Heritage Turkey???

Nope, never cooked one so I can't give a specific recommendation. Not sure why they say cook at a higher temp. Heritage is a bread and method of letting the bird grow naturally, so not sure why you'd need a higher temp.

Maybe someone will jump in that's done one. Thanks for searching first.

I'm looking over the recipe info at Heritage Foods for any info:

http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/chefs/index.html#24

I raise Heritage Turkeys and will give this a try in my new smoker as I had a small 9#'er left over this season. Heritage is a breed of turkey but greatly differs from the supermarket variety of turkeys. Heritage turkeys are more evenly porportioned in the ratio of white to dark meat. They are not a heavy breasted breed, therefore high temp cooking is recommended to keep them from drying out. Brining is not recommeded for Heritage turkeys but I feel it will be an asset in the smoker. I will update you as to how it turns out.

Pitty Ranch:

Where are you located? How do you go about ordering one to try out?

Thanks

Location - Idaho. Heritage turkeys are huge in the Southeast. You should have little trouble locating a breeder.

This is NOT a smoker recipe, but you can adapt it to your smoker.

My wife and I raise Narragansett turkeys, which are a "heritage" breed. we also raise the "standard" Broad-Breasted Bronze Frankenbirds for people who want a large turkey instead of one that tastes like a turkey!

We butchered this year at 5 months of age. (All turkeys were the same age.) The Narragansett toms dressed out in the 10-pound range. The Frankenbird toms weighed from 25 to 28 pounds. As you can see, the heritage birds are much slower growing. The Narragansetts spend every day in physical activity and as a result, have very large, muscular legs, thighs and wings. Their breasts are clearly separated into a left and right breast. heritage turkeys breed naturally.

The Frankenbirds spend all day at the feeder. They are very sedate and have poor muscle tone. Breasts are huge. Legs are short. They cannot breed naturally and must be artificially inseminated.

Anyway, on to our method of cooking a young Narragansett:

1. Give the processed bird a minimum of 4 days in the refrigerator to age and tenderize properly.

2. Brine 48 hours in a food-grade bucket. Keep brine between 35 and 42 degrees.

Brine - 2 gallons water; 1 gallon cider; 3 cops purified non-iodized salt; 3 cups white sugar.

Alternate brine - 3 gallons water; 3 cups purified non-iodized salt; 3 cups sugar; 1 cup REAL maple syrup; half-pint bourbon.

3. Rinse bird thoroughly, inside and out. Dry with toweling and allow to come to room temperature.

4. Loosen breast skin and poke-in a mixture of softened butter, sage and thyme. (You want the seasoned butter between the skin and the breast meat.)

5. Place a couple sliced apples and oranges into the cavity. (I never stuff a heritage bird).

6. Rub entire outside of bird with Ghee (clarified butter).

7. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

8. Place in deep roasting pan (on rack). 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup apple juice in the roasting pan.

9. Place in 425 degree pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

9, Reduce heat to 350 and continue roasting for 30 minutes.

10. Reduce heat to 300 and cook until thigh meat registers 165 degrees. If skin gets too dark, cover with foil tent. There is a layer of fat just under the skin, so yo have to get a balance between nice crispy skin and an overcooked breast... that's why we brine it and use the seasoned butter.

11. Remove from oven and allow to sit, covered, for 30 minutes. As the meat cools slightly, it will pull-in the juices that cooked-out during the roasting.

Enjoy a turkey like your grandparents did!

Now... brining and smoking heritage turkey legs and thighs.

The dark meat on a heritage turkey is a rich, mahogany brown. These birds spend every day on their feet and develop thick, strong leg and thigh muscles.

1. Butcher the bird and chill for 4 days to start the tenderizing process.

2. Remove legs and thighs.

3. Brine overnight between 35 and 42 degrees.

Brine - 2 gallons water; 2 cups kosher salt; 1 cup sugar; 4 Tbsp onion powder; 2 tbsp garlic powder; 1 Tbsp chili powder (use mor or less, according to how spicy you like your food.); 2 Tbsp paprika; 1 Tbsp black pepper (same advice as on chili powder); 2 tbsp rubbed sage; 1 Tbsp ground cumin; 1/4 cup Worcestershire. Bring to boil, stirring to get it all mixed good. Cover, and let cool to 35-40 degrees. (This is enough brine for 6 legs and 6 thighs).

4. Place legs and thighs (separated at joint) into brine and keep at 35 to 40 degrees for 12 hours.

5. Rinse well and pat dry. Allow to come to room temperature.

6. Rub with a mixture of your favorite rub and cooking oil. (I use a mixture of Ghee and olive oil to make the paste).

7. Allow to sit for an hour.

8. Smoke at 225 for 6 hours, over apple wood.


Biggest problem with smoking heritage turkey legs and thighs is getting someone to sell them to you. remember... heritage birds are very slow growing and are quite expensive. (This year, our out-of-pocket costs in each heritage turkey was over $45)

Enjoy!