# I just paid $97 for my Thanksgiving turkey **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 20, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-paid-97-for-my-thanksgiving-turkey/802194 "2017-11-20T15:15:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-paid-97-for-my-thanksgiving-turkey/802194/41 "2017-11-22T03:55:53Z")
We’ve ordered a heritage turkey for the past ten years. The price has come down from over $70 to just over $30 this year, for a 12-15 lb bird. Heritage turkeys (closer to the wild turkey than the standard American broad-breasted white, all white meat and predisposed to fall over forward) were all the rage about eight years ago…then the noise quieted…but enough of us were still buying them that the big organic farmers started raising them. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-paid-97-for-my-thanksgiving-turkey/802194/42 "2017-11-22T10:36:29Z")
$97 - isn’t that what you’re supposed to be able to make in one hour on the Internet? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-paid-97-for-my-thanksgiving-turkey/802194/43 "2017-11-24T13:28:55Z")
OP checking in. Yes, the turkey was outstanding. I doubt that I’ve ever had better. I was a little concerned while cooking it, did not want to overcook nor poison the family. I used an instant read meat thermometer but found that the readings varied significantly from place to place on the bird. I ended up going with the lowest of the range of temps I found as my guideline and it came out perfect. Here’s the bottom line. If I were served this turkey, with no talk about how wonderful and expensive it is, I would enjoy it and proclaim it very tasty. But it would not cross my mind that it was any sort of VST (Very Special Turkey). That said, I’ll do it again next year, og willing. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-paid-97-for-my-thanksgiving-turkey/802194/44 "2017-11-26T05:27:57Z")
I happened to get my turkey at the same place at **Mean Mr. Mustard** , and I will say it was definitely better than the typical Butterball. I’d agree with his assessment of the turkey. In my case, I had to deliver it to my function the next day, so I did the low-and-slow method, and cooked it at precisely 160°F all night, after 24 hours of brining in (hyperbolically-speaking) supersaturated saline. I got a lot of juice out of this one during cooking, and the stock from her bones is wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-paid-97-for-my-thanksgiving-turkey/802194/45 "2017-11-26T13:46:57Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I happened to get my turkey at the same place at **Mean Mr. Mustard** , and I will say it was definitely better than the typical Butterball. I’d agree with his assessment of the turkey. > > In my case, I had to deliver it to my function the next day, so I did the low-and-slow method, and cooked it at precisely 160°F all night, after 24 hours of brining in (hyperbolically-speaking) supersaturated saline. I got a lot of juice out of this one during cooking, and the stock from her bones is wonderful. Simmering the carcass at this very moment. Trying out my Instant Pot for this. The bird was so big I could only cram half of it into the pot. mmm ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-paid-97-for-my-thanksgiving-turkey/802194/46 "2017-11-26T16:08:13Z")
I went to Harris Teeter just before closing on Thanksgiving and bought a fresh 16-pound Butterball turkey for $9. It was delicious. I guess it was some sort of clearance deal. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-paid-97-for-my-thanksgiving-turkey/802194/47 "2017-11-26T20:10:51Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > OP checking in. > > Yes, the turkey was outstanding. I doubt that I’ve ever had better. > > \ > > mmm You’re still going “mmm” while posting about the turkey, huh? It _must_ have been good! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-paid-97-for-my-thanksgiving-turkey/802194/48 "2017-11-27T00:40:03Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > You’re still going “mmm” while posting about the turkey, huh? > > It _must_ have been good! 😉 Actually, that would look something like this: mmm mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-paid-97-for-my-thanksgiving-turkey/802194.md?page=2)