Can we talk turkeys?
 

With Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, turkeys will soon be more available in the supermarkets.
This is my second winter in the Villages and my first with a freezer. Back in MA, I would fill up my freezer with 4 or 5 turkeys when they went on sale in November and cook them over the winter and spring. I would make up soup and turkey pies, too.
I was disappointed in my results last fall - the turkeys just seemed tough. In 41 years of cooking, I cannot remember having such abject turkey failures as I did last winter. Is there a better brand of turkey to buy down here? I am used to Shady Brooks and Butterballs.
Are there turkey sales down here? In the past, I could find them on special for 59 or 69 cents a pound.
My pantry is already filling up with stuffing, gravy and dressing makings.

You must have a huge freezer. For whatever reason, meats in Florida are not as good as what you can get in New England.

To be fair, they usually are 14 lbs, but the freezer is good sized.
I think the beef is higher quality but lamb and turkey not so much.

Established by the acceptance of those making the purchase.

we also hail from MA...and I pick up a couple extra turkeys when they're on sale at 59 cents and put them in a small freezer in the garage.

when we lived up north we'd buy a fresh bird for Thanksgiving...there is a turkey farm in Wildwood...they may offer fresh, but certainly not at 59 cents a pound

I just cooked the last turkey we had in our chest freezer and it was tender...don't recall the brand, bought it at Publix last fall

I've been purchasing the turkeys at Publix, but it's not Butterball (which I always bought up north)...haven't really noticed any difference in the birds...all good

We still roast it in the oven (and stuff it) and we make turkey soup from the carcass and freeze that.

As far as other meats, we drive down to Clermont to a BJ's (we always liked BJ's meats when we were up in MA)...I hear that a BJ's will be coming to Summerfield, which will be closer

There is a meat specialty store in Wildwood on 301, called Best Meats...we'll go there when we want a crown roast
or 'choice'...once in a while Winn-Dixie or Publix will run a sale on 'choice'

FL has a lot to offer, but it's different in so many ways from MA

You can try a brine if you have the extra time and are adventurous.

My reality. First of all, I do not particularity like turkey. Many foods are influenced by who you are eating them with. Every year we had a traditional Norman Rockwell, Thanksgiving cooked by my mother who was a great cook. Used to be turkeys? I'm not sure the turkeys have changed. I am older and the people are gone.

Perhaps of interest to only me. Thanks giving was made a national holiday by Abe Lincoln. Imagine done at the end of the civil war a great act to bring the nation together.
A good TRUE story, perhaps, useful to bring up on Thanksgiving should guests get out of hand.

Used to be foods. Far from an expert but it seems to me where we used to live, in NY Florida oranges were cheaper than in Florida. Lamb chops are way higher in Florida.
Deli?

Yep, lots of tough old birds in Florida!

Being from MA I hope you use Bell's Seasoning! :clap2:

I just go to the Ocala Forest with my 12 gauge and blast one.

Funny at least to me. I recall reading many years a theory that man survived, not because of superior intellect etc. Man survived simply because they do not taste good.

There was a joke that hopefully not all have heard. Two cannibals are chatting over a huge boiling pot. One says to the other I hate my mother in law. The other suggest then just eat the soup.

We brined for as long as I can remember. Always used fresh, never frozen, so cost is usually more than $1.50 a pound. After 40 years of being on the road coaching kids Thanksgiving hockey Tournaments, Thanksgiving can be a challenge when taking it on the road. Now the boys are on their own quest of coaching, that left me solo for the last two thanksgivings.

Two years ago while shopping at TJ’s I found their fresh already brined turkeys. Couple of other posters also recommended them. While not cheap so worth it to have somebody else use the perfect brine, with a fresh turkey. It comes out so well I don’t think I’d ever take the time to brine another turkey again.

Better make sure it is a fresh turkey before brining. Most of the frozen ones are already doctored up

And I thought it was all about the pilgrims...
:bigbow::bigbow:

:mademyday:

How to really enjoy turkey
 

Personally we have an outdoor smoker and I put it up 8- 12 hours before depending on the size of the bird you get a beautiful cooked perfect bird never done because the temperatures are much lower and yes I do check the internal temperature with the thermometer. Down here you can get Cherry chips orange chips or pecan even or hickory. It's not too over smoked as I just put in enough to last for the first few hours. Very juicy and it keeps the heat out of the kitchen as well . And yes I use the frozen turkeys that are usually 49 to 99 cents on sale, the trick is to defrost them three or four days before to make sure they're totally defrosted in the cavity .

Can We Talk Turkeys
 

Can anyone recommend a place in TV that takes reservations for Thanksgiving dinner?

:1rotfl: :1rotfl: :1rotfl:

Think most of the Country Clubs might as well as some restaurants. Watch The Daily Sun for ads---should soon be appearing there. Fresh Market and Publix also offer "full meals" but you have to warm them.

Organic
 

For the past decade we have always bought our turkeys from Willie Bird in California and they overnight the bird frozen. Willie was sold to Diestel, and I don’t believe they ship. You can always get a fabulous Turkey from William-Sonoma which is also FedEx overnight. This year if I don’t order one online, I may go up to Ocala to Earth Fare and buy one. They only carry organic turkeys near the holiday. You really get what you pay for….a shipped organic bird will run easily $100. However, if you want sweet, juicy, tender bird every time….I will pay it for the holidays.

Thanks

Thanksgiving MUST HAVE
 

BELL's Seasoning is a MUST HAVE. We often could not find it as were traveled about. Kids would send it from "home," (CT) and we always had some on hand.

I'm dreaming of eating Turducken with crawfish dressing.

To make sure of juicy turkey push your hand in inside the skin and breast and then line the whole thing with bacon - also wrap the legs ..the bacon cooks and bastes the meat and the bacon ends up lovely and crispy to go with the sage and onion stuffing.

There is a meat packers on 475 who will source anything you want and kill all manner of beasts ...I can't remember what they are called but it's just south of the E-W road (I think it's 484 or something like that) It's about 100 yds south of the junction down a small track ...I know exactly how to get there but can't describe the route !! So just head north on 475 and if you see a light up ahead look out for the place on the left.

Almost nothing is..Pizza, bagels, tomatoes etc.

Go back to MA for the holo

Do not understand why oranges are more expensive than up north where we came from.