# Smallest turkey? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 9, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871 "2009-11-09T02:21:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/1 "2009-11-09T02:21:18Z")
What’s the smallest turkey I’d be likely to be able to buy at a supermarket? ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/2 "2009-11-09T02:41:50Z")
No cite, but my experience has been around 12 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/3 "2009-11-09T02:43:10Z")
I was afraid of that. That’s what I got last time. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/4 "2009-11-09T02:51:35Z")
You can always buy just a turkey breast if you don’t care about getting drumsticks and wings. Those can be as small as 4-6 lbs, which is about 2-3 lbs of meat. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/5 "2009-11-09T02:53:41Z")
I like dark meat. I could roast a chicken, but I prefer roasted turkey. (And I like stuffing cooked in the bird.) ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/6 "2009-11-09T02:55:54Z")
10 lbs is about the smallest [Here](http://www.gofflepoultry.com/faq.html#question6) is a few answers to turkey questions, from a gormet turkey farm. > [@](#): > > Q: What is the range of sizes available? > A: Turkeys are available from as small as 10 lbs to as large as 40 lbs. Orders are taken in 2 lbs increments, for example, 10 - 12 lbs, 16 - 18 lbs or 22 - 24 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/7 "2009-11-09T02:57:25Z")
If it’s too big for eating in one weekend, you can always freeze the leftover for eating in a week or two. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/8 "2009-11-09T03:00:06Z")
That’s what usually happens. I get so sick of turkey! (Actually, last year I had a chicken pot pie for Thanksgiving, and cooked the turkey another time.) ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/9 "2009-11-09T03:32:49Z")
I think I’ve seen eggs available… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/10 "2009-11-09T03:43:20Z")
Even better, get a Capon, a specialized roasting chicken. Very tasty and tender, but not cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/11 "2009-11-09T05:47:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I like dark meat. > > I could roast a chicken, but I prefer roasted turkey. (And I like stuffing cooked in the bird.) I can’t help you with the stuffing, but I can usually find turkey legs and wings in the meat case. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/12 "2009-11-09T06:05:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Even better, get a Capon, a specialized roasting chicken. Very tasty and tender, but not cheap. Or a goose. HONK! Watch out for the grease! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/13 "2009-11-09T14:25:09Z")
Even small geese are greasy, or so says an earlier SDMB thread. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/14 "2009-11-09T14:30:26Z")
I like geese, but I’ve never cooked one. Closest I’ve come was duck. (Are roasted geese stuffed?) ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/15 "2009-11-09T15:10:10Z")
Get a 10 lb. turkey and invite friends over! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/16 "2009-11-09T15:16:59Z")
OK … barring friends who will raise a turkey and slaughter it at like 6 lbs [maybe 4 months old more or less] here is what you can do - Since you specifically want the stuffing, and prefer dark meat, I will go with the assumption of using the dry stuffing cubes [what we tend to use as it is easy] 1 bag stuffing cubes, 1 onion diced, 2 ribs celery diced, a dozen or so chestnuts, roasted, peeled and diced, about 1 tbsp italian herbs [we dont tend to like sage. substitute sage or use your stuffing recipe] and enough chicken broth to moisten the whole mess when placed in a casserole dish and tossed together until all are blended. Dot liberally with chips of butter. Buy a turkey leg quarter, disjoint it and lay it on top of the stuffing. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for about 1 hour. Remove from oven, baste leg and thigh with butter, and put back in uncovered for about 15 minutes. Test with temp probe. When the turkey registers as cooked by temp taken in the thickest part of the thigh, you are done. You dont get gravy with this, but it also isnt a heap of turkey and stuffing either. We just cook the turkey, and part it out into little ziplok containers and freeze it for future use. As to goose - remove the goose from the packaging [or go out and catch it, kill it, get Rob to pluck it and eviscerate it saving the various organs for future use] wash it inside and out, and remove any excess lumps of body cavity fat. Reserve those to make pommes landaise. Get a large roasting pan with a rack in it. Take the goose, and cut delicate little slices in the skin almost like scoring a baked ham. Or you can poke little holes in the skin, your choice. This is to let the fat drain into the bottom of the pan as it renders out while roasting. At this point do not season the bird. Place the bird and pan into the oven and gently pour about 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of the roasting pan, cover and cook on 425 degrees fahrenheit for about 30 minutes undisturbed. Uncover the pan, and use a basting bulb to suck out the goose fat from the bottom of the pan. Reserve the goose fat for cooking with, and make a cup of a mixture of balsamic or apple cider vinegar [the real stuff, not the apple flavored vinegar] brown sugar, about 1/8 tsp ground cloves/5 spice powder and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Brush on the goose, and put back in to roast for 25 minutes per pound at 350 degrees fahrenheit, periodically basting with the glaze. I like to leave it covered until about the last hour. You do need to render out the excess fat, and roast it in a rack or it does get greasy. Pommes Landaise - dice prosciutto into quarter inch dice, I cheat by getting the deli to slice it into slabs instead of shredding it into paper thin sheets. Dice a small onion into small dice, saute these together until the onion is pretty much done but not browned in a small amount of goose fat. Add 1 small potato per person cut into quarter inch dice. It cooks them really fast, so be careful to use a waxy potato and not mush it too much as you saute it. I cheat sometimes and use prepped commercial hash brown potatoes. Season with a small amount of black pepper. The prosciutto should provide enough salt. I also serve blaukraut [sweet sour red cabbage] with roast goose. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/17 "2009-11-09T15:17:26Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Get a 10 lb. turkey and invite friends over! I’d love to! Except my best friend is living in South America, another friend (and filmmaking cohort) got snagged by the Army and is at Ft. Hood, my ex-fiancée is going to nursing school and would be too tired if she made the drive up here (500 miles), other friends are in L.A. … Anyway, I’d have to clean the house! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/18 "2009-11-09T15:55:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Even better, get a Capon, a specialized roasting chicken. Very tasty and tender, but not cheap. Specialized? It is a castrated male bird! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/19 "2009-11-09T17:27:23Z")
Sounds like the freezer may be your best option, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871/20 "2009-11-09T17:37:51Z")
**Johnny** , here’s what the [CDC](http://www.cdc.gov/features/turkeytime/) says about stuffing a turkey. > [@](#): > > **Safe Stuffing** > For optimal safety and uniform doneness, cook the stuffing outside the turkey in a casserole dish. However, if you place stuffing inside the turkey, do so just before cooking, and use a food thermometer. Make sure the center of the stuffing reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached 165°F, possibly resulting in foodborne illness. Follow the FSIS’ steps to safely prepare, cook, remove, and refrigerate stuffing; Spanish language instructions are available. It may be too late to find a supplier, but a butcher, given enough notice, should be able to find you a small bird. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-turkey/516871.md?page=2)