Bourbon red heritage turkeys stand at Elmwood Stock Farm ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Georgetown, Kentucky, U.S. November 16, 2021. REUTERS/Amira Karaoud
(Picture: REUTERS)Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means that there’s one think on everyone’s mind: turkey.
But birds of a feather do not always flock together.
While the lot of us will be enjoying our regular ole bird, the word on the street is that there’s a Rolls-Royce of turkeys available on the market; but don’t expect to be chowing down on the luxury turkey this holiday without coughing up at least $300.
The special variety is known as KellyBronze. The birds are said to go for upwards of $13 per pound, ranging around 8 to 27 pounds, leaving with shoppers with a hefty price tag. Some swear the KellyBronze turkeys are worth it, and like most exclusive items, there’s been a rise in people seeking them out.
“They’re probably the best turkeys in the country, [they] have a deeper flavor. They’re pretty special,” Jake Dickson, the owner of Dickson’s Farmstand in Chelsea Market told the New York Post.
So what makes the turkeys so special? It’s a matter of history and unparalleled flavor apparently.
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The British family who has been producing the densley textured turkeys for decades first started raising and selling traditional white turkeys in the 1970s. Around the 1980s, the Kelly family sought to distinguish themselves amongst market sellers and invested in buying up the last stock of a “rare, slow-growing Bronze breed with roots in Mexico,” the outlet reported.
Flash forward to 2014 when the Kellys purchased a 138-acre farm in Virginia deciding to take full advantage of the opportunity expanding to the American market had with their rare turkeys. They started selling their signature KellyBronze turkeys stateside in 2018.
The Kellys also ensure their prize turkeys live a grander, more extravagent life than your typical supermarket find. The birds are said to hatch with the natural season in the spring and are free to roam freely outdoors with plenty of room, you know, up until the point that they’re slaughtered.
Before then, you can probably find the flock blissfully eating corn and soy milled fresh on the farm. It’s their age, however, that lies the secret to their differences, according to Kelly. Speaking to media, he revealed that his birds are about 6 months old when they’re slaughtered, which is about twice as old as the conventional turkey is.
He added that the maturity of his offerings allows them to lay all of their muscle and fat down, throwing away the need to baste or brine them. The juicy, intensely flavored birds are also said to cook in half the time.
According to the New York Post, the Kellys expect to sell 3,400 Thanksgiving turkeys this holiday season.
Convinced? You can place an order for the KellyBronze turkeys on their website or use their store directory to find a supplier near you.
