[Pundyburn Lynn]

Hello folks,


We've raised a turkey for ourselves before, but they've always been female.  This year we have two - one of each sex.  I dispatched, hung and plucked both, but there's a bit of an odour from the carcass of the male.  Otherwise, everything seems fine.  I wouldn't usually worry, but the male is going to a work colleague of mine for her Christmas dinner, and this is adding a bit of extra pressure!


Is anyone familiar with this kind of smell from a male turkey?  Any advice.


Lynn

[shygirl]

we have always been given females at 6 weeks old so cant help sorry.
aslong as it doesnt smell off? how old was the male?

[Pundyburn Lynn]

Roughly nine months old.  Both birds have a bit of a whiff at the rear end of the carcass.  They were gutted just after dispatching and hung for 5 days covered in a cold barn.  There is no smell from the meat, just the carcass.

[shygirl]

i dont know sorry. i always hung mine intact, just plucked.
its been very mild though.
i had a similar case a few years back - the only time i sold turkeys dead - a friend was polish and wanted hers a week early, they changed her mind and ate it for boxing day. it was hung longer than i would have normally hung it and the weather was really mild.
it didnt smell too good but the family are still alive today. it was a favour for a friend - who begged for a turkey but never again as i was awfully worried it had gone off. you really need a fridge to hang them.
the thing is xmas is a special day to mess up.

fingers crossed yours is ok. id guess its the bacteria in the carcus smelling as its been gutted and is open to the air.

[suziequeue]

Why not keep the male and give the female to your work colleague?

[Stereo]

Blood left in the body can smell nasty after a while but I don't think there is any risk. Maybe he didn't bleed out properly?

[Bodger]

I've never heard of that before and haven't had a problem with any that I've done in the past.

[Stereo]

That's what Pammy and Ritchie Riggs told me so I'm not going to argue.

[shygirl]

so who guts and then hangs?

am i the only one who hangs before gutting?

i think this is the problem area. that and the mild weather. i may be wrong tho 

[Stereo]

Lots of people do that. I don't think that is the problem as long as it's cool enough.

[Pundyburn Lynn]

I started gutting first after I had a dodgy batch of cockerels, whose intact guts had tainted the meat.  You tend to react to these things...  The turkey issue was solved by preparing a turkey crown and jointing the drumsticks.  Seemed to solve all of our issues. 


Was horribly disappointed though to see free range turkeys in tesco tonight being reduced from £40 to £8...