Have the size of turkeys gone down in the last 5 to 10 years ?

For about the last 5 years we have been getting smoked/bar-b-que turkeys
from several sources. Some from a restraunt and some from places that
fix them for fund raisers, like the volunteer fire departments.

Each year they seem to get smaller. This year the one I picked up today
was not much larger than a good size chicken. The wife had to go to
the grocery store and buy another and cook it herself just so we would
have enough for 6 people.

On Wed, 27 Nov 2019 23:17:13 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:



Have the size of turkeys gone down in the last 5 to 10 years ?

For about the last 5 years we have been getting smoked/bar-b-que turkeys
from several sources. Some from a restraunt and some from places that
fix them for fund raisers, like the volunteer fire departments.

Each year they seem to get smaller. This year the one I picked up today
was not much larger than a good size chicken. The wife had to go to
the grocery store and buy another and cook it herself just so we would
have enough for 6 people.
One of two things is happening. Either the price is going up or the
size is going down - or both.

In order to APPEAR to not being increasing prices they just sell you a
smaller bird. The bigger you grow a bird the more it costs per lb.

On Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at 11:17:23 PM UTC-5, Ralph Mowery wrote:
Have the size of turkeys gone down in the last 5 to 10 years ?

For about the last 5 years we have been getting smoked/bar-b-que turkeys
from several sources. Some from a restraunt and some from places that
fix them for fund raisers, like the volunteer fire departments.

Each year they seem to get smaller. This year the one I picked up today
was not much larger than a good size chicken. The wife had to go to
the grocery store and buy another and cook it herself just so we would
have enough for 6 people.

Families and holiday gatherings are smaller. People desire smaller
turkeys. The marketplace is responding to demand.

Cindy Hamilton

On 11/27/2019 11:17 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:

Have the size of turkeys gone down in the last 5 to 10 years ?

For about the last 5 years we have been getting smoked/bar-b-que turkeys
from several sources. Some from a restraunt and some from places that
fix them for fund raisers, like the volunteer fire departments.

Each year they seem to get smaller. This year the one I picked up today
was not much larger than a good size chicken. The wife had to go to
the grocery store and buy another and cook it herself just so we would
have enough for 6 people.


Don't worry, the turkey still has plenty of residual growth hormones in it so you'll still gain weight.

On 11/28/2019 7:52 AM, Bod F wrote:
On 11/27/2019 11:17 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:

Have the size of turkeys gone down in the last 5 to 10 years ?

For about the last 5 years we have been getting smoked/bar-b-que turkeys
from several sources. Some from a restraunt and some from places that
fix them for fund raisers, like the volunteer fire departments.

Each year they seem to get smaller.Â* This year the one I picked up today
was not much larger than a good size chicken.Â*Â* The wife had to go to
the grocery store and buy another and cook it herself just so we would
have enough for 6 people.


Don't worry, the turkey still has plenty of residual growth hormones in
it so you'll still gain weight.


Here's how to fix it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qZHJ0LM3uQ

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 07:52:12 -0500, Bod F wrote:

On 11/27/2019 11:17 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:

Have the size of turkeys gone down in the last 5 to 10 years ?

For about the last 5 years we have been getting smoked/bar-b-que turkeys
from several sources. Some from a restraunt and some from places that
fix them for fund raisers, like the volunteer fire departments.

Each year they seem to get smaller. This year the one I picked up today
was not much larger than a good size chicken. The wife had to go to
the grocery store and buy another and cook it herself just so we would
have enough for 6 people.


Don't worry, the turkey still has plenty of residual growth hormones in it so you'll still gain weight.

Maybe that's why our is 23 lbs.

On 11/28/2019 9:34 AM, Vic Smith wrote:
On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 07:52:12 -0500, Bod F wrote:

On 11/27/2019 11:17 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
Have the size of turkeys gone down in the last 5 to 10 years ?

For about the last 5 years we have been getting smoked/bar-b-que turkeys
from several sources. Some from a restraunt and some from places that
fix them for fund raisers, like the volunteer fire departments.

Each year they seem to get smaller. This year the one I picked up today
was not much larger than a good size chicken. The wife had to go to
the grocery store and buy another and cook it herself just so we would
have enough for 6 people.

