Now this is my opinion.....all turkeys have a well let's say poultry smell. When I first got married and had to make the turkey, two years in a row the turkey got thrown out because I did NOT like the smell. After a few years of going to the store and buying new turkeys and trying to quickly thaw the bird out, Bruce has since taken care of the turkey....LOL

Yes very expensive Thanksgivings!

Your turkey is probably just fine, but waiting to see what others have to say.

This year we are making a day ahead - two smoked brined turkey breast. Bruce had to work today and I had to take the breast out of the bags and put into the brine, you guessed it I almost threw them out. I just hate that smell! Almost makes me gag!!!!!!!

To me I would almost rather have a prime rib roast or a grilled rib eye steak for Thanksgiving... :)

You may be right Trudy. I think its unpleasant, but I'm very sensitive to all kinds of odors. DH thinks it smells like raw, brined, fresh-killed turkey. But then, he's more adventurous than me ;)

It's also been a few years since I cooked a turkey, so perhaps my memory is off.

Depends on how long it was dead when you picked it up.
Turkey has a....well...a turkey-ey smell....a bit more gamey than chicken.
Spoiled meat smells spoiled...rotten.

It seems to me that if it has enough of a smell that you don't like it then something is wrong. If you can take it back that's what I would do and ask for another without that bad smell.
Joann

Sue, the farm actually brined the turkey for you?

For me it would really depend on the smell. Nothing puts me off more than meat that smells bad. But there is a difference between a normal smell and a smell that indicates the meat is spoiled.

I usually buy fresh killed turkeys four to five days in advance and then presalted for three days prior to roasting.

A turkey needs a few days to "age" before roasting.

I would rinse your turkey well and then assess the smell. Hopefully the off smell will go away. If it smells spoiled I would take it back.

Ann

Spoiled poultry smells really horrible. There is NO mistaking rotten poultry. I suspect it's just that "turkey" smell. Some smell more strongly that others. My turkey was a Foster Farms fresh, natural bird this year. It had almost no smell at all. Rinse it well, inside and out and pat it dry with lots of paper towels inside and out and then see how it smells.

Yes, the turkey was killed (they have a processing plant on the farm) and then brined.

I'm thinking "gamey" might be the right word. It doesn't smell like rotten lunch meat, chicken, etc. Just strong. My problem is that I'm not sure what normal is, since I've never had a fresh-killed turkey before. The color is perfect - it looks very fresh.

Here is a link that might be useful: Turkey Farm

I recently slaughtered some chickens so I knew the chicken I brought home was fresh and not spoiled, but it did have a stonger smell than the store bought chicken. It smelled more gamey and chickeny than those from the grocery. It was a little unsettling since I'm so used to how chicken from the store smells. Once cooked it was a little more chickeny than store bought chickens too. Someone might say it was more "flavorful".
I also know that pheasants freshly killed have a stonger smell than store bought chickens. Until I had the fresh-killed chicken, I thought the pheasants smelled gamey only because they were pheasants. Maybe it has something to do with being fresh and having more blood in them.

Good luck with your turkey.

~Cindy

If what you smell is "strong" and your husband doesn't smell spoilage I'm guessing it's a lack of familiarity with the natural odor of a large, fresh, free-range bird. Believe me, if you butcher and clean any fowl, there will be an odor, but it's quite different from a bird that's gone "off."

Since those are fresh true free-range turkeys, you may find that the cooked meat also has a stronger flavor than you care for. It's a whole different experience.

Carol

Your turkey is fine. Any fresh meat, never frozen and not injected with whos knows what is going to have a scent.

Cook and enjoy!

Deanna

I agree, Carol, the smell of a freshly killed bird is noticeably different than one of a store purchased bird, but much different than an old or spoiled one.

I also agree on the flavor, many people do not like the more assertive flavor of free range animals and poultry, they are used to those who have very limited types of feed, which does influence flavor.

