Why a kosher turkey?

Hi,

I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year and am contemplating trying a turkey recipe from Gourmet magazine circa 2002 - Roast Turkey w/ Oranges, Bay Leaves, Red Onions and Pan Gravy. Ingredient #1 is: 1 (12-14-lb.) turkey (preferably kosher), any quills removed if necessary and neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for making stock. Please pardon my ignorance, but I'm hoping someone here can enlighten me as to why a kosher turkey would be preferable? The recipe was not presented in the context of a menu for a Jewish holiday and no further explanation was offered. Should I make the effort to seek one out, and if so, I would appreciate recommendations for a good source.

Thanks, Lynn

Buying Kosher poultry is always a good idea if, like me, you are too lazy or don't have the room in your fridge to brine the bird. The Koshering process includes brining in a simple (salt only) brine. Unless I plan on making some sort of special brine solution, I always buy Kosher birds (turkeys and chickens). Since you live in Mayfair, I'd recommend seeking out the Kosher butcher on the corner of Lawrence and Elston to place your order. Sorry, I don't rmember the name of the place, but it's on the south side of Lawrence 2 doors or so west of Elston.

The Jewel on Howard street in Evanston carries kosher turkeys.

Jewel-Osco
2485 Howard St
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 328-9791

stevez wrote:Sorry, I don't rmember the name of the place, but it's on the south side of Lawrence 2 doors or so west of Elston.

This is the place:

Argyle Kosher Meat Market
4465 W. Lawrence
Chicago, IL
773 545-3343

I grew up in a household that didn't keep kosher, but we always bought kosher birds.

Best,
Michael

Thanks to all for the info and suggestions. I placed my order today with a nice man at Argyle Kosher Meat Market. I live a stone's throw away and had honestly never even noticed the place. I'd like to say it's because the Sano's Pizza sign dominates the spot, but it's probably just that I need to open my eyes a bit more in my own neighborhood!
I'll let you know how the bird turns out.

Thanks,

Lynn

We don't keep kosher, but my brother does and whenever they come to town from Boston, my mom always makes a kosher turkey. I don't know why, but they always taste better and the meat seems to be juicier.

I've been buying kosher chicken at Trader Joe's for a while now as they seem to have the best price in my area (it's pretty hard to even FIND kosher chicken in the south suburbs). My family prefers kosher poultry, but we refuse to give up our ribs and cheeseburgers.

Suzy

Just picked up my turkey and it looks fantastic. I had a little time to chat with the "J" in J & M Kosher Meat Market. Jerry Farr says he is the last of the "little guy" neighborhood kosher meat markets within the city limits. He's been at his current address for 20 years and his dad had a place farther east on Lawrence for many years. He gave me the cooked leg of a turkey that he had given his "special" brining to and said if we like it to request the special process next year. I guess it involves more time in the brine than standard and maybe some secret spices? I'll have the husband gnaw on it tonight and see what he thinks.
Jerry gave me his business card - love the tagline - Better Meats By "Farr"
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Lynn

J & M Kosher Meat Market
4465 W Lawrence Ave
(773)794-0303
Delivery City & Suburbs

Another independent gone. J & M's storefront is empty with a "For Rent" sign in the window.

LynnB wrote:Another independent gone. J & M's storefront is empty with a "For Rent" sign in the window.

Sadly, Jerry died around Christmas.

I'm so sorry to hear that. Thank you for sharing the information. My condolences if you knew him personally. -Lynn

I'm looking to roast a Kosher turkey this year. I'm doing an early T-giving dinner this coming weekend and need to procure my bird. Does anyone know of another good source for Kosher turkeys? I live on the northside in Andersonville but I'm willing to travel to find a bird! Also, do they usually come frozen? If so, I need to get moving so I can have it defrosted by the weekend. Thanks!

You might try Romanian Kosher Sausage or your nearest Whole Foods. I haven't seen turkey's at Romanian, but I haven't really looked. My guess is that the bird will be frozen.

Romanian Kosher Sausage Co
7200 N Clark St
(between Chase Ave & Touhy Ave)
Chicago, IL 60626
(773) 761-4141

Our nearest Trader Joe's (Ontario St. in River North) had signs up in the parking elevator yesterday saying they'll be getting Kosher (and non-Kosher, but still brined, according to the sign) turkeys on November 11. The birds will be sold on a strictly first-come-first-served basis, with no reservations taken.

The Jewel at Howard & Kedzie, Evanston, will likely have a couple to several varieties of Kosher turkeys - fresh and frozen - and maybe for something fresh you'll want/need to place a special order. The Kosher meat/poultry counter there is busy.

I'll add:
Hungarian Kosher Foods
4020 Oakton St
Skokie, IL 60076-3434
(847) 674-8008

Dave148 wrote:I'll add:
Hungarian Kosher Foods
4020 Oakton St
Skokie, IL 60076-3434
(847) 674-8008

They need a day or two notice for a fresh turkey, but I've gotten themn there before and they were fine.

