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turkey choice 2011: pre-basted vs expensive

post #1 of 4
11/17/11 at 9:23am
Thread Starter 

I've always avoided pre-basted turkeys because, no matter how I flavor them, they always taste like cheap broth. But this year, I'm finding prebasted from 49c/lb for a Marval frozen, to $1.29 for a Shady Brook. Uninjected turkeys start at $2.59/lb for a store-brand natural frozen, and go up to about $4 for a local, natural, fresh one. 

 

Do I just have to "bite the giblet" and pay $50 or so for a 20 lb. turkey, or is there some way to be a little creative in flavoring a cheaper one?

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post #2 of 4
11/17/11 at 9:28am

If you have access to one (or even if you don't), Trader Joe's has good, non-injected turkeys for reasonable prices.  Call a few days out and see how well their stocks are holding up if you like buying yours at the last minute.  Some years they run out.

 

Don't plan on doing all of your Thanksgiving shopping there.  They have a lot of good stuff, but not all of their stuff is good, and they certainly don't have everything.  They are what they are. 

 

BDL

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post #3 of 4
11/17/11 at 9:34am
Thread Starter 

I would love to have a Trader Joe's nearby. Unfortunately, the closest one is about 300 miles away.

 

 

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post #4 of 4
11/17/11 at 11:31am

Oh well. 

 

The best option, again not always possible, is to find a live-bird slaughterer not too far from you.  You'll probably have to reserve now if it isn't already too late.  My family always asks at Thanksgiving, and they're squeamish so I save that for other times in the year when they aren't so nosy.  May work for you though.

 

I've always had good luck with kosher birds, which tend to be moderately priced and not over-processed.  So, you might want to look for a kosher or halal meat market, call, and ask about pricing. 

 

Other than that, if you want quality you're going to have to bite the bullet on price.  I'm not saying you should go to Whole Paycheck err Whole Foods but just find the best poultry guy you can. 

 

If all else fails, shoot a pilgrim.

 

Good luck,

BDL

 

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