Accidently made the best turkey.

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krismoriah72

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This is sort of a follow up to my turkey shopping fail. Yesterday i got two butterball turkeys at aldi for .89/lb and i went in kroger and they had Kroger brand turkey for .59/lb.

I decided to cook the cheapo Kroger turkey this morning.. no expectations..it wasnt Butterball. I was gonna snack on it for a few days and my dogs would get the bulk of it..

I thawed it overnight, soaked it in the sink this morning and rinsed it good with warm water. Took a fair bit to get the frozen 'gravy' packet out and the heart and liver.

I preheated the oven to around 375 and forgot to turn it down. I installed turkey with no seasonings, no prep.. just a turkey in a pan.

About an hour later i peeped in on it and the skin was dark brown.. like leather. Oh no. The wing tips had char marks as well but nothing was burnt.

I turned it off.. and let it rest for about an hour in the still hot oven.

I took it out and inspected it.. skin was brittle. The bottom of the pan was full of watery oil goo..so i poured it all off.

I made a rub in a bowl from seasonings in my spice cabinet. Poultry Seasoning, Thyme, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Sage, Paprika and Salt. I slathered the now cool to the touch turkey and peeled the skin back and rubbed the meat all over. I rubbed a little bit of olive oil just in case..

I installed the dry pan back in the oven, with the rubbed turkey and put it on low. I let it cook for about another hour and then peeped in again.

Smelled great. Pan had a 1/8 inch of good greasy oil..not watery like the first time. I pulled it out and poured off this spiced oil and poured it all over the turkey. And the remainder into the carcass.

I noticed that the little plastic thing had popped out..so it was done i guess. I dont trust the plastic thing so i gave it another half hour.

I installed it back in the oven on low low and checked again in about a half hour. Looked done. I let it rest in the oven turned off.

After about 2 hrs i pulled it out and began to investigate. May as well tear it down at this point. It was slightly warm to the touch.


I pulled it all the way down tasting as i went.. every bit of meat except for the outside of the legs and wings were buttery soft and moist.

Flavor was spot on. This may be the best turkey i have had.

It may turn out exactly the same if you cook it on low for more hours i dont know.

I have no idea what the difference in a cheapo Kroger turkey and a Butterball turkey is.... but the cheapo tasted pretty darn good.

I just accidently cooked the best turkey i have had while i was doing chores and other things. Happy.

PS. My dogs got a snack and i havent seen their tails wag so hard in a long time.. i have been making them pretty bland chicken for a week. Anyone that says dogs dont have taste buds are nuts. They will have a big dinner tonight.
 
Butterballs are injected with saline and stuff to keep them juicy.

My experience with turkey is pretty limited and we can never tell if it was the turkey itself or the cooking method that made the biggest difference. We just cook turkey breast now. Not fans of the drumsticks or wings and the breast is more than enough meat to last us. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time we paid for a turkey. Usually get them for free after spending $400 at our local grocery store in November. A few years ago we "won" two frozen turkeys in Vegas. Luckily, they have a "donate your frozen turkey to the local foodbank" process set up.

Did you thaw it overnight in the sink? We thaw ours in the fridge and it take a good 3 days to thaw out.
 
krismoriah72 said:
This is sort of a follow up to my turkey shopping fail. Yesterday i got two butterball turkeys at aldi for .89/lb and i went in kroger and they had Kroger brand turkey for .59/lb.

I have no idea what the difference in a cheapo Kroger turkey and a Butterball turkey is.... but the cheapo tasted pretty darn good.
Click to expand...
I'd say the main difference is the name on the label and the price. They may have even came from the same farm. We aren't big turkey eaters. If we have it more than once or twice a year that's too much for me. Last year at Thanksgiving I bought a Kroger turkey. It was as good as any other. When I cook a turkey I always set the oven to the temperature listed in the directions. I never turn the oven down and usually cook it for about 15-20 minutes per pound inside a turkey bag. My neighbor started raising some turkeys and chickens this summer. He said he'd give us some of both when he slaughtered them. When I thaw a turkey I usually leave it wrapped and run the kitchen sink full of water and drop it in. This helps with the thawing process while still keeping the meat cool.
 
Last edited:
Leo99 said:
Butterballs are injected with saline and stuff to keep them juicy.

My experience with turkey is pretty limited and we can never tell if it was the turkey itself or the cooking method that made the biggest difference. We just cook turkey breast now. Not fans of the drumsticks or wings and the breast is more than enough meat to last us. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time we paid for a turkey. Usually get them for free after spending $400 at our local grocery store in November. A few years ago we "won" two frozen turkeys in Vegas. Luckily, they have a "donate your frozen turkey to the local foodbank" process set up.

Did you thaw it overnight in the sink? We thaw ours in the fridge and it take a good 3 days to thaw out.
Click to expand...

I live in the country. I thawed mine in my birdseed can outside overnight. After about 20hrs it was still icy inside but soft on the outside. I finished off the thawing in the kitchen sink in warm water then used the hand sprayer with warm water to finish it off. No idea if thats the way to do it but i wanted to cook mine this morning so i did what i did.

I dont like turkey except once a year when it hits sub $1/lb. I make plenty for me and the old lady, and the dogs.. i am going to make turkey soup this year.. never done it before and gonna do it when it gets good and cold.

The plan is to cook then freeze about 20lbs of meat for the dogs and give it out every couple of weeks.

Funny thing is that there is a whole rafter (or flock) of turkeys in the woods behind my house. Must be 50 of them. They are tearing up the acorns and nuts. I have zero desire to kill one of them.. the meat would probably be fantastic but for .59 cents a lb i will let them keep doin what they do.

I put the carcass near the creek about 1/2 mile from my house.. my dogs do not venture there. Something eats it..no idea what but it disappears in a few days. Everybody wins.
 
my Mom cooks....several turkeys over the course of the year, she has developed a "fool proof" method.
Turkey in a Roasting bag, in the roaster. oven to...375 I think... for an hour. then down to 225 for 6 hours. (don't take this as gospel, i'm going from memory, but it's something similar to that)

a few times a year, the local Soup Kitchen gets a LARGE donation of Frozen Turkeys, they have local Churches signed up to take a certain number of Birds each time, and folks from the Churches will take them, one at a time, Roast, and Strip the Carcass, put the meat in gallon freezer bags. that's all they want back is the cooked Meat.
Mom then Roasts the Carcass to make Broth. She Usually Freezes another Gallon or so of Broth, once the fat is skimmed off. Sometimes she gives them the Broth as well.
 

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Turkey sucks.

I don't care how you make it.

How many people go to a restaurant and order turkey, passing up the other things on the menu like steak, ribs, roast beef, chicken, fish, you name it?
 
skyactiv said:
Turkey sucks.

I don't care how you make it.

How many people go to a restaurant and order turkey, passing up the other things on the menu like steak, ribs, roast beef, chicken, fish, you name it?
Click to expand...
I know of a diner that served breakfast and lunch. Turkey,vedgies and potatoes. I was taking a late lunch and I saw him prep 4-5? turkeys and put them in a big Garland oven. At noon the line was out the door 5 days a week. Plenty of people like turkey. :cool:
 
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