We are so excited for Thanksgiving, we have some of Luke's siblings coming to visit as well as my family who lives here and my sister from San Diego. We are hosting at our house and finally get to enjoy the fruits of our labor, a delicious turkey! And as more and more people are buying local turkeys (or are curious what the hub-bub is about) a guide like this has become necessary. So without further ado, here’s some tips for cooking your bird and how it is different than a store bought turkey:
Please be flexible. If you are buying your pasture-raised turkey from a small, local, sustainable farmer, thank you so much for supporting us! That said, please remember that pasture-raised turkeys are not like factory-farmed birds. Since we don’t freeze them, and they are processed just a few days before Thanksgiving, we can’t control their exact size. This year it looks like ours should be in the 15-20lb range but please be forgiving if the bird we have for you is a little larger or a little smaller than you anticipated. Cook some extra sausage stuffing if it is too small, or enjoy the leftovers if it is too large.
Is that the price PER POUND?!?! As a very frugal homemaker myself (who has to sometimes say no to things that are amazing quality and worth the price), I totally get it. If you are used to picking up a free turkey through the grocery store promotions, then the $6-$11 per pound ticket on a pastured turkey seems expensive (ours are $7/lb for those of you who are wondering). If you’ll notice, however, the farmer selling it isn’t exactly getting rich off you. He or she is selling it based on the farm’s expenses (organic grain not purchased by the truck-load is VERY expensive these days and a 1-day old turkey chick costs $7, not to mention the labor of feeding and watering daily, moving their electric netting to fresh grass every few days for 5 months, and then processing them). Grocery store birds are not cheap either, the price is a ruse. You pay for industrialized food ahead of time through your taxes. But once you experience the amazing flavor and ease of cooking a pastured turkey (without a dark cloud over the meal about how that bird was treated), you will agree the price was well worth it.
Know what you are buying. If you don’t personally know the farmer who is growing your turkey, take the time to know what you are buying! “Pastured” is not necessarily the same as “free-range.” Any conventional factory farm can label their birds “free-range” if they are not in individual cages, and if they have “access” to the outdoors – even if the “outdoors” happens to be feces-laden, penned-in concrete pads outside the barn door. Labels like “organic” and “free range” might make you feel good, but they are actually pretty vague. Even though a bird has an organic diet, it may never see grass or sunshine. If you can find the word “pastured” when searching for your bird, that is the best option you could get. “Pastured” implies that the bird was out on grass for most of its life (ours go out of the brooder at 3 weeks old), where it ate grass and foraged for bugs, in addition to receiving some grain.
Labor-intensive cooking methods optional. If tradition dictates that you season your meat by brining your bird and basting it as it roasts, then by all means, do so. However, many people brine, baste, flip and cover (DO NOT COVER!) with foil in order to keep the bird from drying out. With a pastured bird, none of this is necessary because they are significantly juicier and more flavorful than factory farmed birds (even the breast meat stays juicy without doing anything!) If you want a visual of how to roast a bird watch my “How to Roast a Chicken” video in the previous blog post. Or I can summarize for you: rub it down with olive oil and add seasonings. Super quick and easy. One more thing...turkey bags. You don’t need those either and, quite frankly, I don’t know why anyone got the idea that cooking your meat in plastic was a good idea!
Cook the stuffing separately if you want gravy. This is the most controversial of my suggestions, so I will tread lightly, haha! If you are a die hard for team “stuffing in the bird” then you can just skip over this. Luke and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house for his family in our early years of marriage and this became a (jokingly?) point of contention. His family DID NOT want to have dry, awful stuffing that was cooked outside the bird. I was worried I would give everyone food poisoning. We ended up making it out of the bird, and had enough drippings to make a lot of gravy with. And you know what? They RAVED about my stuffing! The secret? Spicy Italian sausage in it, SOOO GOOD!
Be prepared for faster cook times. Pasture-raised turkeys will cook faster than factory-farmed birds. Birds from the store are injected with oil, sodium, and artificial flavorings to try to make them juicy and have flavor, but this also makes them cook slower. Set the oven temp for 375 degrees and figure on 8-10 minutes per pound for an un-stuffed bird, 12-15 minutes per pound if stuffed. Be patient, it will brown and get crispy skin! But remember: oven temperatures and individual birds will always vary. Use a meat thermometer to know for sure when the bird is cooked, a reading of 165 degrees in the thigh (not touching bone) is perfect. Check for doneness half an hour before the suggested time.
Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving full of many things to be grateful for! Call or text me if you have any turkey questions! Shannon 805-540-4013. <3
