turkey sizes

[Ralph Mowery]

Have the size of turkeys gone down in the last 5 to 10 years ?

For about the last 5 years we have been getting smoked/bar-b-que turkeys from several sources. Some from a restraunt and some from places that fix them for fund raisers, like the volunteer fire departments.

Each year they seem to get smaller. This year the one I picked up today was not much larger than a good size chicken. The wife had to go to the grocery store and buy another and cook it herself just so we would have enough for 6 people.

[Clare Snyder]

One of two things is happening. Either the price is going up or the size is going down - or both.

In order to APPEAR to not being increasing prices they just sell you a smaller bird. The bigger you grow a bird the more it costs per lb.

[Cindy Hamilton]

Families and holiday gatherings are smaller. People desire smaller turkeys. The marketplace is responding to demand.

Cindy Hamilton

[Bod F]

Don't worry, the turkey still has plenty of residual growth hormones in it so you'll still gain weight.

[invalid unparseable]

Here's how to fix it:

[Vic Smith]

Maybe that's why our is 23 lbs.

[invalid unparseable]

This was apparently the original stuffing your turkey:

I think they did it different every year.

[Ralph Mowery]

Yes, families are getting smaller, but still one would thing that 6 people is not that small of a family.

[Ralph Mowery]

Sure that is the way it always works .

I don't mind paying more if that is what it takes. Looks like next time if we go the same route we will need to put in for 2 turkeys.

It is still going to take the same ammount of food for up even if the price goes up.

For Christmas we may just get 2 of the 5 1/2 pound brests and cook it our selves. Or see if they have the larger Butterball ones and cook it.

[dpb]

I suspect the only problem is your shopping date (and possibly location). Any sizable grocery before Thanksgiving will have a large selection of all sizes from small to truly humongous...but pickings can be fairly slim by the last couple of days before the actual day.

They're all priced by the pound with premiums for precooked, breast only, etc, etc., etc., rather than just a plain whole bird.

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[gfretwell]

They make turkey so cheap at thanksgiving, if you really like them you should buy several and leave them in the freezer. They were 49 cents a pound here.

[Ralph Mowery]

It is not the shopping date. I am not getting the turkeys out of the grocery store. The order was put in about a month ago.

Where I am getting them is already cooked and ready to eat (might get them the day before and just have to warm them up).

They are comming cooked from places like restraunts and the clubs and volunteer fire departments that cook them to help raise money.

They are all close to the same size at thease places. They just keep getting smaller each year.

I weighed the turkey after I cut all the meat off the bones. It was just over 6 pounds. I should have weighed it before I cut it off the bones. The 2 legs still had the bones in them.

[Ralph Mowery]

You all are not paying attention. Just like usual.

The turkeys I am trying to get across are the ones that are already cooked.

I put in an order for one at a restraunt a month ahead of time, They cook it and I pick it up . Take it home and eat it.

Some clubs such as the VFW cook them and sell them on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Over the last 5 or so years they are getting smaller.

They are not cheap when you get about 8 pounds for around 30 to 40 dollars. Then never go in my freezer. I cut off the meat of the one this year and got just under 7 pounds of meat. That was including the legs that had the bones left on them.

[gfretwell]

You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?

BTW why don't you just cook your own turkey. It is about the easiest thing in the world to do.

[Ralph Mowery]

I probably should have. They all seem to be the same size.

To cook the turkeys you have to wait about 2 days or so for the frozen ones to thaw. The people cooking them do it over wood and sort of smoke them.

Today I read about the Butterball people having a turkey that you just pop in the oven even though it is frozen. It comes in a special bag and is ready in about 4 hours. I may try that for Christmas.

We did get a small turkey breast and put it in the oven and cooked it ourselves when we saw how small the cooked one was. It was one that was not frozen and just the whole breast part with the legs and wings cut off.

[Ralph Mowery]

Found their ad and it said 14 to 16 pounds.

That must be before cooking. I would not expect it to loose around 5 or more pounds during the cooking.

[gfretwell]

You can usually get fresh (not frozen) turkeys around the holidays but a lot of people say the frozen one is probably "fresher" since it was flash frozen right after it was killed as opposed to being packed in ice for up to a month.

[gfretwell]

They do inject a lot of water in them but I doubt it is more than a few ounces. They will lose a lot of moisture cooking if it is not in a bag and that 14 pounds includes the giblets, neck etc. I thought about weighing the meat I got off my 12 pound turkey today but we were already eating it. I usually do bone them out right after dinner tho. The meat keeps better in the fridge in a zip bag than trying to cover the whole turkey carcass and it takes up a lot less room.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Some years ago we bought a really fresh fresh bird locally. It was better but much more expensive. Don't recall the price but at least triple.

Went to my son's house and we had a frozen bird that was 49 cents a pound. It was pretty damned good for that price.

[gfretwell]

That was what we got and it was pretty good but I will cook a turkey every few months through the year. I probably should go to Publix tomorrow and get another one. We usually make chili out of the left overs after we get tired of turkey sandwiches.

I did weigh the bag of meat I got off of it and I have almost 5 pounds. We probably ate a pound. (12.5 pound bird, no neck). That means I got a little less than 6 pounds. This is really picking the bones clean tho. Since I am making Chili with a lot of it, little pieces picked out of the carcass is still meat. That seems to mean a little over half is lost to cooking or bones. It will be more waste if you are just carving and not picking the carcass clean. My "Chili Bag" is close to a pound that you would not get with a carving knife.