Checkout Lane: Rules for picking your Thanksgiving bird

Nervous about roasting that Thanksgiving turkey?

Don't be. That's the advice of Tom Pierce, co-owner of Bongi's Turkey Roost in Duxbury. "It's one of the easiest things in the world to do," Pierce said.

"People watch 'Christmas Vacation'; they have that vision of the destroyed turkey and they don't want to mess up Thanksgiving."

While Pierce sells fresh, frozen and pre-cooked turkeys, he said he always recommends buying fresh and roasting it yourself.

Chick Piantedosi, owner of Piantedosi's Butcher Shop in Plymouth, said he refuses to sell frozen turkeys; he only sells fresh and organic ones.

He said frozen birds are "full of water and moisture. It's all extra weight you don't need."

Whether you plan to wake up early Thanksgiving morning to get cooking or will be too busy to cook, Pierce said there are some basic rules of thumb for picking the right bird.

Turkeys generally weigh 8 to 32 pounds. But Pierce said there's no point in buying a turkey that weighs less than 12 pounds.

"If you're going to buy something smaller, you might as well just buy a turkey breast or some legs or thighs," Pierce said. "Under 12 pounds is an underdeveloped turkey. You're buying a carcass with no meat on it."

A turkey should weigh between 1 and 1 1/2 pounds for each guest, but

Piantedosi said most customers buy birds that are a little bigger than they need so they'll have enough leftovers.

This year, Pierce's fresh turkeys are selling for $2.79 per pound. Frozen ones cost $2.65 per pound.

He said he expects to sell more than 3,000 turkeys during Thanksgiving week.

"We encourage our customers to customize and get creative," Pierce said. "It can be a fun thing to do - there are a million different recipes."

A.J. Bauer may be reached at ajbauer@ledger.com.