Leads to this question,
If I want to be able to harvest a turkey that dresses out about 18 to 22 lbs for next Thanksgiving, what sort of turkeys do I need to get and when do I need to get them?
We would actually prefer less breast and more dark meat (I have been known to buy 2 fresh turkeys on sale, deconstruct one of them, and pin the leg quarters to the Thanksgiving bird to create a 4-legged turkey to satisfy the dark meat lovers in my family).
I have little knowledge of turkey varieties beyond "Narragansetts are pretty" and "BB varieties can't breed their own replacements."
Outside COVID restrictions we have a large family and like leftovers so I never buy turkeys smaller than 16lbs if I can help it. (A company holiday gift turkey that was only 11lbs ended up in the crockpot for a regular dinner one time, so I would have *something* to do with smaller turkeys -- just not holiday dinner).
(It's nice to have a place to ask questions where the idea "If I were killing my own turkey for Thanksgiving I'd have to do it this Friday on my day off," doesn't make people freak out).
If I want to be able to harvest a turkey that dresses out about 18 to 22 lbs for next Thanksgiving, what sort of turkeys do I need to get and when do I need to get them?
We would actually prefer less breast and more dark meat (I have been known to buy 2 fresh turkeys on sale, deconstruct one of them, and pin the leg quarters to the Thanksgiving bird to create a 4-legged turkey to satisfy the dark meat lovers in my family).
I have little knowledge of turkey varieties beyond "Narragansetts are pretty" and "BB varieties can't breed their own replacements."
Outside COVID restrictions we have a large family and like leftovers so I never buy turkeys smaller than 16lbs if I can help it. (A company holiday gift turkey that was only 11lbs ended up in the crockpot for a regular dinner one time, so I would have *something* to do with smaller turkeys -- just not holiday dinner).
(It's nice to have a place to ask questions where the idea "If I were killing my own turkey for Thanksgiving I'd have to do it this Friday on my day off," doesn't make people freak out).