The Difference Between Broad-Breasted and Heritage Turkeys
This breakdown from our ranchers will help you choose the best turkey for your table.
The countdown is on. Thanksgiving turkeys are slowly creeping into view, and you’ve probably come across a few puzzling terms: broad-breasted, heritage, free-range, organic, and many more that almost seem made up. In the hectic sprint to check off your grocery list, choosing one is probably a shot in the dark. Let’s fix that.
Really, you’re looking for one of two birds: broad-breasted and heritage. There are slight variations with each, but these are the two types with the most distinct differences. I spoke to Nicolai Matthies from BN Ranch, from whom we’ve sourced Thanksgiving turkeys for the past 6 years, and our Meat Buyer Birch Wilson to get the details on these two turkeys so you’re armed to choose the best bird for your holiday table.
Broad-Breasted Turkeys
Broad-breasted turkeys have been selectively bred to have a heavy two-sided breast for more white meat than dark. The flavor is much milder than heritage turkeys, as the birds are less mobile. But since the ranchers we work with all give outdoor access to these turkeys and they’re able to move around more, birds from us will also have bigger thighs and more succulent, flavorful meat than the typical broad-breasted. From Birch: “Any bird with an active, mobile life will have rich, unctuous meat — so broad-breasted birds can be just as delicious if they’ve been raised right.” Damn happy turkeys are damn tasty turkeys.
“Any bird with an active, mobile life will have rich, unctuous meat — so broad-breasted birds can be just as delicious if they’ve been raised right.”
Heritage Turkeys
Heritage birds have a single breast, as opposed to the double breast of a broad-breasted, which means they can walk and fly around freely. To be labeled a heritage turkey, they must mate naturally, spend their whole lives outdoors, and must have a slow growth rate, which all lead to bigger, darker, more succulent legs, thighs, and wings — more dark meat. Nicolai from BN told us heritage birds have a deeper, richer, gamier flavor like duck or goose, and have a nice fat buildup under skin, which means crispier, more flavorful skin once roasted.
But, developing this flavor takes a lot of resources. Because of their slow growth rate, heritage birds need more food per pound of weight put on than broad-breasted birds, which means the price per pound is higher. But in my opinion, the flavor is worth the price for dark meat lovers.
The heritage birds coming from BN Ranch are the Standard Bronze variety, a rare find nowadays, but a species the ranch is dedicated to preserving because of its incredible flavor.
Pre-order broad-breasted and heritage birds for delivery the week of Thanksgiving through November 14th! Visit thanksgiving.goodeggs.com.
