I have heard that Rebs in the south have been know to kill and grill them Sandhill Cranes instead of a Turkeys. Has anyone tried one ?

Knowing you to be kidding at this. However, wild turkey is very plentiful in Florida and some say it is superior to farm turkey. I have never had wild turkey but I know the "old fashioned" yard bird chicken sure tastes better than a commercially raised chicken.

Maybe it's a psychological thing, but I gotta have my Butterball. :) All 22 pounds of it, if and when I ever cook another one.

Exactly how long will a fresh turkey keep in the refrigerator???

Usually you pick them up on Wednesday so you can cook them on Thursday.

Not sure if I would keep one for more that a day.

Z

the safest bird is the one processed to be frozen as it is in fact FRESH frozen.
FRESH turkeys on the other hand have been subject to keeping at exactly the right temp for days....and in mass processing....it is a risk that every bird will be kept at the same temp.

......again as stated somewhere above put differing brands side by side and NOone will be able to tell the difference. Do that with a fresh vs a frozen ditto results....no discernable difference. We opt for the relative safety of FRESH frozen for us.......

Its not fresh frozen. It should be frozen fresh. turkeys can be frozen for up to a year. Production was down this yer due to higher cost of overhead and will be reflected in prices.

Sticker shock is becoming so common place that beginning to notice some post traumatic stress:22yikes:

Nothing more than a market being managed just like oil supplies. John Q public....bend over (again)

don't even think of buying a wild turkey. There is not much meat on them, they taste very gamy and they have to be specially treated to be edible at all.

Offering a sale on an item and running out before noon is hardly an endless supply. It's a tactic to get you in the door. As I said before, but it's bait and switch tactic that works. You end up buying a lower price item with a higher profit margin. And while you're there you most likely end up buying other items to go with your holiday dinner.

I'm picky about my turkey. Have always bought Butterball. I think that you can tell when you buy a cheap turkey. The cheap birds taste gamy to me. We actually threw one out we bought at Aldi's after it was cooked. Why cheap out and take the risk on such an important day?

I paid .98/lb for a frozen butterball in 13lb Walmarts last week. To me it was more important to get the size I wanted then crossing my fingers, hoping for a better price.

My problem is that a friend of mine will be smoking my turkey too. That is kind of him and I appreciate it. I bought some jarred gravy but I'm wondering if there are any tricks of the trade to make the jarred gravy taste more like homemade gravy. I wonder if I could roast the stuff that's packed in the inside of the bird and the neck just to get some drippings?

If you look near the chicken stock in the store you will see turkey stock. They usually have it around Thanksgiving. Buy it when you see it because it is not always there. Here is a link on how to make the gravy using the turkey stock.

Perfect Turkey Gravy Recipe

Have a happy turkey day!