We raised BBB's one year, we let them grow about 8 months, they were HUGE. My DH walked up behind them and shot them in the head, then we hoisted them up and hung them from a tree branch, ASAP. We both started plucking while the body was still warm. The feathers come out pretty easily at first, it gets harder as the bird cools.
We were able to get most of the feathers off that way, then we poured hot water over it (we'd moved indoors over the kitchen sink) to loosen the remaining feathers. Pliers helped with the big wing and tail feathers.
Some, we split the backbones and cut the birds in half longways. We roasted them with stuffing, the traditional way. Long, slow roasting, they came out tender and delicious. The others, we cut up, made some turkey tenders for frying, some from breast, some from thigh. Others, we de-boned and ground for turkey burger, which we both really like. I like to make patties, dredge them in flour, and fry them. Parts that are hard to debone, we either roasted, or crock pot for turkey and dumplings.
We've raised heritage, too. They were smaller, but actually had to cook longer to get tender. The taste was better than the BB's, but the BB's sure made a lot of meat. We had some wild turkey last year. I roasted one, and it was so dry, I crock-potted the next one. It turned out better. The wild ones didn't really have as much flavor as I thought they would. IMO, both the BB's and the heritage breeds had more flavor. But I'll take whatever comes my way, if I get more wild turkey this year, I won't turn my nose up at it.