Don't worry, the turkey still has plenty of residual growth hormones in it so you'll still gain weight.
Maybe that's why our is 23 lbs.

Your turkey hid in the barn last year...but they got him this year.

--
Get off my lawn!

On 11/28/2019 9:05 AM, Frank wrote:
On 11/28/2019 7:52 AM, Bod F wrote:
On 11/27/2019 11:17 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:

Have the size of turkeys gone down in the last 5 to 10 years ?

For about the last 5 years we have been getting smoked/bar-b-que turkeys
from several sources. Some from a restraunt and some from places that
fix them for fund raisers, like the volunteer fire departments.

Each year they seem to get smaller.Â* This year the one I picked up today
was not much larger than a good size chicken.Â*Â* The wife had to go to
the grocery store and buy another and cook it herself just so we would
have enough for 6 people.


Don't worry, the turkey still has plenty of residual growth hormones in it so you'll still gain weight.


Here's how to fix it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qZHJ0LM3uQ

How To 'Fix' Your Mother-In-Law by Wilford Brimley

--
Get off my lawn!

On 11/28/2019 10:12 AM, Grumpy Old White Guy wrote:
On 11/28/2019 9:05 AM, Frank wrote:
On 11/28/2019 7:52 AM, Bod F wrote:
On 11/27/2019 11:17 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:

Have the size of turkeys gone down in the last 5 to 10 years ?

For about the last 5 years we have been getting smoked/bar-b-que
turkeys
from several sources. Some from a restraunt and some from places that
fix them for fund raisers, like the volunteer fire departments.

Each year they seem to get smaller.Â* This year the one I picked up
today
was not much larger than a good size chicken.Â*Â* The wife had to go to
the grocery store and buy another and cook it herself just so we would
have enough for 6 people.


Don't worry, the turkey still has plenty of residual growth hormones
in it so you'll still gain weight.


Here's how to fix it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qZHJ0LM3uQ

How To 'Fix' Your Mother-In-Law by Wilford Brimley


This was apparently the original stuffing your turkey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbtu9sF5Kr0

I think they did it different every year.

In article ,
says...

Families and holiday gatherings are smaller. People desire smaller
turkeys. The marketplace is responding to demand.




Yes, families are getting smaller, but still one would thing that 6
people is not that small of a family.

In article ,
says...
One of two things is happening. Either the price is going up or the
size is going down - or both.

In order to APPEAR to not being increasing prices they just sell you a
smaller bird. The bigger you grow a bird the more it costs per lb.



Sure that is the way it always works .

I don't mind paying more if that is what it takes. Looks like next time
if we go the same route we will need to put in for 2 turkeys.

It is still going to take the same ammount of food for up even if the
price goes up.

For Christmas we may just get 2 of the 5 1/2 pound brests and cook it
our selves. Or see if they have the larger Butterball ones and cook it.

On 11/28/2019 9:55 AM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...
One of two things is happening. Either the price is going up or the
size is going down - or both.

In order to APPEAR to not being increasing prices they just sell you a
smaller bird. The bigger you grow a bird the more it costs per lb.



Sure that is the way it always works .

I don't mind paying more if that is what it takes. Looks like next time
if we go the same route we will need to put in for 2 turkeys.

I suspect the only problem is your shopping date (and possibly
location). Any sizable grocery before Thanksgiving will have a large
selection of all sizes from small to truly humongous...but pickings can
be fairly slim by the last couple of days before the actual day.

They're all priced by the pound with premiums for precooked, breast
only, etc, etc., etc., rather than just a plain whole bird.

--

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 11:00:09 -0600, dpb wrote:

On 11/28/2019 9:55 AM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...
One of two things is happening. Either the price is going up or the
size is going down - or both.

In order to APPEAR to not being increasing prices they just sell you a
smaller bird. The bigger you grow a bird the more it costs per lb.



Sure that is the way it always works .

I don't mind paying more if that is what it takes. Looks like next time
if we go the same route we will need to put in for 2 turkeys.

