How To Cook A Perfect Heritage Turkey

The most important meal of the year is "Turkey Time" and, we all look forward to spending that quality time with the people that we love the most. The food is also something that we look forward to, especially that perfect turkey. 

It all starts with the quality of the turkey. What breed is it, how was it raised, was it treated well, how was it processed and, how many pounds do I need?

The questions are abundant and, they are great questions. Often the answers are not so clear and, sometimes they can be confusing. In this post, I will simplify things to help make your special feast, perfect.

The naked answer is "apply any type of heat" until the meatiest part of the inner thigh reaches 165 degrees(F), Alright, we all know that part but, you may be asking "Xenia, the breast cooks faster than the dark meat and, how do I prevent the breast from drying out?". 

That's where it gets interesting. So let's get started.

TURKEY BREEDS

Commercial breeds of turkey are usually broad breasted white and, broad breasted bronze. These turkeys are genetically designed to grow very quickly on the least amount of food. They do get quite large and, are not very active. It's challenging  for these turkeys to even breed naturally and, that is why they are artificially inseminated.

Commercial turkeys grow quite large, very fast and often their leg bones are not as quick to grow at the same rate. these types of turkeys are mostly raised inside barns. They are vaccinated to prevent the spread of disease and, those vaccines will not cook out of the turkey. They are also administered anti-parasitical drugs to help control internal parasites. Yummy!

Since grains are hard to digest, they are top notch for accelerated weight gain. During their growth cycle they are fed mixed grain rations (corn, soy, wheat etc.) . It's important to note that these turkeys are grown by the millions, saturating the markets. To help the average consumer with cooking, they are usually injected with some oily substance or saline solution. These turkeys are  going to be tender and, will require more seasoning for enhanced flavor.

Heritage turkeys are old fashioned breeds that breed naturally (when allowed). They are great foragers and, can be grown outside. Heritage breeds include White Holland, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Blue Slate, Midget White, Old Fashioned Bronze, Royal Palm and several others. These take a bit longer to grow than the commercial breeds and, most smaller turkey farmers feed these turkeys the same types of grains that the commercial growers use (corn, soy, wheat etc.). Very few will raise heritage turkeys without corn, soy or wheat however, most smaller turkey ranchers will allow turkeys to free range, outside and, even call them "pasture-raised".  Smaller scale turkey ranchers buy their turkeys from hatcheries as day old chicks and, for health and safety purposes the day old turkeys from hatcheries are vaccinated. These turkeys are going to feature a more dense, meatier profile with more, dark meat overall and, more muscle mass. 

In my opinion, the best overall turkey is a heritage breed that is raised on open free range, foraged, pasture-raised and, offered a diet that is culturally symbiotic for the turkey. Real turkeys eat real food. Their natural diets consist of fruit, berries, vegetables, nuts, seeds, small insects and wild vegetation. A perfect turkey is one that was naturally bred and, hatched out by the Mother hen. Never being administered any vaccines, antibiotics or, drugs. When processed; a perfect heritage turkey is never punctured or, injected with oily substances, processed only with fresh, cold water (no bleach or other antimicrobial solutions). These turkeys are very rare! If you do find them, they will be pricey, for obvious reasons; but, worth every penny!

Wild turkeys such as Eastern Wild and, Rio Grande Wild are also great wild, heritage turkeys with even more darker meat profiles throughout. They are going to be smaller in size and they cook a bit faster than other heritage breeds. These take longer than the other heritage breeds to grow but, they are equally impressive and delicious. 

TURKEY DIET & LIFESTYLE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Turkey diet is critical to the natural, inherit flavor of your perfect bird. I have found that turkeys fed a diet comprised of grains (corn, soy, wheat etc.) are usually bland in flavor, no matter the breed. Personally, I prefer a heritage turkey that has been raised in a culturally symbiotic way to their natural lifestyle. When turkeys are free to roam, peck, forage, mate and, fly they are a more perfect bird. 

GMO'S

Even certified organic grains are genetically modified. In addition, growing grains is hard on the ecological system, soil health and top soil. Furthermore, growing grains is a massive, multi-billion dollar industry that is also responsible for water contamination. Grains require the application of pesticides and, fungicides. Fungicides are needed to help control the toxic molds that naturally grow on grains. Some of the most dangerous are, mycotoxins. I prefer to raise my heritage turkeys without the use of grains. I think that it makes for a better, more wholesome and, healthy turkey.   

FRESH OR FROZEN TURKEY

When you choose a turkey from a store or, even a farmers market and, buy fresh; I'm going to burst your bubble. They were more than likely previously deep frozen and, thawed.  

Your turkey may be frozen or fresh. If it's frozen, you can still have a great turkey. With a frozen turkey, you may want to defrost it while it is submerged in cold water, and add the juice of one lemon to every water change. Change the water every hour until the turkey reaches ambient temperature. Then begin your preparation. Some people like to use salt instead of lemon but, I think that salt helps to retain the cold temperature. 

A fresh pasture-raised, grain-free, heritage turkey is the gold standard. Have you ever had the joy of smelling a fresh turkey? it smells amazing. Nothing like the commercially more abundant turkeys. Once you open the package, there may be some excess juices and, some blood too and that's normal. As soon as you remove your turkey from the package, rinse your turkey, inside and out. I keep a handy 1 quart spray bottle at my sink. I add 5 drops of essential lemon oil, the strained juice of one lemon and fill the rest of the bottle with pure distilled water. I keep my surfaces cleaned before, during and after preparing my turkey. I also use it on my hands. 

