I reserved either a Narragansett or Bourbon Red from my butcher for Thanksgiving but would appreciate any input re how these birds taste or if they need any special handling. Supposedly they take well to brining and have more dark meat (a good thing imo) than regular turkeys.

This is a good question JW1. They have these at the Butcher I go too also. They have different kinds also. Some are fed only organically grown feed and some are "free range". There was a brouchure at the Butcher explaining things last time I went.

Here is an interesting website: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Turkeys/BRKTurkey.html

In general, these birds will not have the huge white meat breasts, thus relatively more dark meat than typical white turkeys. Depending on how they are raised (most are free-range or organic), they will be a leaner bird.

Like wild turkeys, I would consider roasting these birds back side up for about 1/2 of the cooking time to prevent drying out the breast meat, leaving enough time to brown the skin over the breast. Brining should help keep them moist.

Thanks for the link. Great info.

Instead of turning the bird over I usually use a trick that I learned from Ron Siegel. When he worked at Charles Nob Hill, they served Thanksgiving meals. He felt that flipping a bunch of turkeys was a pain so instead he made a rather large "sponge" out of cheesecloth. He would dunk the sponge into a vat of melted butter (could be flavored if you want) and then place the butter filled sponge over the breast of the turkey. Periodically he would remove the sponge, fill it up with more melted butter, and then replace it on the turkey. He would remove the sponge near the end to allow the breast to brown up nicely. This technique makes a very juicy turkey.

I put thick slab bacon over the breast. Then I chop it up and add to the salad.

You are a generous person - I would keep all of that bacon for the chef.

This is an interesting idea Board-o. I'm wondering how it works. Do you just take thickly sliced bacon and layer the bacon over the turkey? Do you have to change out the bacon at some point during the cooking or is the temperature low enough to not cook the bacon until the bird is done.

Jones, I manage to sneak some before it goes into the salad. By the way, grilled bacon is great. I put it over indirect heat and comes it perfectly. When we tailgate at Yankee Stadium (sob, brining up bad memories of Game 7), I buy the real thick slices at a specialty store and do them over a wood fire.

skwid, the bacon I use is the commercial thick-sliced stuff and the bacon lasts throughout the roasting. I remove it a little bit before the turkey is done and then turn the oven to convection to crisp up the skin.

Okay board-o since I can get bacon cut to any thickness at the butcher I go to I can get that part taken care of. Though I don't know if the bacon will ever make it out of the kitchen

So how is the turkey prepared otherwise? Do you brine it? Stuff it with herbs? Baste it? What cooking temperature. This sounds good enough that I might have to go out and purchase a small turkey this year and finally cook one up. I can see a pairing with a nice mid 80's DRC....

I let the bird come to room temp, rub the heck out of it with herbs, and stuff the cavity with herbs, carrots, lemon, garlic, onions, whatever else I have that's aromatic.

Then, like others here, I take a four-layer thick piece of cheesecloth that's been soaked in butter and place it over the breasts plus much of the sunny-side-up part of the bird.

It all goes in the oven and, unlike others, I baste the cheesecloth several times over the roasting with the pan drippings. So that I don't mar the skin, I don't take the cloth off until near the end of the roasting. The skin comes out this gorgeous, uniformly nut brown color and the meat is making my mouth water even now.

Turkeys are an easy bird to cook and make you look like you know what you're doing if they turn out nice.

I do it a little dofferently, but I realize there are probably a load of different ways to do it so it comes out just the way you like it. We have friend who rubs the turkey with ketchup. I know it sounds gross, but her turkey is never dry and you can't even taste a hint of ketchup when it's done.

I use a fresh turkey and inject it in many different places with a mitxture of chicken broth, evoo, and spices. The I rub a little evoo on the skin to make the spices stick and I put on salt, pepper, dill, rosemary, sage, onion powder and garlic. I put it breast side up on a rack, the cover the entire bird not inside the rack with thick sliced bacon. Next, I cover the bird and the pan with aluminum foil and roast at 275 degrees til it's about an hour from being done. I then remove the aluminum foil and insert a meat thermometer. When there's maybe 20 minutes left, I remove the bacon (mmmmm!) and turn the oven on convection. With all the injecting I did, there will be a lot of juices and fat in the pan. I heat it thoroughly after the turkey has been removed to rest. I then pour the contents of the pan through a strainer into a gravy separater. Then I pour the Pinot Noir.

I've never marred the skin by removing the cheese cloth in order to fill it up with more butter.

Thanks for the cheesecloth recommendation. We'll give it a try.

JW1, tell us what you think after trying out the heritage turkey. I'm curious about the taste.