I suspect the only problem is your shopping date (and possibly
location). Any sizable grocery before Thanksgiving will have a large
selection of all sizes from small to truly humongous...but pickings can
be fairly slim by the last couple of days before the actual day.

They're all priced by the pound with premiums for precooked, breast
only, etc, etc., etc., rather than just a plain whole bird.

They make turkey so cheap at thanksgiving, if you really like them you
should buy several and leave them in the freezer. They were 49 cents a
pound here.

In article , says...

I suspect the only problem is your shopping date (and possibly
location). Any sizable grocery before Thanksgiving will have a large
selection of all sizes from small to truly humongous...but pickings can
be fairly slim by the last couple of days before the actual day.

They're all priced by the pound with premiums for precooked, breast
only, etc, etc., etc., rather than just a plain whole bird.




It is not the shopping date. I am not getting the turkeys out of the
grocery store. The order was put in about a month ago.

Where I am getting them is already cooked and ready to eat (might get
them the day before and just have to warm them up).

They are comming cooked from places like restraunts and the clubs and
volunteer fire departments that cook them to help raise money.

They are all close to the same size at thease places. They just keep
getting smaller each year.

I weighed the turkey after I cut all the meat off the bones. It was
just over 6 pounds. I should have weighed it before I cut it off the
bones. The 2 legs still had the bones in them.

In article ,
says...

They make turkey so cheap at thanksgiving, if you really like them you
should buy several and leave them in the freezer. They were 49 cents a
pound here.



You all are not paying attention. Just like usual.


The turkeys I am trying to get across are the ones that are already
cooked.

I put in an order for one at a restraunt a month ahead of time, They
cook it and I pick it up . Take it home and eat it.

Some clubs such as the VFW cook them and sell them on Thanksgiving and
Christmas.

Over the last 5 or so years they are getting smaller.

They are not cheap when you get about 8 pounds for around 30 to 40
dollars. Then never go in my freezer.
I cut off the meat of the one this year and got just under 7 pounds of
meat. That was including the legs that had the bones left on them.

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 20:28:52 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article ,
says...

They make turkey so cheap at thanksgiving, if you really like them you
should buy several and leave them in the freezer. They were 49 cents a
pound here.



You all are not paying attention. Just like usual.


The turkeys I am trying to get across are the ones that are already
cooked.

I put in an order for one at a restraunt a month ahead of time, They
cook it and I pick it up . Take it home and eat it.

Some clubs such as the VFW cook them and sell them on Thanksgiving and
Christmas.

Over the last 5 or so years they are getting smaller.

They are not cheap when you get about 8 pounds for around 30 to 40
dollars. Then never go in my freezer.
I cut off the meat of the one this year and got just under 7 pounds of
meat. That was including the legs that had the bones left on them.

You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?

BTW why don't you just cook your own turkey. It is about the easiest
thing in the world to do.

In article ,
says...

You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?

BTW why don't you just cook your own turkey. It is about the easiest
thing in the world to do.



I probably should have. They all seem to be the same size.

To cook the turkeys you have to wait about 2 days or so for the frozen
ones to thaw. The people cooking them do it over wood and sort of smoke
them.

Today I read about the Butterball people having a turkey that you just
pop in the oven even though it is frozen. It comes in a special bag and
is ready in about 4 hours. I may try that for Christmas.

We did get a small turkey breast and put it in the oven and cooked it
ourselves when we saw how small the cooked one was. It was one that was
not frozen and just the whole breast part with the legs and wings cut
off.

In article t,
says...
You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?




Found their ad and it said 14 to 16 pounds.

That must be before cooking. I would not expect it to loose around 5 or
more pounds during the cooking.

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 22:09:32 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article ,
says...

You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?

BTW why don't you just cook your own turkey. It is about the easiest
thing in the world to do.



I probably should have. They all seem to be the same size.

To cook the turkeys you have to wait about 2 days or so for the frozen
ones to thaw. The people cooking them do it over wood and sort of smoke
them.

Today I read about the Butterball people having a turkey that you just
pop in the oven even though it is frozen. It comes in a special bag and
is ready in about 4 hours. I may try that for Christmas.

We did get a small turkey breast and put it in the oven and cooked it
ourselves when we saw how small the cooked one was. It was one that was
not frozen and just the whole breast part with the legs and wings cut
off.

