I'll bet that most people on this forum will tell you that the best bird is a fresh one from a local farm. If your bird comes out like you like it, then that's what you want. I buy a couple of the smaller (12 lb) frozen birds that are on sale right now, and stash them in the freezer for the future.

But if I were cooking for company, I'd go for a fresh bird from someone local (within 150 miles or so).

My father always made comments about how horrible chickens were. He said there was no comparison to the freshly killed/plucked? that they had in the country. He called what we ate "embalmed" chickens. Wish I would have had the chance to eat one of his mother's Thanksgiving dinnners-- she passed away in the early 60's. Are the fresh turkeys completely free from preservatives?

I buy whatever's on sale! I always have a good bird...depends on not overcooking it, etc.

This morning I picked up a 15 lb bird for about $3.50. A couple of weeks ago, I found a 20 lb bird for $7.00. So my freezer is full of turkey.

Donna

Goodness Gracious, Donna! Where do you live? After I read your post I hightailed it to my store's website.

Here's what our choices are:

Bell & Evans (fresh) $2.49/lb.
Butterball (frozen) $1.29/lb.
Nature's Promise (frozen) $2.19/lb.
Nature's Promise (fresh) $2.59/lb.

It doesn't matter the size of the bird. Each brand is the same price for all sizes.

I'm used to our prices but $7.00 for a 20 lb. turkey isn't even comprehensible here. I don't believe anybody would buy them at that price. Everybody would think there was something wrong with the bird!

/tricia

Sorry, Donna. I should have added a smiley face at the end of my post. I'm not saying there's something wrong with YOUR turkey...just that people HERE are so accustomed to higher prices we wouldn't trust the price points you're able find.

/t

Love2:
I've used all Brands and never had a problem. This year I picked up an 20 lb. Purdue at Walmart.
It was marked " Purdue Fresh " at $1.14 a LB.
I think last years was a Purdue also.

Many Local Markets will give you a Free Turkey, if you spend X amount of Dollars.
I've have gotten many free Turkey's.

Now you will hear all the Turkey Facts, about the additives.
But for the amount I eat, don't think it matters much.

Maybe I'm Radioactive ??? Have to go in a closet, to see if I Glow !!!
Lou

Boy, the prices do vary! Publix grocery store rules in FL, so here are their prices:

Publix store brand (frozen) .59/lb
Publix store brand (fresh) 1.39/lb
Butterball (frozen) .99/lb
Butterball (fresh) 1.59/lb

Most of the advertised Buy one, get one's are based on Thanksgiving day ingredients. My shopping trip this a.m. showed $15+ in savings from the BOGO. Pretty good deal!

Let's see...
Safeway..
Frozen:
Safeway Brand:16.01 lbs and above..if you spend $25 before turkey .29cents/lb
up to 16 lbs with $25 .39cents/lb
Honeysuckle Brand: 16.01 lbs and above $15 purchase .79cents/lb
Safeway Select Fresh 8-24lbs no minimum $ spent..$1.29lb

Albertsons:
Frozen basted .27 cents/lb
Jennie-O fresh $1.49/lb
Butterball Frozen $1.59/lb
Butterball fresh $1.79/lb
seasoned Frozen $1.49/lb
Butterball Baked $2.49/lb
Wild Harvest Natural Fresh Turkey $2.49/lb

This year I'll probably get a Honeysuckle Frozen Turkey Breast $1.99/lb

Trader Joe's brined turkey = yumm

I have my defend-to-the-death preferences but.....in point of fact, I haven't had a bad turkey anywhere, ever, in my entire life. (I'm 62) Expensive or cheap; Frozen or fresh; home or restaurant.

That said, I'm buying fresh this year and paying for it...as I always do. Some sort of principal, I suppose.

The best turkey I ever had came from John's live poultry market. That girl was still warm when I picked her up. Nothing injected, no preservatives, and she only had a short salt bath before roasting with an herb citrus butter.

The next best is the Ho-Ka brand, raised here in Illinois. Also no injections or embalming, delivered fresh to the market. I pick mine up tomorrow. Priced at $2.49/# this year.

The worst? The embalmed, chemically injected ones. The meat tastes funny to me and has a gushy texture to it. I guess that is why I don't like the deli turkey either.

We had enough points on our Giant supermarket card to get a free frozen Giant turkey or a Butterball for only about 60 cents a pound so we bought the Butterball. I like the taste because it's what I'm used to. It's a 12 pound bird and it's in the fridge defrosting.
Joann

I agree, Peppi, the butterball type turkeys don't taste "moist and juicy" to me, they taste soft and mushy. I grew up on home raised turkeys and now I get them from a local Amish farmer who charges me $1.50 a pound. They aren't ever small though, I try to shoot for under 25 pounds...

