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TURKEY

TURKEY CHRONICLES
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Like most Americans, we cooked turkey on Thanksgiving. More precisely, we cooked three turkeys–two that I had pre-ordered from the Farm Institute on Martha’s Vineyard, and an organic bird from the supermarket. I was curious to see if the heritage birds were worth their exorbitant cost, which included shipping to Miami: They were. And how they compared to a more commercial gobbler: They were leaner and firmer, but with a noticeably superior flavor.
Turkey #1 above was brined with salt and brown sugar and smoked over maplewood. Note how long and lean the heirloom breed is.


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Turkey #2 was the organic supermarket turkey. I beer-canned it on a can of Foster’s. The breast, you’ll notice, looks almost obscene. Almost.


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Turkey #3 was another heirloom bird, this one stuffed under the skin with truffle butter and indirect grilled. Tasty, but not as succulent as the brined bird. So how did your holiday bird come out? Send photos!