Gobble it up: Local farms bring fresh turkey to table
Picking the main course for the traditional Thanksgiving feast is a no-brainer, but there's plenty of subjective partisanship when it comes to the type of turkey destined for the table, including the choice of fresh versus frozen.
Fans of the movement to support locally owned farms will be happy to note the Chicago suburbs have several noted turkey suppliers just to the west.
"I just haven't had another that has tasted as good," said JR Carmany, co-owner of Soup to Nuts, a health food grocery store and cafe at 716 W. State St. in Geneva, which offers never-frozen birds from The Undesser Turkey Farm in Bristol at the holidays. "The thing that I really like is they are completely naturally raised. While not organic, Rick (Undesser) grows his own feed."
She explains that freezing draws moisture out of meat. Although still safe to consume for a lengthy period, the longer turkeys remain frozen, the dryer they become when
defrosted.
Like many commercial suppliers, the Butterball company states it deep-bastes the breast meat of its frozen turkeys by injecting them with liquid for added moistness. When doing a cost comparison, remember the liquid adds to the bird's weight.
A common suggestion to help counter the drying effects of freezing is to soak the bird in a brine solution for 24 hours, according to www.SamCooks.com.
One obvious advantage to purchasing a fresh turkey is foregoing the lengthy defrosting process that requires one full day for every five pounds.
And while aged meat is a familiar term in discussing more tender beef, chefs in the know recommend a little aging for fresh birds before they are cooked.
"The taste is better if it's been in the fridge a couple days," said Robert Kauffman, whose family has run the Howard Kauffman (Ho-Ka) Turkey Farms in Waterman for 74 years, raising almost 80,000 turkeys annually. "I think it's one of the reasons our turkey is so appreciated. Even the freshest is a couple days old."
Most commercial turkeys are frozen immediately without any aging process.
Kauffman said his first flocks get to live on the range during the summer months, noting that birds are moved into a grow-out house when temperatures drop to 40 degrees at night.
"We do use antibiotics when we need to; it's not part of the routine," he said of the minimally processed turkeys.
He notes the birds reach target weights by as young as about 18 weeks, and says there's no discernible taste difference between young hens and toms. Generally, a bird weighing 22 pounds or less is a hen.
How does the turkey expert prepare his own Thanksgiving show-stopper?
"Certain pans can make a huge difference," said Kauffman, who prefers a simple, open pan. "I'm using black aluminum and I notice it cooks fast. I like to use a rack, which seems to speed things up a bit. I rub the breast with butter and that browns it beautifully, and I just use my mother's recipe for stuffing, which is just onion and celery and Pepperidge Farm stuffing."
Ho-Ka turkeys are carried in meat departments across the region during the holiday season, and its products also are sold at several suburban locations year round, including Jim's Quality Meats, 7515 S. Cass Ave., Darien. A fan of the fresh alternative in fowl is owner Ed Wedell, son of the store's founder and namesake.
"What makes it so convenient is the farm is only an hour from the Chicagoland area," he said. "There's a big difference in the meat. They are juicier."
In addition to fresh birds at Thanksgiving, fresh-frozen Ho-Ka turkeys are available throughout the year.
"For a change of pace, I do one in the summer on the grill," Wedell said. Other Ho-Ka products at his shop include turkey breast and turkey pot pies.
"We trim up the boneless breast and make turkey cutlets and fresh ground turkey," he said, noting it's the 25th Thanksgiving season for the store.
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<td> By the numbers
16.9 pounds of turkey was consumed per U.S. resident on average last year, according to the National Turkey Federation, which touts the meat as an ideal protein source with no saturated fat.</td>
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<td>Turkey trivia courtesy of www.hokaturkeys.com
Q What's the best way to roast a turkey?
A Be sure not to overcook it. Use a thermometer. Any thermometer is better than nothing, but the very best is an instant-read thermometer. White meat is best at 170 degrees and dark meat at 180. Don't cook your turkey to 185 degrees like many oven thermometers suggest.
Q What's the largest turkey you ever raised?
A The largest turkey dressed out at 50.12 pounds.
Q Do you hatch your own eggs?
A No. We buy our poults at one day of age from Wilmar, Minn.
Q What do the turkeys eat?
A Turkeys are a true omnivore. They will eat anything they can swallow. Animal protein from such sources as insects are essential to the proper development of the growing turkey. We feed a diet of corn and soybean meal with added protein from such sources as fish meal.
Q Is it true that (domestic) turkeys cannot mate naturally?
A Yes, the commercial turkey's breast is too large for natural mating to be successful. All turkeys are artificially inseminated.
Q Why are your turkeys white?
A They have had the color bred out of them. This was done because pigment from the feather (occasionally) would discolor the birds' skin during dressing. The result is the clean, white, unblemished skin of today's dressed turkey.
Q Is there something in turkey that makes you drowsy?
A Turkey is naturally high in the amino acid L-tryptophan, believed to produce a calming effect. Milk is also high in this substance, hence the practice of drinking a warm glass of milk before bedtime to promote sleep.
Q What if I want two different stuffings?
A Some people get two 15-pound birds and stuff each with a different stuffing. They could instead get one 30-pound bird and use the two stuffings in the neck and body cavity.</td>
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