We tried an apple brine last night, about 15 hours, and smoked it in the smoker for 5 hours with apple wood. Delicious! It was an 11-1/2 lb broad breasted turkey my daughter got free from work. Tonight, we are trying one of the heritage turkeys we raise, never had one before. Dressed out at 12-1/4 lbs. They have little fat on them. We brined it and half cooked it in the oven. Tonight we are turning it into turkey pot pies, for a change. All the stuffing and cranberries are going into the pie. It will be Thanksgiving dinner in a slice of pie.
To oven roast, it is imparative to wrap in foil to hold in the moisture. It is amazing how many people just put their turkeys in a pan and roast unwrapped.
Heritage turkeys are very similar to wild turkeys. They do come in a variety of breeds, though. Holland Whites, Narragansetts, Bourbon Reds, Chocolates, etc.
(Ignore the order message at the bottom of the picture. My original picture was removed from my phone and this was the only version I could find. We don't have any more for sale, anyhow) Heritage turkeys are the result of efforts to preserve the genetic purity of the turkeys found by the pilgrims. They are fully mature at about 18-20 lbs, as opposed to the GMO broad breasted turkeys which grow to as much as 50 lbs. Heritage breeds can fly and mate on their own. Two things the broad breasted breeds can't do.
both these turkeys are within a pound of each other. The broad breasted store turkey on the left. The heritage turkey on the right. They are built quite differently.
These are the broad breasted turkeys we had last year.
Heritage turkeys are suppose to have a much richer flavor with denser meat. I'll let you know how the heritage turkey turned out, tomorrow.
Have a great Thanksgiving SBO.
-Will (Dragonfly)
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