You can usually get fresh (not frozen) turkeys around the holidays but
a lot of people say the frozen one is probably "fresher" since it was
flash frozen right after it was killed as opposed to being packed in
ice for up to a month.

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 22:31:29 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article t,
says...
You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?




Found their ad and it said 14 to 16 pounds.

That must be before cooking. I would not expect it to loose around 5 or
more pounds during the cooking.


They do inject a lot of water in them but I doubt it is more than a
few ounces. They will lose a lot of moisture cooking if it is not in a
bag and that 14 pounds includes the giblets, neck etc. I thought about
weighing the meat I got off my 12 pound turkey today but we were
already eating it. I usually do bone them out right after dinner tho.
The meat keeps better in the fridge in a zip bag than trying to cover
the whole turkey carcass and it takes up a lot less room.

On 11/28/2019 10:46 PM, wrote:

You can usually get fresh (not frozen) turkeys around the holidays but
a lot of people say the frozen one is probably "fresher" since it was
flash frozen right after it was killed as opposed to being packed in
ice for up to a month.


Some years ago we bought a really fresh fresh bird locally. It was
better but much more expensive. Don't recall the price but at least
triple.

Went to my son's house and we had a frozen bird that was 49 cents a
pound. It was pretty damned good for that price.

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 23:36:23 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 11/28/2019 10:46 PM, wrote:

You can usually get fresh (not frozen) turkeys around the holidays but
a lot of people say the frozen one is probably "fresher" since it was
flash frozen right after it was killed as opposed to being packed in
ice for up to a month.


Some years ago we bought a really fresh fresh bird locally. It was
better but much more expensive. Don't recall the price but at least
triple.

Went to my son's house and we had a frozen bird that was 49 cents a
pound. It was pretty damned good for that price.

That was what we got and it was pretty good but I will cook a turkey
every few months through the year. I probably should go to Publix
tomorrow and get another one. We usually make chili out of the left
overs after we get tired of turkey sandwiches.

I did weigh the bag of meat I got off of it and I have almost 5
pounds. We probably ate a pound. (12.5 pound bird, no neck). That
means I got a little less than 6 pounds.
This is really picking the bones clean tho. Since I am making Chili
with a lot of it, little pieces picked out of the carcass is still
meat. That seems to mean a little over half is lost to cooking or
bones. It will be more waste if you are just carving and not picking
the carcass clean. My "Chili Bag" is close to a pound that you would
not get with a carving knife.

On 11/28/2019 08:31 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article t,
says...
You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?




Found their ad and it said 14 to 16 pounds.

That must be before cooking. I would not expect it to loose around 5 or
more pounds during the cooking.



You can figure roughly a 25% loss. That's for the whole bird. Then you
have the weight of the inedible bones. Overall the yield is about 50%.

A friend tried a number of business ventures, most of which didn't work
out. He was quite meticulous to the point of being suffering from OCD.
One was a sandwich business for a barroom. He was quite shocked when a
10 pound beef roast didn't yield the number of 4 ounce sandwich portions
he had calculated after cooking. He found that buying frozen pre-cooked
roasts from a restaurant supply was more economical.

Then there was the pizza parlor... The night before the grand opening I
found him sitting on the floor drinking beer and close to tears. 'I made
a pizza and it was so bad the dog wouldn't eat it.'

On 11/28/2019 10:00 PM, wrote:
This is really picking the bones clean tho. Since I am making Chili
with a lot of it, little pieces picked out of the carcass is still
meat. That seems to mean a little over half is lost to cooking or
bones.

I think the National Turkey Federation claims 53% yield.

I was never ambitious enough to figure the net cost per ounce of cheap
whole chickens versus the various parts or skinless boneless breasts.
The local market usually had skinless boneless breasts at a very good
price. Cheap protein but I ate them so often I've developed sort of a
gag reflex.

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 20:28:52 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article ,
says...

They make turkey so cheap at thanksgiving, if you really like them you
should buy several and leave them in the freezer. They were 49 cents a
pound here.



You all are not paying attention. Just like usual.


