The modern commercial turkey, the Broad-Breasted White, has been bred for one thing only: fast growth and lots of white meat - the kind favored by most Americans. What the bird is lacking is flavor and moistness. Anyone who has ever had a forkful of flavorless, stringy turkey after a day’s hard work of cooking knows about this big disappointment. The trumpets of flavor and the fireworks of taste are silent. No one asks for seconds.
Best Tasting Thanksgiving Turkey
Heritage turkeys for Thanksgiving do not disappoint. First of all, they're gorgeous - if you live in Kansas take the time to appreciate them strutting around at the Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch. These smaller-sized, narrower-breasted birds have a beautiful colorful plumage - and more important for taste - a natural layer of fat, which renders them succulent, with more robust rich turkey taste.
Tasters in a Cooks Illustrated magazine taste test of turkeys praised the heritage bird “for its ‘nuanced flavor with a touch of sweetness,’ calling it ‘moist, meaty, and juicy,’ with ‘surprisingly flavorful’ white meat and dark meat that was ‘intense and wonderful.’ “ ‘I’ll never stop loving this turkey,’ wrote one. A few minutes after the formal tasting concluded, the rest of the bird disappeared, leaving a group of happy tasters.”
In addition to winning turkey taste tests, heritage turkeys are a great Thanksgiving tradition for another reason: they almost went extinct and foodies everywhere should be very thankful they didn't. Ninety-nine percent of today's supermarket turkeys are factory-farm- raised Broad-Breasted Whites. These turkeys are descendants of heritage birds like the Bourbon Red, but because Bourbon Reds and other heritage birds weren't themselves weren't bred these fine creatures were almost lost from the gene pool. Thanks to movements like Slow Food increasing interest in heritage and heirloom breeds and flavors, turkeys with personality have made a come-back.
Where to Buy a Heritage Turkey
Cooks Illustrated Magazine recommends ordering through the online gourmet imporium Dean and Deluca. Dean and Deluca offers frozen birds from the Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch in Kansas. The Good Shepherd turkeys are antibiotic free, free-range, vegetarian-fed, and they’re pricey: $160 for an 18-pound bird. There are other places online, so search for a good price on this special Thanksgiving treat:
- D’Artagnan
- Heritage Foods
- Local Harvest
- iGourmet
Heritage turkeys are a gourmet experience and a terrific show stopper. The slew of Thanksgiving side dishes: buttered peas, bread stuffing with pecans, green bean casserole are just that - sides. Guests are at the table for the turkey, and with a heritage bird they'll be back for seconds and thirds.
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