Personally, I much prefer beef that tastes like beef and turkey that tastes like turkey, but others (like my stepmother) disagree. She'd far prefer cheap Walmart burger to my lean, grass fed and organic stuff!

Annie

Well, I put the turkey in the oven, and because I'm really living on the edge, I stuffed it too ;) Seriously though, I'll let you all know how it turns out. I'm not generally a worrywart about spoilage, germs, etc., but I don't want to be stupid about it, either.

I ordered the "regular" turkey instead of the Red Bourbon for that reason. Thought I'd better try to milder one first.

Sure hope it turns out!

It will! Hope you enjoy it. Fresh is best!

Sue, I'll be waiting to hear how that turkey turned out, my own will go in the oven tomorrow.

funny about the Red Bourbon, though, it's one of the heritage breeds I've considered raising myself.

Annie

Unfortunately, disappointing. The turkey tastes okay, although the smell kind put me off even while it was cooking. But it cooked unevenly and by the time the temp was 165 in the thigh, the breast meat was dry. I did the Alton Brown method of 30 minutes at 500 degrees and then at 350 until done. (I did tent it with foil.) It was brined, which I thought would help keep it moist. But, maybe my cooking method was all wrong for this type of turkey, which actually seems to have bigger legs/thighs than any I've had previously.

On a positive note, my gravy and stuffing turned out fabulous :)

Next time (Let's hope you give it another try.) you might want to talk to the breeder and get their suggestions for preparation.

I don't know their breed of "regular" turkey but the broad-breasted white, which is the common industrial turkey, has been bred to mature quickly (not much flavor there), has shorter legs and a very large breast for more white meat. The higher proportion of breast meat means that it will take longer to cook, so I'm not sure Alton Brown's recipe is best for a heritage breed, which is quite differently proportioned.

There is something deeply wrong with a system which breeds for commercial use a turkey which can't even reproduce unassisted. (I'll leave to your imagination the reasons why that is so.)

Carol

This is a little OT so I apologize in advance, but it confirms what Readinglady was saying.

My sweetie and I seldom eat out at Swiss Chalet (do you have that in the States?) It's a family restaurant that serves rotisserie chicken.

Anyway they had BOGO-free last year. I ordered the quarter-chicken, sweetie had quarter-all white. He doesn't like any of the brown meat of the bird.

I had this little wee leg and thigh and the fries. I lifted up the fries to see if the rest of the meat was hidden underneath.
The server came and I asked "where's the rest of it"? She didn't know what I meant of course, and I said that it looked like a Cornish hen. I was not impressed! Sweetie, SO, Hubby, whatever he is (LOL) had the breast and it was large!!!!

I agree, Carol, a cooking method meant for the broad breasted white probably isn't perfectly suited to a breed heritage bird. Of course, I always think white meat is a bit dry and tasteless, I like the dark meat best.

If the broad breasted white turkey were not artificially reproduced, they would be extinct in one generation. They are genetic mutations, "frankenbirds". Sigh. Supermarket chicken is the same, the Cornish Cross types are so overblown in the breast for all that white meat that their legs will break sometimes under their own weight.

But, as a rule, people like them better. They are cheaper to raise because they mature so much more quickly and so don't have to be fed nearly as long, so the industry likes them too.

Annie

Sue, next year meet me at the Lee Turkey Farm and we'll shop together! I do not think my turkey had any smell whatsoever and I am very sensitive to odors also. But maybe you would still find an odor if your nose works differently than mine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Turkey Farm

This thread has been interesting to me. We don't care for turkey, in general. Yesterday, we had all of the traditional fixings but roasted a chicken. While the taste doesn't thrill either of us it's the odor that we can't handle. Preparation is difficult because the smell really gets to me. I can eat just a bit right after it's finished roasting but that's it. DH doesn't even want that much. Then though our 'turkey problem' really starts. We find the odor increases dramatically after being in the refrigerator overnight. It bowls us over when we open the door & taints all of the other leftovers. We don't have the issue with chicken?

Is anybody else sensitive to the odor after the bird's been cooled?

