It was the fall of 2019 and I was sitting in my parents' new living room discussing Thanksgiving plans after a big move across the country that left half of my family behind in Texas.
We didn't even know who would be where on the big weekend; It looked like it was just me and my parents. So we started discussing how we could pare down our normally huge menu—and whether it was even worth making our traditional pot of post-Thanksgiving gumbo for so few people.
But we missed our home and the Texas-style barbecue we left behind. We reasoned that smoked turkey would make a much better gumbo. And honestly, is Thanksgiving even possible without gumbo?
We were no longer a smoker, but we already knew who to turn to. A family friend had been ordering his bird from Greenberg Smoked Turkey in Tyler, Texas for years. We pre-ordered the turkey the same day.
Six years later, I still order a Greenberg smoked turkey as a centerpiece for Thanksgiving and still make gumbo with it.
And I actually use other celebrations as an excuse to order it. Greenberg ships its turkeys year-round (the company smokes a whopping 2,500 turkeys daily) and is available in a variety of sizes. So there's no need to limit juicy, smoky, herby meat to just one day a year.
Top choice
This turkey is well seasoned, juicy and just all around delicious. It tastes like hickory wood and provides a smoky, bacony, campfire-like experience.
We had planned for our Greenberg turkey to arrive a week before Thanksgiving, just in case something went horribly wrong and we had to buy our usual bird from the grocery store at the last minute. It arrived on our doorstep exactly when we wanted it, still a little frozen in the box.
We immediately put it in the fridge – but we made the mistake of taking it out of the plastic bag first.
Have you ever stuck your head straight into a smoker? Or stood directly over smoldering coals? That's pretty much what it's like when you unwrap a Greenberg turkey: a frontal attack of smoke that washes over you like surf breaking. It was strong. This made everything else in the fridge taste like smoke. It was our first indication that we were in for one hell of a withdrawal.
We dutifully waited until Thanksgiving morning to remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Greenberg's instructions specify this not Reheat the turkey so it doesn't dry out the carefully smoked meat. That threw us off a bit. Turkey that didn't come out of the oven warm didn't feel like Thanksgiving in a way.
Turns out we had nothing to worry about. At room temperature it was absolutely delicious. It was tender and juicy – dare I say succulent – with a bold hint of bacon-hickory smoke, the green of a fresh herb blend (which you can see flecked between the skin and meat), and the warmth of black pepper.
We devoured the first turkey and haven't looked back since.
There are other benefits to choosing a mail order bird, such as the incredible amount of time, energy and oven space saved by ordering a turkey. Serving at room temperature meant that the normal space bird of a bird didn't dominate the oven, and that made cooking the side dishes easier (even without my uncle's additional oven down the street). And after a few years, we learned a few tricks, like cutting up a plate of meat and putting it in the oven after all sides were cooked. As the oven cools, the turkey will warm gently without drying out.
This family history has made me obsessed with smoked turkey—so much so that I've practically begged my fellow chefs to help me try a batch of turkeys from around the country. (Stay tuned for next year's complete guide to smoked turkeys!)
In our first of many rounds, we tried three different smoked turkeys, their trademarks remaining hidden. Half of the panelists, including me, loved the taste of the Greenberg turkey. And all of the panelists liked the texture, finding the meat to be firm yet tender and never mushy.
However, half of the panelists also found the smoke to be too intense, with some saying it was sooty and acrid and left them completely breathless. This is a legitimate criticism. If you're not used to the intensity of Texas-style smoked barbecue, it can be overwhelming. And even after we wrapped the turkey in plastic, it completely smoked up our test fridge (and the entire kitchen, actually).
Newcomers to the world of smoked meats may be more interested in the subtle smoke of Willie Bird Smoked Whole Turkey. While tasters who loved this bird acknowledged that it could use a little more smoke flavor, overall they found it to be well balanced, with nice salinity and hints of garlic and black peppercorns.
Best for…
Less aggressive maple wood is used to smoke this turkey, giving it a light, airy smoke that may be more approachable for some, but not strong enough for others.
Willie Bird uses maple—a lighter, more delicate wood than hickory—to smoke its birds, and the smoke gives it a subtle sweetness. The breast meat was slightly drier than the Greenberg turkey, but still more tender than the average bird.
For someone looking for a more traditional Thanksgiving turkey—one that still pairs well with your most classic side dishes and has a slightly plump, Norman Rockwell-esque look—the Willie Bird is a good choice.
The irony of buying a mail order turkey to save time and effort on Thanksgiving, then turning around and working for hours making gumbo for three days is not lost on us. But it's so good that we have little choice. It is as much a tradition as the holiday itself.
I believe my family shows love through food. It's my mother who helped me chop vegetables the day before. My dad takes care of the roux until it's a deep chocolate brown so I can take a break from cooking. It's my sister who keeps me company, yapping while I stir for hours.
And it's my brother who stays up late with me on Thanksgiving evening to make the stock from the carcass, carefully, perhaps haphazardly, straining the stock into far too many bowls because we didn't have one (and still don't have one) big enough.
On Friday morning we prepare everything: the roux, the trinity (onions, celery and peppers), the turkey broth and finally the andouille sausage and the leftover smoked turkey meat. Over the years we have had guests come over for Thanksgiving. They always stay an extra day for the gumbo and always say it's the best gumbo they've ever eaten. I like to think the smoked turkey makes all the difference.
This article was edited by Marilyn Ong and Maxine Builder.