 

[Haunted55]

So, why do the birds that I get processed at the abattoir, who go directly into the freezer when I get home, taste fine and the texture is great without the resting period. Many people also process their own birds that day for consumption that evening.

While the above quote explains rigor, it does not explain that.

I have asked this question several times and have never gotten an explaination. Maybe you can get someone to explain.
Thanks for asking again.

I think it depends on how they are killed. If they are shocked before the cutting, all muscle action is sent into over drive and everything is used up before death. Grab onto an electric fence and see what I mean. There is no muscle control for a couple of mins. after you're shocked. Only thing I can think of.

 

[yinepu]

So, why do the birds that I get processed at the abattoir, who go directly into the freezer when I get home, taste fine and the texture is great without the resting period. Many people also process their own birds that day for consumption that evening.

While the above quote explains rigor, it does not explain that.

I have asked this question several times and have never gotten an explaination. Maybe you can get someone to explain.
Thanks for asking again.

Keep in mind.. it can take several hours for rigor to set in
So if you were to process a bird quickly then cook immediately you would be bypassing rigor (as they did with some birds back in the good ol' days before refrigeration)
Many things affect how soon rigor will set in.. temperature being one of them. So if you can freeze a bird before rigor sets in and thaw it "quickly" you can still bypass the chemical changes that cause rigor. I have taken freshly processed birds and frozen them immediately (no brining or resting) and upon thawing cooked them. The meat was tender.
Now had I thawed the birds and let them set refrigerated or at room temp for a while rigor may have begun to set in (haven't tried it and see no reason to try it).. so I can't say for sure there if freezing will bypass rigor altogether or not.

Some people are a bit "slow" at the whole processing thing (I have seen some people say they take over 1 hour to process a bird). If rigor begins to set in within an hour or so they would have to rest the bird in order to make it tender enough to eat. Processing plants and butchers who process birds on a regular basis are pretty fast compared to the person who processes birds a couple of times a year .. I have one Aunt who can take a bird and have it dead, plucked, cleaned and bagged within 10 minutes or less (she claims she can do it faster.. I'm not going to give her that without timing her first.. lol). Granted she has a NICE plucker to help her along.. and she has been processing birds by hand for well over 75 years on a weekly basis.
Most people like to brine the birds.. which is why there is usually a waiting period before they freeze or cook them.