9 Best Turkey Breeds for Meat
- Beltsville Small White Turkey.
- Black Spanish Turkey.
- Bourbon Red Turkey.
- Broad-Breasted White Turkey.
- Bronze Turkey.
- Midget White Turkey.
- Royal Palm Turkey.
- Slate Turkey.
What is the best breed of turkey to raise?
Many small flock owners raise commercial-type turkeys because of their high breast meat yield, fast growth, and high feed efficiency. The most popular varieties for small flock production are the commercial varieties Broad-Breasted Bronze (also called Bronze) and Broad-Breasted White (also called Large White).
What kind of turkey is a meat turkey?
Turkey meat, commonly referred to as just turkey, is the meat from turkeys, typically domesticated turkeys but also wild turkeys.
What breed of turkey is most commonly used commercially?
The Broad Breasted White is commercially the most widely used breed of domesticated turkey. These birds have shorter breast bones and larger breasts, sometimes rendering them unable to breed without human assistance (typically via artificial insemination).
Is Bronze turkey better than white?
Perhaps a little, with bronze birds having a slightly more ‘gamey’ flavour, but any difference is more pronounced in the brown meat. That’s why we’ve introduced our full boneless bronze turkeys, as we think there’s little point in having a bronze bird if you’re only going to eat the breast meat.
What are the best tasting turkeys?
The Best Turkeys to Order Online, at a Glance
- Best Overall: Fossil Farms Whole Bird Turkey.
- Best Fresh Turkey: Meat N’ Bone Thanksgiving Amish Turkey.
- Best Free-Range Turkey: D’Artagnan Organic Turkey.
- Best Heritage Turkey: Elmwood Stock Farm Organic Heritage Turkey.
- Best Turkey Roast: Rastelli’s Oven-Ready Turkey Roast.
What turkeys are good for eating?
The Best and Most Popular Turkey Breeds
- Broad Breasted White Turkey. Broad Breasted White Turkey image © nyc.streetsblog.org.
- Bronze Turkey. Bronze Turkey image © learnnaturalfarming.com.
- Bourbon Red Turkey.
- Norfolk Black Turkey.
- White Holland Turkey.
- Slate Turkey.
- Narragansett Turkey.
- Beltsville Small White.
What size turkey tastes the best?
The flavor of a bird is determined by several additional factors, which may actually be more important than whether your turkey is fresh or frozen. Size is key — smaller birds tend to be more tender; if you have a lot of guests coming, think about cooking two small turkeys instead of one large one.
Is it better to buy a fresh or frozen turkey?
Fresh turkeys will hold their moisture better than frozen turkeys, bringing out a meaty texture with deeper natural flavors. It is best to preorder a fresh turkey with your local butcher and arrange to pick it up a few days before the holiday.
What tastes better hen or tom turkey?
Most experts agree that a hen turkey is better than a tom, but it is probably a matter of personal preference.
What are the 4 types of turkeys?
The North American species has five subspecies, including the Eastern, Florida (Osceola), Rio Grande, Merriam’s and Gould’s.
Are blue slate turkeys good eating?
Heritage Blue Slate turkeys’ meat is flavorful, firm, and moist. One taste and you will never go back to a farm-raised bird again. A special treat for drumstick fans, the entire turkey meat is dark, even the breast meat.
Are black turkeys good eating?
Meat Production
In this variety’s heyday, it was a good producer of flavorful meat. Meat quality from this bird is still good, but some lines have better meat producers than others. If the birds come from lines with larger turkeys, you should have a nicely dressed out bird of good size.
When should I buy my turkey?
A raw, fresh turkey should be stored for no longer than two days in the refrigerator. So if you’re buying fresh and want to keep it that way, you’ll have to make the purchase right before Thanksgiving. Still looking for a fresh, local bird? Don’t wait to reserve one.
Does a free range turkey taste better?
These turkeys may end up smaller than the traditional Thanksgiving bird, but it’s going to taste much better even without gravy or extra seasoning. These cost significantly more money than conventional turkeys, but if you’re looking for a more flavorful meal a free-range turkey might be worth the investment.
What is special about a Bronze turkey?
Bronze turkeys tend to be more traditionally reared and are usually free range. Like their Black cousins, they are famed for a distinctive gamey flavour and moist meat, but also have a firm texture.
Is a Butterball turkey better than others?
Butterball products are generally high in quality, but their whole turkeys are pre-brined in a saltwater solution. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if you don’t appreciate the qualities of brined poultry or want to do the brining yourself, you might want to select a store brand turkey instead.
Which turkey is better Butterball or Jennie O?
In general, Butterball wins in more categories than Jennie-O does. Since the two are comparable in terms of quality, we would give Butterball the edge.
What is special about Butterball turkey?
Tender and juicy, Butterball Fresh Whole Turkeys are all natural*, never frozen, gluten free, and raised without hormones on American farms, giving you the highest quality turkey for your holiday meal. *all natural means minimally processed and no artificial ingredients.
What are the different grades of turkey?
Common grades for poultry are A, B, and C, with A being the designation for the best quality. Describes the bird as being whole, cut into sections (halves, quarters, etc.), or cut into individual parts (breast, leg, thigh, etc.). Turkeys are specified by individual weight.
What’s the difference between a tom turkey and a hen turkey?
Hens are female turkeys and toms are males. Toms are, on average, larger, so if you’re going for a turkey over 18 pounds, you’ll likely end up with a tom, whereas if you’re looking for a turkey 14 pounds or under, you’re likely to buy a hen. Other than size, there isn’t a real difference.