Talking turkey: Some people rely on the pros

It’s the centerpiece of a typical Thanksgiving meal, but many people wait until Thanksgiving eve to get their turkey.
Pam Taylor, meat department manager at Cypress Point Fresh Market in Patterson, expected today to be the market’s “biggest day for selling turkeys,” as lots of people wait until the last minute to buy a turkey, she said.
Turkey sales have been steady at Cypress Point. About 280 turkeys were sold as of Tuesday morning, which is roughly as much as they sold by this time last year.
Turkey prices are slightly higher than last year, costing about $14 for a 14-pound turkey this year, Taylor said.
About half the people who purchase their turkeys bake them and half fry them, Taylor said.
Though many people choose the traditional routes to prepare their turkey, some choose a different option.
Harlan Kappel, owner of East Gate BBQ in Morgan City, smoked about 20 turkeys that customers ordered for Thanksgiving.
Kappel likes smoking turkeys, though doing so is difficult, he said. The turkeys East Gate smoked were 12 to 14 pounds each, according to its Facebook page.
For people wanting to smoke their own turkeys, the brine and rub are the most important factors behind a good smoked turkey, Kappel said.
“Don’t just rub it. Don’t just inject it. Brine it,” Kappel said.
Brining involves using a salt, sugar and spice solution to prepare the turkey. “You give it a bath, basically,” Kappel said.
The brining process can last from six to 24 hours. How long you smoke your turkey varies depending on the pit. “You’ve got to know your pit, really,” Kappel said.
On the top rack of East Gate’s pit, the turkeys take five to six hours, while the turkeys on the bottom racks take anywhere from six to 16 hours to cook, he said.
The Smokehouse in Morgan City is also smoking 12 turkeys and frying 18 turkeys for customers this Thanksgiving, owner Bill Goessl said.
Goessl always fries a couple extra turkeys just in case people need an emergency backup bird, he said.
“Last year, I had a guy come in, and their turkey got burned, and we kind of bailed them out at the end,” Goessl said.
Goessl’s advice to those looking to fry their own turkeys is “do it outside and watch the temperature of your oil,” he said.
Also, make sure the turkey is dry before putting it in the oil to fry. If there are “any ice crystals or any liquid, the oil is going to bubble a lot,” Goessl said.