The turkeys I am trying to get across are the ones that are already
cooked.

I put in an order for one at a restraunt a month ahead of time, They
cook it and I pick it up . Take it home and eat it.

Some clubs such as the VFW cook them and sell them on Thanksgiving and
Christmas.

Over the last 5 or so years they are getting smaller.

They are not cheap when you get about 8 pounds for around 30 to 40
dollars. Then never go in my freezer.
I cut off the meat of the one this year and got just under 7 pounds of
meat. That was including the legs that had the bones left on them.
A 12 lb bird yields about 5 lbs of cooked meat cut off the bones. If
you got 7 lb you likely had a 14 or 15 lb bird. Count on 1.5 lb
dressed weight (not cooked) per person when buying uncooked bird.

Not counting bone weight you lose almost 25% of the bird's weight
when it is coocked with most "commercial" turkeys

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 22:09:32 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article ,
says...

You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?

BTW why don't you just cook your own turkey. It is about the easiest
thing in the world to do.



I probably should have. They all seem to be the same size.

To cook the turkeys you have to wait about 2 days or so for the frozen
ones to thaw. The people cooking them do it over wood and sort of smoke
them.

Today I read about the Butterball people having a turkey that you just
pop in the oven even though it is frozen. It comes in a special bag and
is ready in about 4 hours. I may try that for Christmas.

We did get a small turkey breast and put it in the oven and cooked it
ourselves when we saw how small the cooked one was. It was one that was
not frozen and just the whole breast part with the legs and wings cut
off.
I generally order fresh chilled never frozen turkey if I think about
it early enough. Pick up from the butcher 2 days ahead.
I have also done the roast from frozen trick - and it worked pretty
good. The fresh never frozen doesn't generally lose as much weight
because they are not generally "pumped up" like the commercial frozen
bird

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 22:31:29 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article t,
says...
You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?




Found their ad and it said 14 to 16 pounds.

That must be before cooking. I would not expect it to loose around 5 or
more pounds during the cooking.

25%, generally speaking - so a 16 lb bird would lose 4 lb before
boning

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 23:36:23 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 11/28/2019 10:46 PM, wrote:

You can usually get fresh (not frozen) turkeys around the holidays but
a lot of people say the frozen one is probably "fresher" since it was
flash frozen right after it was killed as opposed to being packed in
ice for up to a month.


Some years ago we bought a really fresh fresh bird locally. It was
better but much more expensive. Don't recall the price but at least
triple.

Went to my son's house and we had a frozen bird that was 49 cents a
pound. It was pretty damned good for that price.
When you get a b or c grade bird they are even cheaper - some have 3
wings or 1 1/2 legs or other configurations, or torn skin - but they
taste just as good

On 11/28/19 9:46 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 20:28:52 -0500, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article ,
says...
They make turkey so cheap at thanksgiving, if you really like them you
should buy several and leave them in the freezer. They were 49 cents a
pound here.


You all are not paying attention. Just like usual.


The turkeys I am trying to get across are the ones that are already
cooked.

I put in an order for one at a restraunt a month ahead of time, They
cook it and I pick it up . Take it home and eat it.

Some clubs such as the VFW cook them and sell them on Thanksgiving and
Christmas.

Over the last 5 or so years they are getting smaller.

They are not cheap when you get about 8 pounds for around 30 to 40
dollars. Then never go in my freezer.
I cut off the meat of the one this year and got just under 7 pounds of
meat. That was including the legs that had the bones left on them.
You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?

BTW why don't you just cook your own turkey. It is about the easiest
thing in the world to do.


Cooking turkeys are a pain in the ass.Â* Much easier to just buy some ground beef/pork stuffing and make a meatloaf.Â* Form it into a turkey shape if you must.

On Thursday, November 28, 2019 at 10:09:42 PM UTC-5, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?

BTW why don't you just cook your own turkey. It is about the easiest
thing in the world to do.



I probably should have. They all seem to be the same size.

To cook the turkeys you have to wait about 2 days or so for the frozen
ones to thaw. T

It's not as if Thanksgiving comes as a surprise. Plan ahead.

A turkey takes longer than 2 days to thaw in a refrigerator. I gave
mine 6 days to defrost, which was probably a little much. Four is
probably sufficient.

