Jump to content

  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Cooking a Heritage Turkey -2017

BadRabbit

By BadRabbit
in Cooking

 Share

Recommended Posts

BadRabbit

BadRabbit

Posted
Posted

I bought a small bronze (13.5 pounds) from a local farmer and I have dry brined it and air dried it. I am planning on spatchcocking the bird and roasting but I am having a hard time deciding on the best roasting method. 

 

Kenji says to cook a spatchcocked bird pretty hot at 450. This seems to be talking about a typical commercial bird.

 

I've seen several other places suggest a heritage bird should get a quick flash at 450-500 to start the rendering the fat from the skin and then dropping to 325-350 to cook more slowly. The thinking here is that the heritage birds have more connective tissue and it needs to cook for longer to break it down.

 

Any suggestions on which seems the better course? I'm leaning towards the quick flash\slow roast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted

From what I remember, heritage birds have less breast meat than modern birds (which have been bred for lots of breast meat), so you'll want to be careful about not overcooking them, even with the spatchcocking.

 

Info from Thermoworks

Info from Serious Eats

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

"...in the mid-’90s when the internet was coming...there was a tendency to assume that when all the world’s knowledge comes online, everyone will flock to it. It turns out that if you give everyone access to the Library of Congress, what they do is watch videos on TikTok."  -Neil Stephenson, author, in The Atlantic

 

"In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual." -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BadRabbit

BadRabbit

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

They have significantly smaller breasts and massive thighs\legs (i.e. the opposite of a commercial bird). I have good thermometry equipment so I won't overcook (I'll cut the legs off and throw back in if necessary). I would prefer to do the faster way (Kenji's 450) but I am concerned that might result in a tough bird. That's why I've been leaning towards the other.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted
37 minutes ago, BadRabbit said:

They have significantly smaller breasts and massive thighs\legs (i.e. the opposite of a commercial bird). I have good thermometry equipment so I won't overcook (I'll cut the legs off and throw back in if necessary). I would prefer to do the faster way (Kenji's 450) but I am concerned that might result in a tough bird. That's why I've been leaning towards the other.  

 

Yes, that's Alton Brown's approach, too, which I'll be following on Thursday (changed my mind from long and slow). I'll also ice down the breast meat beforehand, and use a roasting rack on a half sheet pan on a baking stone.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

"...in the mid-’90s when the internet was coming...there was a tendency to assume that when all the world’s knowledge comes online, everyone will flock to it. It turns out that if you give everyone access to the Library of Congress, what they do is watch videos on TikTok."  -Neil Stephenson, author, in The Atlantic

 

"In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual." -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer

Link to comment
Share on other sites
boilsover

boilsover

Posted
Posted

I would suggest roasting it whole, and low, after a pan sear on the back and thighs, a la Tom Keller's roast chicken prep.  The breasts are chisel-y, and you don't want them dry.

 

I hate to say this, but both times I've tried roasting "heritage", free-range, fresh turkeys, I've been very disappointed with the results.  The last time (literally the last time),  the bird ran just north of $100, and was no better that the plain 'ol frozen birds that are discounted for Thanksgiving.   Oh, and there are not really any leftovers for the week after.  Sorry to be a buzzkill...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BadRabbit

BadRabbit

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
2 hours ago, boilsover said:

I would suggest roasting it whole, and low, after a pan sear on the back and thighs, a la Tom Keller's roast chicken prep.  The breasts are chisel-y, and you don't want them dry.

 

I hate to say this, but both times I've tried roasting "heritage", free-range, fresh turkeys, I've been very disappointed with the results.  The last time (literally the last time),  the bird ran just north of $100, and was no better that the plain 'ol frozen birds that are discounted for Thanksgiving.   Oh, and there are not really any leftovers for the week after.  Sorry to be a buzzkill...

I've had turkey from this farm before (I just didn't cook it) and it was fantastic.

 

I did buy a second Butterball breast to smoke tomorrow (I'll just reheat in SV bag on Thursday) so we have extra breast meat for leftovers. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
weedy

weedy

Posted
Posted

if you don't want to separate the pieces before cooking (although spatchcocking somewhat alters the "presentation" aspect of keeping the bird whole anyway...) then I'd strongly consider an aluminium 'tent' over the breast in the last half to third or so of cooking time.

 

I've had fantastic heritage turkey.

Much nicer than supermarket for sure... although I did it sous vide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Baron d'Apcher

Baron d'Apcher

Posted
Posted

Not sure when practice of pulling turkey tendons stopped, but old timer butchers have told me that prior to Big Ag, when animals were still being slaughtered in Hell's Kitchen in NYC, every turkey had their tendon's pulled.  The idea of a turkey leg with the plastic-like tendons in the drumstick was unimaginable as they are as unpleasant to navigate as they are inedible.  

Consequently, unless I can get the bird with the feet still attached (from which I can yank the tendons with pliers) I refuse to cook a whole bird.  Invariably, I debone and stuff the legs.

 

  • Like 3
Kitsch & Classics
Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...