/tricia

It turns out the farm has a chef (they provide all sorts of game and other foods to NYC restaurants, etc.) with an email address for cooking questions. So I emailed what happened. Should be interesting to see what he says.

Woodie - That sounds great! I'm still trying to meet up with Alexa at the TJ's in Princeton. Can't believe I live so close to you all and I still haven't met anyone!

Sue

Sue, I'll be interested in what the chef says. I also believe that the heritage breeds to not have the fat layer that commercially raised birds have, which could lead them to drying out more quickly.

I happen to love turkey, but again, I like the stronger and more assertive flavor of grass fed beef and free range chickens so it stands to reason that I'd like turkey. The one I really don't like is lamb, which has a flavor of its own.

I just finished eating supper, it was a hot turkey sandwich with leftover turkey and leftover gravy and some leftover mashed potatoes. I just love the leftovers.

Annie

Annie I had turkey and stuffing and gravy for breakfast, a cold turkey sandwich with stuffing and cranberry sauce for lunch and hot turkey with all the fixings will be tonight's dinner - obviously I love the leftovers too :)

Sue and Alexa - TJ's in Princeton works for me too!

Reading all these messages about the chicken and turkeys being unable to breed naturally anymore led me to think about beef. They don't let beef breed naturally anymore either do they? I mean how many bulls are around anymore actually breeding in the field. Hardly any I would think it is all artificial insemination.

yup, its artificial insemination pretty exclusively.

gives the old "seeds in the mail" thing a whole new twist, doesn't it?

Well, yes, but that's not because bulls are "incapable." Given the opportunity, they're just as enthusiastic and able as they always were.

For cattle it's a matter of controlled breeding. For example, a bull like Alfalfa John was very popular for AI (artificial insemination) because he tended to breed calves that were small at birth but they matured quickly to a large size. From a cattleman's perspective, that's ideal. Easy births for the cows with few complications and offspring that offered optimal profitability.

Broad-breasted whites, however, are, as Annie said, frankenbirds. They have weak immune systems, short lifespans, and frankly, are dumb. They're prone to many diseases and I wouldn't want to speculate how many antibiotics breeders end up pumping into a lot of those turkeys.

But, that's probably more than most people want to know.

Sue, I'd also love to hear their chef's recommendations. With more and more people consuming heritage breeds, different techniques of preparation would be worth knowing.

Carol

You know what's funny? We went to a friend's house yesterday for the actual holiday, and my turkey tasted better than theirs, even after all my uncertainty!

Something else DH mentioned - he had a lot of trouble physically getting the legs and wings off, and he's a pretty strong guy. It was like this turkey had stronger tendons!

Woodie, I'm with you. I seldom make a turkey for myself and once in a while I can buy just turkey thighs, but not often. So turkey is something I like and don't have often, so I eat it a couple of times a day until it's gone and then wait for the next holiday. I'll have to come to your house and then you'll have an excuse to roast a turkey when it's not even Thanksgiving, LOL.

ghoghunter, I'm one of the few "dinosaurs" who still have a bull to do their cattle breeding, and I think the bull appreciates it. (grin) However, when I actually get out to live on the farm, I'd consider AI because that would negate the need to either rent a bull or feed a bull for 10 months when I don't need him and it would allow me to choose the time of year when I want calves born without having to segregate a bull from the rest of the herd.

As for the turkeys, I agree with all the things Carol mentioned. In addition, the breast is so large on those birds that they are physically unable to breed. It's physical incapacity, not science.

Annie

Wow Annie. I can't imagine having ANYTHING to do with a bull would be much fun. They are so large and unpredictable and well mean!!! This is just such an interesting thread!!!
Joann

Annie, don't forget the fence repairs a bull requires! One of my most thrilling moments as a child was seeing my usually deliberate and sedate father leap a fence with a bull just a few feet behind him.