You paid a lot for the labor to cook your turkey for you. Materials
costs are a relatively small proportion of any restaurant's costs.

Cindy Hamilton

On Friday, November 29, 2019 at 6:27:16 AM UTC-5, Beef wrote:

Cooking turkeys are a pain in the ass.Â* Much easier to just buy some ground beef/pork stuffing and make a meatloaf.Â* Form it into a turkey shape if you must.

But it doesn't taste like turkey and there's no stuffing. Turkey's highest
purposes is as a vessel for stuffing.

Cindy Hamilton

In article ,
says...

I think the National Turkey Federation claims 53% yield.

I was never ambitious enough to figure the net cost per ounce of cheap
whole chickens versus the various parts or skinless boneless breasts.
The local market usually had skinless boneless breasts at a very good
price. Cheap protein but I ate them so often I've developed sort of a
gag reflex.



Seems like everyone is saying around 50% meat from the turkey.

I was really wondering if others had noticed the already cooked turkeys
getting smaller.

I don't really care what it cost, I just want enough for everyone.
However I am not going to buy two turkeys for just 6 people at $ 35
each.

Cindy mentioned the labor is the thing and not the meat. I agree with
that. For a few dollars more they could get a larger turkey. Then I
would not have had to spend that much more to get another turkey at the
grocery store and cook it.

I think I have made up my mind that for Christmas I am going to the get
one of the Butterball ones. They have one that is frozen and in a
baking bag. They advertise you just take it from the freezer and put it
in the oven and in about 4 hours it is ready. Has anyonne tried that
one ?

I will still get one of the Boston butts from there as we like the
smoked pork and theirs was good.

On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 23:57:24 -0700, rbowman
wrote:

On 11/28/2019 10:00 PM, wrote:
This is really picking the bones clean tho. Since I am making Chili
with a lot of it, little pieces picked out of the carcass is still
meat. That seems to mean a little over half is lost to cooking or
bones.

I think the National Turkey Federation claims 53% yield.

I was never ambitious enough to figure the net cost per ounce of cheap
whole chickens versus the various parts or skinless boneless breasts.
The local market usually had skinless boneless breasts at a very good
price. Cheap protein but I ate them so often I've developed sort of a
gag reflex.

I am a pretty careful shopper and it appears that the skin and bones
makes up around 25-30% of the breast with ribs, depending on whether
they sell you the breast bone two. Typically half have it and half
don't, just because of where they cut. At that point you have some
math to do. My take away is when the boneless, skinless, tasteless
breasts are on sale, it is a better deal than with the skin and ribs.
Not on sale, you have to do the math but your labor is worth something
too.
I really prefer the dark meat anyway and if you are willing to buy
thigh quarters you can get them for less than a buck a pound in the 10
pound bag. Again there is lots of waste but if it is 69 cents a pound,
who cares? With a sharp paring knife, you can bone the whole thing out
in less than a minute and end up with one slab of meat that is great
on the grill. I leave the skin on for that.

On Thursday, November 28, 2019 at 8:07:32 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 11:00:09 -0600, dpb wrote:

On 11/28/2019 9:55 AM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...
One of two things is happening. Either the price is going up or the
size is going down - or both.

In order to APPEAR to not being increasing prices they just sell you a
smaller bird. The bigger you grow a bird the more it costs per lb.



Sure that is the way it always works .

I don't mind paying more if that is what it takes. Looks like next time
if we go the same route we will need to put in for 2 turkeys.

I suspect the only problem is your shopping date (and possibly
location). Any sizable grocery before Thanksgiving will have a large
selection of all sizes from small to truly humongous...but pickings can
be fairly slim by the last couple of days before the actual day.

They're all priced by the pound with premiums for precooked, breast
only, etc, etc., etc., rather than just a plain whole bird.

They make turkey so cheap at thanksgiving, if you really like them you
should buy several and leave them in the freezer. They were 49 cents a
pound here.

A turkey is free here at Shoprite, if you spend $400 in about the previous
three weeks. It used to be just $300 until a few years ago.

