Just this week, I got a flyer from my area grocery store, offering me Thanksgiving turkey at 67 cents a pound.
The national chain advertised “fresh” (as in frozen), and included a disclaimer. Not about the special price, but about the turkey itself, noting it was injected with salt solution for “juiciness,” might or might not include giblets (what, they don’t know?), and had been processed with flavor enhancers, fat, broth or stock for “taste.”
To be clear, I have cooked plenty a bargain turkey in my life, and have been happy enough. Smother it in gravy, load on the stuffing, and a roasted boot would taste good. But there’s no denying that mass-produced poultry just can’t compete with the rich, pure succulence of a free-range, all natural bird.
According to the National Turkey Federation, 95 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving. As the star of such an important supper, it’s worth exploring what a premium bird can bring.
The showcase poultry of Sonoma County is Willie Bird. Those are Willie Bird turkey legs you see waved around caveman style by State Fair-goers and farmers market attendees.
Check many menus at Sonoma’s top restaurants, and you’ll find Willie Bird. There’s the popular Willie Bird restaurant on Santa Rosa Avenue south of Hwy. 12, and will-call customers can shop the Willie Bird wholesale/retail store on Highway 12 near Llano Road.
The first fresh and smoked Willie Birds went to market in 1924, and to this day, the family maintains its products and processing in Sonoma County, including pastures for its free-range flocks.
According to Willie Bird co-owner Willie Benedetti, the love and care begins in the field. He, his brother, Riley, and their cousin, Rocky Koch raise the flocks in the rolling, oak studded hills east of Santa Rosa and on their Petaluma Ranch, where the birds munch on organic grains. For finished meat, the birds are wet cured in a mild, low-salt marinade of special oils and spices, then aged until they are smoked over natural alderwood.
Yet raw turkey is the backbone of Thanksgiving orders, when nearly 10,000 fresh Willie Bird turkeys are shipped across the country, or picked up from the retail store. Other customers order through high-end food specialists such as Williams-Sonoma, and Benedetti says 30,000 turkeys donate their lives for the Thanksgiving feast. One of the most famous Willie Bird aficionados is the Queen of England.
Willie Bird doesn’t discount. Whole smoked turkeys begin at about $4.50 a pound, and customers need to call and check pricing/availability for fresh turkeys. Order from Williams-Sonoma, and you’ll spend $75 plus shipping for a 12 to 14 pound bird. You must order no later than Nov. 16.
Still, as Williams-Sonoma site proclaims, you’re guaranteed a Thanksgiving like no other.
“These legendary birds are among the world’s best: extraordinarily juicy, succulent and flavorful. They’re raised on a tasty natural diet and allowed to roam freely in the golden, oak-shaded hills. The coveted turkeys are shipped to you fresh from the farm – no standing in line required,” the site reads.
And no gravy needed. This holiday season, it’s a very special, very Sonoma, taste worth exploring.
Willie Bird Retail Store: 5350 Highway 12/Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, 707-545-2832 (will call orders only). Restaurant: 1150 Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa, 707-542-0861, williebird.com.