You can also get a fresh turkey at Romainian's but like Hungarians they need advanced notice as I recall -

Doesn't anyone worry about the extremely high levels of sodium in either a kosher turkey or a brined bird? The CDC estimates that one in three Americans has high blood pressure. Certainly dietary sodium should be a major concern.

Tests on some turkey from Agriprocessors (a major supplier of Kosher meat) seem to show significantly higher sodium levels than reported in the meat labels.

I cook low sodium meals for a family member with dietary restrictions due to ill health. I wouldn't wish his issues on anyone so I'm always wondering about this.

Maybe this is a question for a different thread but do these nutrition concerns come to play for anyone else when considering whether or not to brine foods?

Mostly what I see discussed is how juicy the meat becomes. I expect I'll get a range of responses, from "I don't care if it's healthy--it tastes good" to "Healthy, it's all about healthy." Am I missing something?

The sodium levels reported on the label are higher on kosher chickens than non-kosher chickens. I presume the same is true of turkey, and I presume the same is true of brined vs non-brined birds. I'm not sure I would call the sodium levels in kosher/brined birds "extreme". It might be on the order of twice as much sodium, though, as you'll see below much of the extra sodium is in the skin. Also, when you use a kosher/brined chicken, you can probably dial back the salt you add during or after the cooking process.

I am not on a reduced sodium diet, so I don't worry about the extra salt from kosher and brined foods. The primary source of sodium in the average diet is from processed foods. I don't eat much processed foods. So I tend not to worry about the extra salt from brined/cured/koshered meats.

According to a two-decade old study in the Journal of Food Quality:

Salt content in the breast, thigh and skin was determined in chickens which had been kosher-processed with different salting times, quantities and different numbers of rinses and after cooking. Significant differences in the salt content were obtained after 1.5 h of salting. Salt quantity significantly affected only the thigh and skin. Rinsings had no effect in reducing salt content in the breast and thigh. Cooking did not reduce the salt content of the chicken except in the skin. The salt treatments used in this study, which were similar to those used in commercial kosher dressing plants, did not increase uptake of water.

I haven't looked for more recent studies. But if you are looking for a way to eat a kosher chicken and reduce the salt content, I'd skip the skin.

I see the Mayo Clinic recommends 1500-2400 mg sodium/day, which is well below the level found in the brined turkey.

Having grown up keeping kosher - you learn early on to go light on the salt if at all -

Empire shows their sodium content for 4oz of whole turkey to be 220mg, escalating to 380mg for 4oz of breast meat only. The brining process is brief and does not impart a lot of salt flavor to the bird.

Smoked turkey, on the other hand, usually requires brining for up to 2 days and can lead to nearly a gram of salt per 4oz of breast.

In any case, we're not talking about daily consumption. There's not a lot of harm that comes from eating turkey on holidays (aside from the obvious overeating and excessive portions of side dishes).

Empire shows their sodium content for 4oz of whole turkey to be 220mg, escalating to 380mg for 4oz of breast meat only.

From upthread:

Tests on some turkey from Agriprocessors (a major supplier of Kosher meat) seem to show significantly higher sodium levels than reported in the meat labels.

The brining process is brief and does not impart a lot of salt flavor to the bird.

That's more a matter of opinion. I come from a family which generally tries to limit salt. We had a kosher turkey once for Thanksgiving and found it almost inedibly salty.


While I try to limit sodium intake, I eat pork or poultry rarely so don't worry about too much about a recipe that calls for brining. I would not eat brined or kosher processed poultry on a regular (weekly) basis.

I went to the Whole Foods on Kingsbury today for lunch to check out their turkey situation. They do have fresh Kosher birds. I think I may just stop on the way home tonight & pick one up there.

Quote:
Empire shows their sodium content for 4oz of whole turkey to be 220mg, escalating to 380mg for 4oz of breast meat only.


From upthread:

Quote:
Tests on some turkey from Agriprocessors (a major supplier of Kosher meat) seem to show significantly higher sodium levels than reported in the meat labels.

They are two entirely separate entities. So if one Kosher processor is accused of misstating ingredients it applies to all?

If your tastes lead you to find "less salty" birds, well, that's why there are so many options. I just personally don't know of anyone who's ever complained about saltiness of kosher poultry.

teatpuller wrote:I see the Mayo Clinic recommends 1500-2400 mg sodium/day, which is well below the level found in the brined turkey.

In order to get to those levels, you need to eliminate MOST canned products and even many meat products.

jlawrence01 wrote:

teatpuller wrote:I see the Mayo Clinic recommends 1500-2400 mg sodium/day, which is well below the level found in the brined turkey.

In order to get to those levels, you need to eliminate MOST canned products and even many meat products.

Like hot dogs? plain old meat isn't high in salt until you put salt on it.