topic Re: 40 lb turkey?? in Kitchen

40 lb turkey??

Mollie — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 17:55:02 GMT

I was at the grocery store yesterday buying a "normal" size turkey. Some woman special ordered a 42 lb turkey. When the butcher wheeled it out it took up the entire shopping cart. People standing around were aghast...they starting asking her questions. Frankly, I am not sure how she was planning on defrosting it by Thursday. Imagine just trying to get it in your oven? It was a sight to behold.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

blackhole99 — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:03:56 GMT

I'm no chef, but I don't think even a commercial over would accommodate a 42 lb. turkey. The experts say it's better to buy 2 or 3 15lb. turkeys and roast those to feed a crew. Larger turkeys just don't get done right, to cook them all the way through will result in a dry turkey every time.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

fthunt — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:07:06 GMT

I wouldn't want an old turkey that had lived so long as to triple the average young bird's size. It's like selecting the largest yellow summer squash in the bin. It's always dry - has big dry seeds - and a tough skin. If you hadn't seen this 40 lb turkey - I would have said they never grow that big. But I believe you.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

I am still oxox — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:08:11 GMT

@blackhole99

I have a 24" inch oven my 9 x 13 pan barely fits in the oven. I have also read/hears to use 2-3 smaller birds instead of a humongous one.

I do not not any one that could handle one that large

Re: 40 lb turkey??

house_cat — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:11:02 GMT

It seems like even if it fit into your oven, it would be a tight fit. I would be concerned that there wasn't enough air-flow around it. Also, I would think defrosting it would cause the outside to be defrosted hours before the inside and that doesn't sound very safe. Then again, I'm certainly no turkey expert.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

Carmie — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:15:01 GMT

I have a huge oven and it would fit, but you couldn’t give me a turkey that big. It would be too tough. I’d rather have a couple of smaller turkeys if I was feeding a ton of people.

i wonder if Disney uses 40 lb turkeys for their giant turkey legs.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

house_cat — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:29:59 GMT

@Carmie wrote:
I have a huge oven and it would fit, but you couldn’t give me a turkey that big. It would be too tough. I’d rather have a couple of smaller turkeys if I was feeding a ton of people.

i wonder if Disney uses 40 lb turkeys for their giant turkey legs.

@Carmie

I'm pretty sure they use pteradactls.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

SahmIam — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:52:21 GMT

Bet it's going on an outdoor spit roaster.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

Nightowlz — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 19:40:06 GMT

Bet that's one tough bird. LOL!!! That's what I have always heard. Seems like the smaller ones have better taste & not tough.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

chickenbutt — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 20:24:15 GMT

blackhole99 wrote:
I'm no chef, but I don't think even a commercial over would accommodate a 42 lb. turkey. The experts say it's better to buy 2 or 3 15lb. turkeys and roast those to feed a crew. Larger turkeys just don't get done right, to cook them all the way through will result in a dry turkey every time.

Yeah, that's my thought too. Well, and the fact that it's not going to fit into anybody's oven.

I can only assume this person has done this before and has a plan - Probably either breaking it down or doing a spatch.... (probably part of that word won't go here, but you know what I mean)

Re: 40 lb turkey??

cherry — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 20:46:31 GMT

I don't know how a bird that large could even walk? It seems sort of cruel to think they are engineering animals to get this size, without a thought for the suffering it has to endure

Re: 40 lb turkey??

sissel — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 20:57:02 GMT

Maybe she has access to a restaurant oven for that huge turkey. I don't think I could even pick it up to put it in or out of the oven. I would just do a few smaller ones cooks in half the time.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

candys mine — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 22:31:19 GMT

A misguided attempt to recreate the ending to Dickens " A Christmas Carol"?

Re: 40 lb turkey??

ECBG — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 00:25:36 GMT

I'd seperate the dark meat form the white and bake seperately. It would have to be carved very thin because, like @Housecat, I doubt it would be tender. If that were the case, I'd recook in the crock pot and make dumplimgs.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

SharkE — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 01:00:11 GMT

Maybe it was for a restaurant buffet place like Furr's, Golden Corral, etc.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

NorthernLights — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 01:03:55 GMT

A 42lb turkey? Reminds me of A Muppet Family Christmas when the swedish chef wanted to try and cook Big Bird.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

Carmie — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 04:41:30 GMT

You can watch a 42lb turkey being roasted in a home oven on YouTube. The oven racks were removed and two bricks were inserted in the bottom to lay the pan on.

this Tom Turkey was 60lbs before he was dressed. Big turkeys are not unusual, they are just not common at your market.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

haddon9 — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 03:07:47 GMT

Yikes! Can you imagine lifting it out of the oven? I never heard of one that large and I don't think it would cook well or taste very good.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

Carmie — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 04:51:12 GMT

@cherry wrote:
I don't know how a bird that large could even walk? It seems sort of cruel to think they are engineering animals to get this size, without a thought for the suffering it has to endure

Ah, no one is engineering a turkey to get this big. Tom turkeys can naturally grow to be this size if they are allowed to live long enough. At 6 to 7 months they are full grown. They are usually taken to market weeks earlier because no too many people want a turkey that big.

Re: 40 lb turkey??

CelticCrafter — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 15:07:02 GMT

My first thought was that it would be one tough bird.