How Often Do You Cook A Turkey?

[GrtArtiste]

Do you cook a turkey anytime during January-October?

It struck me funny the other day when I was in our local Kroger that there was an abundance of frozen turkeys available for sale. At least 25 were in the case. Most were either the store brand or their “organic” brand (which costs more than twice as much), plus there were turkey breasts and even a few frozen goose. None were sale-priced. Seems like a bit much for our small town (pop: 4,000) and it's like this all year long. In our house, we've only ever had turkey for Thanksgiving...no one wanted it at any other time and to this day I've only ever known one family that liked having several turkeys every year.

There is a “bargain-bin” for meat at this store and I often get beef, pork and sometimes chicken from it but the only turkey there is ground meat. Leaves me wondering if unsold birds somehow get donated, or do they just end up in the dumpster? That would be a terrible waste but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Bandito440]

I've been known to pop one in the deep fryer. Combine that with marinade injection and a Cajun rub; 45 minutes later I'm in business.

 

[R80RS]

We have turkey from time to time, maybe averaging 6 times a year including Thanksgiving and Christmas. My wife buys the just the turkey breast instead of a whole bird, so it's as easy to prepare in the oven as any other roast.

 

[HerrStig]

We cook it once and then eat it.

 

[Bud]

Thanksgiving. That's it.

 

[Kira]

When I was young there was a family which cooked a turkey once a month. The mother said it was to keep in practice. I thought that was smart.

We're moving to a bigger place this month and I want to cook turkeys several ways.
1) Boned, marinated and laid flat on the grill (brazier, really)
2) Smoked
3) And someday fried. While I have no fear of starting a fire (I'll be good and careful), the thought of using all that oil for one bird seems quite wasteful to me. In a perfect world without learning curves I'd gladly deep fry 6 or 7 turkeys in a row to get the use out of the oil.

'Dya know what I mean? Just another BITOGers thrifty nature.

Oh, and to answer the original question: I've cooked one turkey in my life. I didn't enjoy the experience. Kira

 

[BubbaFL]

I'd load up the deep freezer and have a turkey dinner once a month if the price was right. Pretty rare to find them on clearance around here.

 

[Farmer]

Once or twice a year. My turkey manure supplier supplies the bird. Twice if I split the bird in half. Around Christmas time.

 

[simple_gifts]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
We cook it once and then eat it.


lol.

 

[andyd]

Turkey is a yr round dinner. Also great in a sandwich and ground up , etc. Back when I worked in the Financial District, there was the Liberty Diner. Turkey was the mainstay of the menu and at lunchtime it was always packed. The daily routine of the place was breakfast and lunch. After lunch the help cleaned up and the cook slid six prepared turkeys into ovens turned low and when he opened in the AM... Dunno about the rest of the country, but there are 3 or 4 turkey farms within 10 miles of my house in the southern burbs of Boston. They will sell you a box lunch. or a cooked turkey and all the fixings.

 

[UncleDave]

I do about 3-4 a year. Mostly on our offload trips where we have a "gang" of hungries showing up at the campsite.

Halloween - in the desert in the fryer
Thanksgiving - baked traditional w stuffing
The week between Christmas and new year - in the desert in the fryer
Easter- in the desert in the fryer.

Desert trips - Its much easier to serve a group of 6-8 a meal of turkey than multiple chickens or beef pieces- and we then use the meat for sandwiches for lunch on the remainder of the trip.

 

[BISCUT]

I have a pretty cool cooker/grill hybrid in my back yard (designed it with a friend). Uses real wood with a pull out tray for other types of fuel. I wish I used it more! I do a few turkeys a year. I also cook a few indoors. Call it 4-6.

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
We cook it once and then eat it.



If you cook it more than once, it gets dry and chewy.

 

[Recalculating]

We have for a number of years cooked just a breast and found some smoked turkey legs.

This year, two days after Thanksgiving, Hannaford had fresh 10 -12 lb. turkeys for .49/lb. Home one came. Cut out the back bone, cracked the breast bone to lay it flat. Cut out the breast and froze for another day. The rest was put on the grill. It was sensational.

 

[JR]

I eat/cook turkey every three weeks to a month. I live in a town of 34-3600, and the store stocks birds in amounts like the OP stated.

To answer question, I have found frozen birds in dumpster(my freezer). I feed a few pigs out of there dumpster, A bottle a month of crown or ect, keeps the manager from running me off or call the law. You don't want to even want to look in a dumpster behind a grocery store. They will garbage before donation, its sick and wrong.


Harvey

 

[Branson304]

We really only eat store bought turkeys at Thanksgiving & December. My father & I are big turkey hunters, so we eat a lot of wild turkey March through May.

 

[NYEngineer]

We do a few turkeys a year and a turducken in late January, early February. I'd rather just do it on Thanksgiving but the rest of my family is afraid to try it so I gotta do it alone.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
We cook it once and then eat it.


Does warming some up in gravy and placing in a bread roll count as cooking it twice ?

I cook it twice if that's the case.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Several times each year I'll put a turkey or turkey breast on the smoker, especially if we're having a large gathering.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: BubbaFL
I'd load up the deep freezer and have a turkey dinner once a month if the price was right. Pretty rare to find them on clearance around here.
Publix has them for $.59/lb all the time.