United Yacht Sales Weblog

Author: Michele Dupper

Images of big, beautiful turkeys with colorful plumage and tail feathers are everywhere during the Thanksgiving holiday season. For many of us, eating a turkey with the family on this holiday is a time honored tradition and in some special way makes us feel very connected to our ancestors. However, the turkeys that were most likely served on this holiday in the past were quite different than the majority served today. In fact, if you are under 50, you have probably never even tasted one of these turkeys. Now referred to as heritage turkeys, they are the distant relatives of the common Broad-Breasted White industrial breed of turkeys now sold in 99% of grocery stores and until very recently they were almost extinct.

Our modern commercial turkeys were popularized by poultry processors in the 1960’s because of their large quantities of white meat, the preference of most Americans. They were also desirable because of their white feathers which do not discolor their skin. Unfortunately, to promote the meat development, their bodies and growth rates have been altered so most of them are full of growth supplements as well as antibiotics. They now have unnaturally large breasts, short breast bones and short legs. The majority of them are so large that their legs cannot support their own weight and they are not able to walk. They must be bred through artificial insemination because they are no longer able to breed naturally. So, basically, these birds just sit in one place and eat until they reach their market weight so that we may enjoy their tender meat.

On the contrary, heritage turkeys are raised dining on fresh grass and insects. They walk, fly, breed, raise their own chicks and even help control farmer’s pest problems. They are prized for their flavor, texture and beautiful plumage. The heritage breeds of turkeys are the Standard Bronze, Bourbon Red, Jersey Buff, Slate, Black Spanish, Narragansett and White Holland. Raising heritage turkeys is more time consuming and costly, but it preserves genetic variety and keeps alive an American culinary tradition that dates back to the first years of English settlement. According to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, turkeys must meet all of the following criteria to qualify as a heritage turkey:

1. Naturally mating: must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating, with expected fertility rates of 70-80%. This means that turkeys marketed as “heritage” must be the result of naturally mating pairs of both grandparent and parent stock.

2. Long productive outdoor lifespan: must have a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 5-7 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years. They must also have a genetic ability to withstand the environmental rigors of outdoor production systems.

3. Slow growth rate: must have a slow to moderate rate of growth. Today’s heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in about 28 weeks, giving the birds time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass. This growth rate is identical to that of the commercial varieties of the first half of the 20th century.

Raising the turkeys in this way is not only more humane, but also results in a much more flavorful bird. There are four factors that influence flavor in animals - the fundamental underlying flavor of its meat, its age, how it was raised, and what it ate. Older animals have more flavor than younger ones and heritage turkeys are allowed to grow at a much slower rate, about twice as long, than the commercialized Broad-Breasted White. The more an animal moves around, the more interesting its flavor. Obviously, turkeys raised on a pasture get much more exercise than those sitting in buildings unable to walk. Turkeys that have a diet of green grass, plants, and insects have a deeper taste than birds fed exclusively a grain diet.

In addition to great flavor, roasting a heritage turkey to perfection is much easier than the industrialized white. Since they have smaller breasts there is a better balance between the dark and white meat so the white meat cooks quicker than the dark meat and there is no need to cover the breast with foil to keep it from drying out while the rest of the bird cooks. If the breast is covered during roasting, it should be done with oiled parchment paper, not foil, which is then removed 30 minutes before the turkey is finished roasting. Heritage turkeys are leaner and smaller so fast cooking at high temperatures is a better method than slow roasting all day long. They should be cooked at 425-450 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 140-150 degrees F. Remember not to let the tip of the thermometer touch the bone. (Note: This is different than the USDA recommendation of 160F-180F, but these temperatures will dry out a heritage turkey. Heritage birds are freer of disease and bacteria so they do not need extreme temperatures to make them safe for consumption.) The reduced cooking time will not allow stuffing to become fully cooked so cook the stuffing first and place inside the turkey before roasting. Alternatively, you can experiment with adding a piece of quartered fruit like an orange or an apple inside the turkey instead of stuffing. You can also try adding butter or oil under the breast skin to add flavor and moisture during roasting. As always, bring the bird to room temperature before cooking and be sure to let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.

Thanks to the efforts of organizations like the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and Slow Food USA, heritage turkeys are increasing in popularity, but in the late 1990’s they were on the brink of extinction. They realized that we must eat them to save them because the more we eat, the more there will be. By continuing to eat heritage turkeys and supporting the breeders the quality of the birds will only improve.