Carol

Around here (Iowa) they still let the bull breed in the field. I know because I am surrounded by acres and acres of beef cattle fields (everything that isn't corn/soy), and it isn't unusual to see some cow sex on my way home from work. Then in the spring there are babies everywhere. I suppose this isn't the beef they sell at Walmart though, but I really have no idea.

Woodie and Goldgirl, I know where both of those farms are at. I haven't been to the Griggstown Farm, but have been to the Lee Farm quite a while ago. Matter of fact the Lee Turkey farm is where a lot of my friends that feed raw to their dogs get their turkey necks and such. Great product at good prices. I'll have to shop there again in the future. Going the back roads it's not far from me. Smiles.

goldgirl, we had two pastured turkeys this year for Thxgiving...i did one the day before, and we did one on Thursday.. Mine cooked very fast so I was very leary of the one on thxgiving day...I wanted to be sure it did not overcook! We had a thermometer in it and even though it was reading 165 my brother wanted to leave it in, because it wouldn't "wiggle" at the joints...he kept insisting it had to be looser...I kept fighting and he finally took it out and it was PERFECT....so juicy and amazing but not like you would think a regular store purchased bird would be...if you were trying to wiggle the leg or wing...

Joann, bulls can be very unpredictable, I know. I've had some who were so even tempered they became pets, and the one I borrowed from a neighbor last year was named Ethan and developed a distinct taste for powdered sugar donuts. When it was time to take him home, we just bought a box of donuts and walked him into the stock trailer, LOL.

HOWEVER, and it's a darned big however, an animal that weighs over 2,000 pounds and can lift three times it's own weight with its neck muscles must be treated with respect and never taken for granted. You won't get a chance to be careless twice, that much is for certain. And that's why I was in the pasture with donuts but the kids were always required to stay on the other side of the fence. Always.

Carol, my mother jumped a fence once and it was a bossy old dairy cow that chased her over. Wasn't so funny then as it is now, somehow, but Mother was not happy until that cow became burger so I guess she got her revenge.

Annie

As a kid I saw a bull get loose while being loaded on a stock truck. LOL.. talk about excitment! Grandma told me to hide behind a utility pole.

No doubt if poultry is rotten. Hardly worse smelling garbage in the world. Fresh kill does not smell good. I do some hunting and it stinks when you dress something out. Farmer is right... it is probably blood you smell. I see a buck crossing my property every day about 5:15... and it is deer season. Probably be dressing him out tonight.

Always wash poultry. Farm bought or store bought... probably even more so with store bought.

: )
lyra

Reading thru this, couldn't help but remember this cows/chickens (turkeys?) You Tube video! Was it Jessy that posted this a few years ago?

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Cows With Guns

I think we are having the same issue. We purchased a fresh, locally raised, organic turkey on Thursday morning. I brought it home and stored it in the fridge. I took the bird out this morning to cook it. When I opened the package, it smelled like eggs. I dumped the juices, threw out the packaging and rinsed the bird. It seemed like the package smelled like eggs and not the bird. After rising and drying the bird, I smelled it good and close and the bird did not smell like eggs. Logically, if the bird was spoiled I would assume that the smell would be emitting from the bird. However, I am now very concerned about serving it for dinner as I don't want anyone to get ill. At the same time, the bird was almost $50 for a 11pd turkey and I don't want to toss it if it is not spoiled.

Does anyone have any experience or advice to help???

Erica, if you just purchased the bird, freshly killed, two days ago, and it has been refrigerated, it should be fine. In addition, you say it smells fine now.

I'd just cook it without any second thoughts, I can't believe it would be spoiled after only two days. And if it is, I'd sure be asking for my money back.

Freshly killed/locally grown/organic/free range/heritage/ whatever turkeys just don't smell or taste like grocery store birds. They are fresh and they smell like fresh meat. (shrug) Some of us are accustomed to that and others are not and some people are very put off by it.

I'd cook it and enjoy it. merry Christmas.

Annie

Annie's right Erica. Your turkey will be fine. A fresh killed turkey actually needs a few days in the fridge before roasting.

Enjoy.

Ann