We have gotten lots of questions on turkeys and the details to help make your choice of our turkey successful, read below for some answers.
What size do I need: Typically you should plan on 1 lb of turkey per person but if you are looking for leftovers then allow at least 1.5lb per person.
Thawing: Since your MWF farm turkeys are picked up frozen, we recommend a safe thawing regime:
Here's the calculation: plan on 24 hours of fridge thawing for every 5 pounds of frozen turkey (for example: budget 4 full days of thawing in the fridge for a 20-pound turkey).
By submerging it in ice water, even a 24-pound bird can be defrosted in just 12 hours (Thermoworks says to count on about 8 hours for a 15-pounder) Thaw turkey breast side down, in an unopened wrapper, with enough cold water to cover your turkey completely. Change water every 30 minutes and if the turkey cannot be completely covered, rotate every 30 minutes to keep the turkey chilled. You can expect 30 minutes of thawing per pound of turkey.
We recommend bringing the bird to room temperature before cooking it.
To stuff or not to stuff: We recommend not to stuff as it takes longer to cook turkey with stuffing and you don't want to dry out the turkey!
Trussing: If you are cooking the turkey whole, try tying the legs with twine to ensure it cooks evenly.
Basic roasting tips: We highly recommend a meat thermometer! Test your turkey periodically and stick the thermometer in the thigh - you are looking for a temp of 165. Some chefs will suggest pulling the turkey out at 160 as it will continue to cook once out of the oven.
Let it rest! A key element of a delicious bird is to let it rest before carving for up to 30 minutes (if you can wait that long!)
We wish you the best holiday gathering around people that are meaningful to you. Thank you for choosing one of our pasture raised turkeys.
Have fun with your meal! Break out of a few habits and try a new side! Im still researching mine, Ill let you know what I come up with!
Stay tuned, this winter we will have ground turkey available!
With appreciation, Beth
More About Our Turkeys
We are biased but we think our turkeys taste the best! Why? Raising our turkeys on pasture makes a big difference in taste and texture. You have made a choice and we thank you!
- Our flock forages on grass and bugs in addition to the free choice non-gmo grain available to them.
- They thrive in a big open paddock guarded by our faithful livestock guardian dogs which reduce stress on the turkeys.
- They have shelter in a mobile coop that gets moved everyday which also has their feed and water.
- We raise these birds from day-old poults in a brooder for 4-5 weeks before they go out on pasture for the next 16-20 weeks.
