Dan Barber's Turkey Quandary

By Dan Barber, Executive Chef/Co-Owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture

I’m ambivalent about heritage turkeys, which is to say I feel strongly and not so strongly about them—all at once. Not so strongly because I’ve managed to convince my family to partake in the ridiculously complex (but enjoyable) ritual of brining-roasting-poaching-steaming the Thanksgiving turkey to get good flavor. This process is not necessary with the heritage breeds—in fact, brining them is exactly what you shouldn’t do because it masks the flavor. So now that I’m sourcing heritage breeds each year, I may be supporting the farm’s diversity, but I’m also aiding in the disappearance of a family tradition: the 10-step roast turkey dinner.

Fortunately, the turkey operation at Stone Barns accommodates both heritage and traditional camps. Livestock Manager Craig Haney raises two breeds: Broad Breasted Whites and Bourbon Reds.A prize-worthy Bourbon Red

The Broad Breasted Whites are the classically conceived Thanksgiving turkey, a breed commercially developed in the 1950s that makes up the majority (or monopoly—99%) of turkeys raised in the United States. Despite their genetic resemblance, there’s an important distinction between our birds and the Butterball turkeys you meet in the supermarket: The latter is likely raised in a windowless feedlot illuminated by bright lights 24 hours a day. At Stone Barns, on the other hand, our Broad Breasted Whites tour the pastures in a large mobile shelter, roosting on low wooden trellises. Their diet of organic grain mash and natural forage allows the birds to grow quickly, and contentedly.

While their rapid growth rate and large breasts make Broad Breasted Whites an attractive candidate for the farmer (and the white-meat crowd), if you’re thinking of flavor alone, or the preservation of rare breeds, Bourbon Reds are the natural choice. Unchanged by the homogenizing forces of the commercial market, this heirloom breed has managed to maintain its genetic legacy of rich, dark meat. It’s turkey that actually tastes like turkey, which is why I prefer them in the end.

However, as far as what to prepare and serve at Thanksgiving goes, I’m still undecided.

Source: On the Farm, the Stone Barns members newsletter.