And I agree with DPB, turkeys of all sizes are available at all the
supermarkets here, unless maybe if you wait until the very last day.

On Thursday, November 28, 2019 at 10:09:42 PM UTC-5, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

You didn't ask what size it was going to be before you ordered it?

BTW why don't you just cook your own turkey. It is about the easiest
thing in the world to do.



I probably should have. They all seem to be the same size.

To cook the turkeys you have to wait about 2 days or so for the frozen
ones to thaw.

So? How long ahead of time do you have to order the cooked ones?
Here since it's usually cold enough outside or in the garage,
I just leave them to thaw out for a couple days in the trunk
of the car. I wouldn't do that if it's 60 outside, but when it's
40F, it's fine. You can also thaw them in hours if you have to,
by putting it in a kitchen sink full of water. Or put it in a 5 gal
bucket and brine it for a day.


The people cooking them do it over wood and sort of smoke
them.

Yes, I agree that would be a good reason to buy a cooked one.






Today I read about the Butterball people having a turkey that you just
pop in the oven even though it is frozen. It comes in a special bag and
is ready in about 4 hours. I may try that for Christmas.

What do they put in it? Some more special chemicals? I'd bet that
it's also going to be one of those small ones that you don't like.






We did get a small turkey breast and put it in the oven and cooked it
ourselves when we saw how small the cooked one was. It was one that was
not frozen and just the whole breast part with the legs and wings cut
off.

On Thursday, November 28, 2019 at 11:36:28 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 11/28/2019 10:46 PM, wrote:

You can usually get fresh (not frozen) turkeys around the holidays but
a lot of people say the frozen one is probably "fresher" since it was
flash frozen right after it was killed as opposed to being packed in
ice for up to a month.


Some years ago we bought a really fresh fresh bird locally. It was
better but much more expensive. Don't recall the price but at least
triple.

Went to my son's house and we had a frozen bird that was 49 cents a
pound. It was pretty damned good for that price.

The gourmet in thing now are those heritage turkeys that go for $100.
They are closer to what real turkeys were like 200 years ago. Not sure
I'd like it, as they are supposed to be more like dark meat and I
like the white meat.

On Friday, November 29, 2019 at 10:47:49 AM UTC-5, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

I think the National Turkey Federation claims 53% yield.

I was never ambitious enough to figure the net cost per ounce of cheap
whole chickens versus the various parts or skinless boneless breasts.
The local market usually had skinless boneless breasts at a very good
price. Cheap protein but I ate them so often I've developed sort of a
gag reflex.



Seems like everyone is saying around 50% meat from the turkey.

I was really wondering if others had noticed the already cooked turkeys
getting smaller.

I don't really care what it cost, I just want enough for everyone.
However I am not going to buy two turkeys for just 6 people at $ 35
each.

Cindy mentioned the labor is the thing and not the meat. I agree with
that. For a few dollars more they could get a larger turkey. Then I
would not have had to spend that much more to get another turkey at the
grocery store and cook it.

If you're in the business of cooking or smoking turkeys, you can't
just buy turkeys that are twice the size and have the only impact
on your costs be the increased cost of the bigger turkeys. You have
X employees and Y size ovens or smokers. You can't put 20 pounds
of turkey into a 10 pound oven. Generally speaking, in addition
to the increased cost of the larger turkeys, you'd need either more/larger
ovens or twice as long to cook them. That's a big impact on costs.








I think I have made up my mind that for Christmas I am going to the get
one of the Butterball ones. They have one that is frozen and in a
baking bag. They advertise you just take it from the freezer and put it
in the oven and in about 4 hours it is ready. Has anyonne tried that
one ?

I will still get one of the Boston butts from there as we like the
smoked pork and theirs was good.

In article ,
says...

So? How long ahead of time do you have to order the cooked ones?
Here since it's usually cold enough outside or in the garage,
I just leave them to thaw out for a couple days in the trunk
of the car. I wouldn't do that if it's 60 outside, but when it's
40F, it's fine. You can also thaw them in hours if you have to,
by putting it in a kitchen sink full of water. Or put it in a 5 gal
bucket and brine it for a day.


The people cooking them do it over wood and sort of smoke
them.

