Stormcrow's Hobby Farm

[U_Stormcrow]

40+ pound turkey. What would it weigh, dressed out? I don't know if I'd even be able to put it in my oven.

I'm guessing around 25#

 

[Sally PB]

I'm guessing around 25#

Oh. I was expecting closer to 30.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Oh. I was expecting closer to 30.

I figured yield is almost as good as a chicken's. Apparently, I'm wrong - its better than a chicken's, so your guess is better than mine.

 

[Sally PB]

Still, that is a BIG turkey. Are you inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner?

When I buy a (frozen) turkey, I look for the smallest one I can find. A 16 pound bird is plenty for hubby and me.

The local grocery store has a loss leader sale in the weeks before Thanksgiving: Spend $50, get turkey at 35¢ a pound, or something like that. I have to dig through their freezer to find a bird under 20 pounds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

We take advantages of the loss leaders too, and yes, my wife and I usually get the smallest turkey breast we can find - then split it in half. That's what chest freezers are for. I still have one ham, one turkey breast, three legs of lamb...

This will be a tough old bird - but if the one poult we successfully hatched turns out to be a male, its going to make a LOT of soup. or Sausage. or both.

 

[Molpet]

We take advantages of the loss leaders too, and yes, my wife and I usually get the smallest turkey breast we can find - then split it in half. That's what chest freezers are for. I still have one ham, one turkey breast, three legs of lamb...

This will be a tough old bird - but if the one poult we successfully hatched turns out to be a male, its going to make a LOT of soup. or Sausage. or both.

They don't get tough like a rooster.

 

[NatJ]

Still, that is a BIG turkey. Are you inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner?

When I buy a (frozen) turkey, I look for the smallest one I can find. A 16 pound bird is plenty for hubby and me.

The local grocery store has a loss leader sale in the weeks before Thanksgiving: Spend $50, get turkey at 35¢ a pound, or something like that. I have to dig through their freezer to find a bird under 20 pounds.

I've been known to get the biggest turkey in the store, defrost it in the fridge to the point that it can be cut but still has ice crystals, then part it out and freeze for later use.

Or roast the whole big turkey (often on a day that is not Thanksgiving), then freeze boneless meat, and either broth or bones to make broth from. I have a number of recipes that use boneless cooked "chicken."

Of course these things only happen some years, depending on how busy I am with other things, and how much fridge and freezer space I have at the time.

 

[Molpet]

I've been known to get the biggest turkey in the store, defrost it in the fridge to the point that it can be cut but still has ice crystals, then part it out and freeze for later use.

Or roast the whole big turkey (often on a day that is not Thanksgiving), then freeze boneless meat, and either broth or bones to make broth from. I have a number of recipes that use boneless cooked "chicken."

Of course these things only happen some years, depending on how busy I am with other things, and how much fridge and freezer space I have at the time.

This is what I do also. It's just me and it's nice to have parts to cook or packages of cooked parts.