At the local stores, though, Meijer's is having a special where you can get $16 off any turkey over 16 pounds if you buy $20 worth of groceries. I picked one up for Amanda to roast for the kids' birthday party on Saturday, her first turkey she roasted herself. (grin) I got an 18 pound bird for $5.42, that's about 30 cents a pound.

She was thinking of making sloppy joes, but just couldn't pass up the turkey as a cheap party protein...

Annie

I wasn't planning to have turkey this fall but bought a turkey breast for 98â/#. Whole turkeys last week were 39â/# and often they cut the price during the days before but today it's still listed at 39â, Butterball frozen is 88â/# and $10 off "fresh" Jenny-O, Butterball or Honeysuckle.

Another store has Jenny-O "fresh, all natural" turkeys for 88â/#

Cynic, you must live near Annie...those are "CHEAP" prices..

I must not have the turkey taste bud because they all taste the same to me- outside of smoked or brined, of course.
But I do like gravy on my turkey so maybe that has something to do with it.
I almost always buy one of the cheap grocery store special turkeys, like Jennie-O ( which incidentally rated well with Cook's illustrated)
but my sister in law always orders her fresh, organic turkey months ahead from the local college agricultural school and we alternate Thanksgivings.
She is cooking this year and I am going to pay extra special attention to her turkey. I have done so in the past and dh and I both could not tell anything special about it.
I do like dark gravy and she makes a very light colored giblet gravy which I find a bit yucky.

Terri, that would be "cheep" prices. (grin)

Actually, I think those of us in the Midwest live close to the big turkey farms, and our stores tend to use turkey as a loss leader to get us to buy other holiday meal items from them. Most "deals" require that you purchase an amount of groceries to get it.

One local store will give you a free turkey but you have to buy $100 worth of groceries.

Annie

Jennie-O's are 48 cents a lb here. Much cheaper than last year so I scooped up a couple of them last week. Managed to squeeze one in the freezer & the other one has been in the ice chest out in the garage. I just checked on it & it's just starting to thaw. Weather is sposed to turn much colder so I need to bring it in & put it in the refrigerator in the basement.

Oh, and I like Jennie-O's. So far, every one that I've had has been very good. The only brand that I avoid is Honeysuckle White; the one I had turned out dry. But then, I wish turkeys came with all dark meat.

One of the best turkeys I've had was the wild one my son bagged this spring. It was young so it was tender. Smoked it & then finished it off in the oven. DS is still talking about how good it tasted.

I am going to brine mine, and so I ordered two free-range (organic..see "expensive") from the natural grocer here (Tx panhandle). I didn't want to add more salt to something already injected with salty solution. The turkeys at our local store are .37 a pound....so yes, you can get turkeys, and big ones, under $8. Some are, indeed, about $4. I, on the other hand, am paying $1.89 a pound. Crazy? Probably. But if I hadn't planned on the brining, I might think differently. However, I will be purchasing a couple of smaller ones to roast for the broth for my dressing. Interesting how the prices differ....I got the "cheapest" ones at the natural food store.....some of them are up to $2.89 a pound! And, I've not really had a bad turkey, either, so there ya go. Last year was the first time we had done the brining thing and vowed never to go back! My main problem is trying to figure out what else to serve (main dish wise) for DH...he HATES turkey! Doesn't want ham, either. Thankfully, we have a HUGE family, so it won't go to waste! Happy Turkey Day, all!

Gigi, last year I did a naturally raised..at $2.49 lb..and the organics were $3.49...I think my natural grocer prices are about the same this year.

I picked one up last week at Winco for $.22/# (had to spend $50 in other groceries).
24.4# for $5.37.

And I'm not even making the turkey for Thanksgiving!!
I'll cook mine the weekend after for meals later, stock, etc. Too cheap to pass up.

Deanna

Well, I went ahead and went with the "sale" turkey. Just didn't have the time to make a special trip to our specialty grocer. I paid 59 cents a pound and bought a 21.5lb. bird.
ci-lantro--I would so love to taste a fresh bird, only thing is I make not want to go back.

cilantro, I agree, I wish turkey was all dark meat! My girls and mother like the white meat, Elery and I like the dark meat, so it all evens out, I suppose...

Annie

The $7 turkey was from Vons (a Safeway brand). You did have to purchase $25 worth of other stuff (not including dairy or liquor), but since I had no problem doing that, the turkey was a bargain at 35c a pound.

The other turkey was at Stater Bros. That's a Southern California chain that started as a meat market. Once again you had to buy $25 that didn't include dairy or liquor.

I've always bought my turkeys that way. We have really high housing costs here, but our food is quite reasonable.

Donna

Hey Annie,
I'm an almost 30-year Michigander now living in the Pacific NW. Sure do miss Meijers. Do a little shopping for me!