Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It's time to talk turkey. If you purchase a turkey from your grocery store you're likely to come home with the Broad-breasted White breed of turkey, bred to have a breast so large that they can't mate naturally, and likely factory-farm raised in confinement. There are lots of other turkey options, however. They may require looking further than your grocery store, though. I recommend checking your local farmers market to see which farmers have raised turkeys for this holiday season. Though some will have customers pre-order turkeys they often have extras on hand if you get to the market early the week before Thanksgiving. There are many heritage breeds of turkeys and recommended cooking methods can vary per breed. Below is a list of heritage turkey breeds and a recommended recipe for each. The first two recipes are links to epicurious recipes and the third is the recipe for the beautiful spatchcocked(butterflied) roasted turkey pictured above. I chose a wet brine method for the breeds with a disproportional large breast. This should help keep the breast meat from drying out. For the medium breasted birds I chose a basting recipe. For the small breasted birds with a higher ratio of skin to meat I chose a dry brine method, which allows you to cook on high heat with the fat in the skin keeping the meat juicy and giving you a very crispy skin.

Rosemary-Roasted Turkey
Recommended heritage turkey breeds: Beltsville Small White, Midget White, Broad-breasted Bronze

Cider-Basted Turkey
Recommended heritage turkey breeds: Narragansett, Bourbon Red, Slate, Standard Bronze

Spatchcocked Roasted Turkey(recipe below)
Recommended heritage turkey breeds: Jersey Buff, White Holland, Black, Royal Palm

Spatchcocked Roasted Turkey(season 2 to 4 days before cooking)

Ingredients:
1 heritage breed turkey(recommended breeds listed above)
Salt(3/4 teaspoon per pound of turkey)
Pepper(same amount as salt or to taste)
Rosemary(or other fresh herb)

2 to 4 days before cooking the turkey you should season it. This allows the salt to penetrate the meat, tenderizing and flavoring it. This 'dry brine' method yields a juicy bird and relies on the quality of the turkey to provide the flavor unlike a wet brine in which the juiciness of the brine is the flavor. Spatchcocking(or butterflying) the turkey greatly reduces the cooking time and allows you to cook over high heat. It is also convenient for cooking the turkey on top of stuffing. The turkey juices will run into the stuffing, but the bird can be removed easily when finished and the pan can be placed back in the oven to brown the top of the stuffing.

Spatchcock and season the bird(2 to 4 days before roasting): To spatchcock(butterfly) the turkey cut the backbone out with a heavy knife or sharp pair of kitchen shears. Put the bird on a flat surface, breast-side up, and press down to flatten the bird. Dry the turkey thoroughly with paper towels. Season the the turkey with 3/4 teaspoon salt per pound and an equal amount of fresh ground pepper. Use your finger to create a cavern between the skin and meat and place sprigs of rosemary or other herbs under the skin in four places: above each breast and above each thigh. Store turkey in the fridge until roasting. The larger the bird the longer beforehand you should season it.

Roasting the turkey: Position the oven rack at its lowest level and preheat to 425 degrees. Dry your turkey thoroughly with paper towels. This will allow the turkey to roast properly and not steam. Place turkey in a roasting pan on top of stuffing(if desired). Check turkey after a half hour to see how dark the skin is. If the turkey appears to be browning too quickly lower the heat to 375. I like to roast the turkey to a dark golden brown. After this point check the turkey every half hour by placing a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. The turkey is done when it registers 170 degrees. Also check the browning of the skin and lower heat or cover parts with foil if they brown too quickly. Check the turkey more frequently when the meat thermometer reading approaches the desired temperature. Remove turkey to platter, tent with foil, and allow to rest in a warm place for at least fifteen minutes(and up to 45) before carving. The roasting pan can go back into the oven to brown the top of the stuffing at this point.