Yes, I agree that would be a good reason to buy a cooked one.






Today I read about the Butterball people having a turkey that you just
pop in the oven even though it is frozen. It comes in a special bag and
is ready in about 4 hours. I may try that for Christmas.

What do they put in it? Some more special chemicals? I'd bet that
it's also going to be one of those small ones that you don't like.







I do like the ones that are cooked over the wood for the flavor. Main
reason for buying them.

It is too hot here to do the thawing out of the refrigerator. At noon
today it is 57 deg F. If it were cooler I could put it in an out
building I store the lawn equipment in or the unheated garage.

Our refrigerator is small. I think only about 20 cuft. The house has 4
bed rooms. We bought the house used. Whoever built it put cabinets in
and only left a small space for the refrigerator. One would think that
with that many bedrooms they would have left a large space for a larger
refirgerator. As it is just me and the wife we did not think small
refrigerator would be a problem. For us, it isn't, but when a whole
turkey is in it, there is little room for much else special for the
larger family geathering. We do have a small freezer in the basement to
put forzen items in. By buying the cooked turkey a day ahead and
cutting it off the bones it takes up only a small space.

I don't know how they do the bagged Butterball. I just found out about
it Wensday after I got home and was looking around on the computer about
turkeys thinking about what to do for Christmas. If it is as good as
the unfrozen one we bought on Wensday, it will be ok. Not great, but
ok.

On Friday, November 29, 2019 at 10:47:49 AM UTC-5, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article ,
says...

I think the National Turkey Federation claims 53% yield.

I was never ambitious enough to figure the net cost per ounce of cheap
whole chickens versus the various parts or skinless boneless breasts.
The local market usually had skinless boneless breasts at a very good
price. Cheap protein but I ate them so often I've developed sort of a
gag reflex.



Seems like everyone is saying around 50% meat from the turkey.

I was really wondering if others had noticed the already cooked turkeys
getting smaller.

I don't really care what it cost, I just want enough for everyone.
However I am not going to buy two turkeys for just 6 people at $ 35
each.

I just checked the prices at the local turkey farm here. It's a family
business, been around 50+ years. They sell turkeys, cooked or uncooked,
also have a small deli operation that serves turkey, soup, sandwiches,
pies, etc. For a rotisserie cooked turkey, it's $5.75 /lb and for
a smoked turkey breast, it's $13 a pound. They offer smoked whole
turkeys, but no posted price. So, a roasted 16 lb turkey would be $92 and
a 5 lb smoked breast would be $65. Sounds like a lot of money to me.
I did buy a whole cooked turkey from them once. A friend's father
had passed away and I split buying the turkey plus the rest of the
stuff with a friend. There is stuff is pretty good, but I don't
think the regular turkey is any better than what I can cook myself.







Cindy mentioned the labor is the thing and not the meat. I agree with
that. For a few dollars more they could get a larger turkey. Then I
would not have had to spend that much more to get another turkey at the
grocery store and cook it.

I think I have made up my mind that for Christmas I am going to the get
one of the Butterball ones. They have one that is frozen and in a
baking bag. They advertise you just take it from the freezer and put it
in the oven and in about 4 hours it is ready. Has anyonne tried that
one ?

I will still get one of the Boston butts from there as we like the
smoked pork and theirs was good.

On 11/29/2019 08:47 AM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
I was really wondering if others had noticed the already cooked turkeys
getting smaller.

No data for comparison since I never bought a pre-cooked turkey. In fact
I haven't cooked one in several years but it wasn't that big a deal when
I did. I had the opposite problem, finding a small enough bird that I
wouldn't be eating turkey for two weeks.

Of course some people can screw up royally. When aluminum foil started
getting popular one of my aunts interpreted the aluminum foil tent as
wrapping the bird in a foil cocoon. We ate around noon and went over to
her house in the evening. She had a large extended family, all of which
were in a bad mood since the turkey was way overdue. When it was finally
pronounced edible it was more steamed turkey than the traditional version.

Traditional holiday should preserve tradition. When the turkeys came
with popups indicating they were done my mother approached the
innovation with extreme suspicion and insisted on the tried and true
technique of wiggling the drumstick.