Cooking a Heritage Turkey

Thank you for purchasing a Heritage Turkey from Vinegar Hill Farm!

Cooking a Heritage Turkey really isn’t different than making a traditional turkey but the breast is smaller than a commercial turkey so cook time is lower and needs to be more carefully monitored with a thermometer.  You will need to begin checking it periodically ½ hour to 1 hour before the estimated time.  If you don’t have an instant read digital thermometer, I’d recommend you get one at Kroger or your local grocery – they’re about $15, half that for non-digital.  

Unlike a commercially bred white turkey, Heritage turkey is dark-plumed. When processed, the pigment from the feathers can extrude into the skin and make a few spots. This does not affect the turkey’s flavor, only its appearance, and it’s an appreciated trait of an old-world heritage breed.

We advocate dry brining in the infographic.  This is potentially controversial, and many cooks may be unfamiliar, so we want to include one or both of these links:

Includes both dry brining and wet brining instructions: How to Brine a Turkey for Thanksgiving

If you want to get deeper into it: Dry Brine Is the Best Way to Brine Meat, Poultry, & More

Neither is perfect.  The first one has both dry and wet brining, which again may make some confused as it doesn’t match the inforgraphic exactly (which only says dry).  The second one is just dry brining but it’s the graduate level course on it and goes way beyond just turkeys, so it may make overwhelmed because most people don’t want to read all that.

If you want to get super bougie about it all, spatchcocking may be a consideration - which is difficult but you might be up for the challenge.  Most aren’t, so my infographic uses a traditional roast.  No flipping the bird either.  This is the link to the spatchcock approach:

The Food Lab's Definitive Guide to Buying, Prepping, Cooking, and Carving Your Holiday Turkey. 

If you want to be safe and not think too deeply, focus on spending time with your family and just get the bird brined and cooked. 

Be sure to brush off any excess salt before putting on butter/oil on (or UNDER!) skin.

If you are versed in the kitchen arts, you likely know aromatics as carrots, onions and celery along with a bouqet garni (bundle of thyme, oregano, sage, parsley, maybe a little rosemary or whatever is in the garden) that is thrown in the cavity of the bird and the pan and use to flavor the gravy.  We also put too much water in the pan in the recipe but it won’t really hurt anything. 

Let us know how your bird turns out! Some of our customers have reported great success with frying or smoking plus frying. 

A perfectly roasted organic heritage turkey ready for dinner.

Regardless, may your Vinegar Hill Farms bird bless your family and may you have a wonderful Holiday! 

Turkey Cooking Guide.pdf

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