HOW BIG OR SMALL A TURKEY DO I NEED

Turkey size selection is the easiest to determine. The basic formula is

1/2 pound of turkey per adult 

1/4 pound per child

Calculate 5 pounds for bones.

If you want left overs, select how many pounds you want and add it to your final weight.

These calculations are based on having at least 3 side dishes (mashed potatoes, salad, vegetables etc.). If you are having only turkey, you will need to increase the turkey weight. 

EXAMPLE: I'm having 4 adults (2 pounds) and 4 children (1 pound) for dinner.

 2+1+5= 8 pounds and I want about 4 pounds of left overs 8+4= 12 lb. turkey.

The carcass bones make the most superior broth, stock, soup and, gravy. 

SEASONING YOUR TURKEY

My suggestion is that you keep seasoning to a limit. Seasoning flavors the skin and, not the muscle-meat. Skin is fat and, the flavor from the fat will help to naturally season your turkey. I sprinkle a very light layer of salt and, white pepper on my turkey and, I do not stuff the turkey. Stuffing the turkey increases the cooking time. It can also be difficult to properly cook the stuffing since, excess blood and, other natural turkey juices from the turkey have a tendency to get into the stuffing.

HOW TO KEEP THE TURKEY BREAST FROM DRYING OUT

From Gena: Gena said that her Dad would cook the turkey in the oven on a very low temperature (around 275 degrees F), overnight and, he would baste it throughout the night.

From Todd: "4 years ago, I discovered deep frying and, I'm hooked. Just make sure that you dry the turkey thoroughly before lowering it into hot oil. I learned that the hard way."

From Karen: "I cook my turkey inside a brown paper bag and, it's always perfect."

From Gena: "I've used the clear turkey bags and, it turns out very well. It retains the juice."

From Greg: "Always, breast down in a closed turkey pan and, half way through I flip it breasts up."

From Ian: "I'm going to smoke it"

From young Ian (13 years old): "Keep the breast colder than the rest of the turkey by using a bag of ice. This will help cook more evenly without drying out the breast. The reason the breast dries out is because the breast cooks so much faster than the dark meat. By making the breast colder than the darker meat, the dark and white meat should be fully cooked at the same time.

From Xenia: I cook the turkey "breasts down" in an old Westinghouse roasting oven, on a rack. As soon as it is fully cooked, I pre-heat the conventional oven to 450 degrees (F) then, I slowly and, carefully flip the turkey over "breasts up" and, as soon as the oven reaches 450,  I brown and crisp the skin for about 15-20 minutes. In addition, I make a heck of gravy with the drippings!

Okay, here is one more favorite way to cook a perfect, pasture-raised, grain-free heritage turkey. This is a little bit unconventional but, I love it. It cooks much faster, the skin turns out crispy with a golden brown color and, the breasts stay moist and flavorful. 

I Spatch-cock my turkey by removing the backbone (spine) and, the turkey lays flat with, breasts up.  Placed on a rack that sits about 1" from the bottom of the pan and, add water to the bottom of the roasting pan until, it reaches the rack. I cook it in an old Westinghouse roaster keeping it covered until it reaches an internal thigh temperature of 165 degrees (F). 

TURKEY TEMPERATURE

I've had rave reviews from my customers that have cooked their turkeys in many ways including, very high temperatures ranging from 400-450 degrees (F) and, low cooking settings, as low as 250 degrees (F). I have tried both and the only difference that I noticed is the cooking time. Obviously the lower temperatures take longer to fully cook the turkey and the higher temperatures cook the turkey faster. In regards to texture, moisture or, flavor; I really can not say that I noticed a remarkable difference. 

The objective when cooking a turkey is to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees(F) throughout and, that's it. 

The white meat cooks much faster than the dark meat and most turkeys come with an automatic pop up thermometer stuck inside the breast which, does not make much sense to me. A pop up is usually white in color and it is in the breast to help indicate when that part reaches 165 degrees (F). When it reaches the ideal temperature, it pops up. If your turkey comes with one of these, you may want to consider removing it from the breast and, gently place it in the meatiest part of the thigh (avoid touching the bone). If you can buy a few pop up thermometers, place one in the breast and one in the thigh (avoid touching the bone).

If you do not want to use the pop up, you can use a meat thermometer that is designed for high heat. Insert the thermometer into the meatiest part of the thigh and keep it inserted until it reaches 165 degrees (F). Always check the breast too!

LET YOUR TURKEY REST

This is one of the most important steps before carving. If you carve your turkey before it rests, it could tear. When you want that perfect slice, let it rest to allow some of the steam to evaporate first. This process also helps to make the skin crispy. Usually 10 minutes is just fine. 

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NOTE

I am not a professional cook or, chef. I am an organic, pasture-based farmer/rancher in Southern California. I've been raising heritage turkey breeds for 2 decades and, always grain-free and, without any drugs. I sell only what I eat and, although I'm partial to my perfect turkeys, there are literally hundreds of turkey ranchers all across the United States. If your looking for a local turkey for your special feast, I suggest you check out www.localharvest.org