Turkeys

Thanksgiving and Seder have been my two most anticipated annual events for most of my adult life, at least my independent adult life in homes that I could call my own with kitchens that I controlled.  Since I covered the hospital every Christmas for my medical colleagues, I could always count on Thanksgiving as a free day.  Most years everyone assembled at my in-laws for both Thanksgiving dinner and Seder.  While living several hours distant as a medical resident, I tried to secure vacation time to allow the travel to their home for these holidays, succeeding about half the time.  Eventually we settled about an hour's drive away, raised my family, bundled everyone in the car.  As my in-laws became less able to prepare dinner, I began doing it, transporting the food to their home twice a year.  Once my sister-in-law became the sole occupant and my wife and I adapted to being empty nesters, the two elaborate dinners relocated to my kitchen and dining room.

Thanksgiving still has turkey as its centerpiece.  Seder once did as well, though with few people there are better entrée options, particularly things that my sister-in-law would not be able to obtain on her own with limited mobility.  

Turkey comes in a number of forms now, likely a commercial adaptation to smaller gatherings with families geographically scattered and smaller households.  While nothing beats that glorious whole roasted bird, bronzed skin as the olive oil coating and seasonings transform in a hot oven, it is not always practical.  Turkeys are now sold just as breasts, though at a premium per pound price.  I've not seen the legs sold separately, at least not for kosher turkeys.  No doubt, the booth operators at State Fairs around America purchase those legs, which they deep-fry and sell in large amounts.  I have seen turkey cutlets, boneless dark meat.  For four guests or less, and even for some Shabbat dinners with just my wife and me, I will purchase a breast half.  Very easy to make, just oil, season, put in a roasting pan or even a very large skillet, and let it roast for 90 minutes.  Carve with electric knife.  Eat what people can eat, give the rest away to guests or freeze for a subsequent shabbos.

But I still prefer having more people, enough to justify the Big Bird, my anticipated circumstance this Thanksgiving.  Turkey, even kosher turkey, was once an economical option.  It sold for under $2/lb, usually Empire frozen, mass-produced.  And they salted it before freezing, as kashrut requires.  Supermarkets would give them away if you bought enough other things at that store, or drastically reduce the price as a loss-leader to sell more profitable stuffing and pies.  Not so anymore.  Price now about $3.50 or even $4/lb, which would make a 15lb bird about $55.  And the selection has faltered the past few years.  While it is tempting to assign blame to the supply chain failures since the pandemic, kosher turkeys are raised and slaughtered in just a few places that do not require international shipping or sophisticated rail transit.  My main supermarket, Shop-Rite, has only frozen kosher turkeys, and at a look at their freezer, far fewer choices than they once offered.  Most are quite large, in the neighborhood of 18lb.   I only saw one under twelve pounds, something more appropriate to a small gathering.  Trader Joe's has better stuff, in a private arrangement with Empire.  Their turkeys are not frozen, or once were and pre-thawed by the retailer.  Virtually all are of uniform size, about 15 lb. And they sell out fast.  Last year they were all gone before I was ready to purchase, so this year I got one as soon as they went on display.

I moved some things around on the bottom shelf of my refrigerator to accommodate its bulk.  It will stay there until Thursday morning when the plastic wrapping can be cut, usually a fair amount of liquid drained, and a roasting pan prepared by scattering some past prime vegetables around its perimeter.  Place a rack in the middle.  Put in turkey, maybe put something in the cavity.  Coat with olive oil, season with whatever catches my fancy Thursday morning, pre-heat oven, and make it the final dish that needs the oven.  Some food mavens recommend rotating the turkey periodically, which I do as well.  But mostly it's set the timer and wait for it to reach its conclusion, check the thigh temperature for completeness, then let it rest.  

It's gotten more difficult to obtain, more expensive to purchase.  But still the Thanksgiving dinner of choice.