Fork Report - Technique of the Week; Picking A Turkey

This week, Neil goes over some of his tips in selecting the perfect turkey this Thanksgiving!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, it's Niel Savedri.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
You're listening to kfi EMI the four Report on demand
on the iHeartRadio app. Hey, Kayla, ya Neil, what are you?

Speaker 1 (00:14):
What do you? What? A weird day? Today is?

Speaker 2 (00:16):
What do you get when you cross a turkey with
a centipede? What drumsticks?

Speaker 1 (00:21):
For everybody? That's the legs? Ah, It's not as funny
when you got to explain it. But good one. Well,
I'm not used to working with kindergarteners. Let me teach

(00:47):
you got it.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Let me teach you how it, Condam Marin Nathan, let
me teach you at it.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
It's a culinarition. Let me teach you about it. Let
me teach you out of six forty live everywhere in
that art radio app.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Good Saturday afternoon to you boy, what a rainy day.
It's the Fork Report all things food, beverage and beyond
in this November fifteenth day as we are heading face
first into Thanksgiving, which is like the super Bowl of cooking,
baking and all that great stuff. I am your friendly

(01:35):
neighborhood folk reporter Neil Sevadra.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
How do you do? So?

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Here's a little bit high the scenes, Poor Kayla and
crew at all.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
What a weird day.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
So it's raining right and pretty torrentially depending on where
you are, So that's one thing. And having guests come from,
you know, from a distance sucks for one, and we
feel for them because these are hard working people that
are in the hospitality industry and the like. And then
we find out that the elevators are down at the station,

(02:11):
so that puts another crick in it. And I've been
feeling like my body's trying to come down with something,
and it gets worse midday. So I'm like, all right,
the universe is saying, let's just keep everybody separated, and
so that's what we're doing. We're shifting to some phone
interviews and I'm here at home today and hopefully whatever

(02:37):
I am my body's trying to come down with won't
be spread to anybody and nobody will have to bring
food up four or five flights and all that. But
we are missing out on homemade tamalis from one of
our guests and some really good food. Yeah all right,
really yeah, no, I just found that out. I know

(03:01):
it goes to get in hand with the rain.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
It's just I'm sorry, I said by lunch, what if
you guys want.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
What if you guys want, I'll have it brought in
at least, but then we will pay for it and
they'll have to I'll give them a heavy tip.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
And they won't mind coming out in the rain.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
But anyway, so it's a little bit of a weird day,
but I think it actually worked out for the best
because I don't want to get anybody sick either. So
but thanks to Kayle for being flexible and Mario as well.
All right, so let's get into turkeys a shall we.
Turkeys are one of those things.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
You know. Poultry as a whole is difficult because.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
The you know, it's an animal, and in the case
of trying to cook an animal hole there are different
hoops that need to be jumped through, and a lot
of chefs will tell you they're not thrilled about cooking
whole turkeys. So here's the battle. The logical thing to
do is to parse or fabricate. Continue to fabricate the animal, right,

(04:03):
break down the dark meat from the light meat, because
they cook differently.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
One has more fat.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Of course, the dark meat comes from a couple of things,
not only the fat content, but also the use of
those parts of the animal. So the legs get oxygen
differently because they're holding up a hold on a sneeze standby.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
Sorry, oh yeah, it's coming. I can feel it. I'm
glad you see.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
I'm gonna be ground zero for another round of COVID
or something the station.

Speaker 1 (04:43):
No, I just know it. Anyways, Sorry about that.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
So the oxygen is, you know, being sent to those
areas that are holding the broad up, that are using
it to move, to run, to do these things.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
And I really like dark meat.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
Now I love poll and I know to a lot
of people doesn't have flavor, but it depends if you're
getting a twenty five pound turkey. That is not normal.
Turkeys don't get to twenty five pounds.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Now. Growing up, my mom would have to.

Speaker 2 (05:15):
Get big turkeys because there's seven kids in the family
plus parents, plus my nephew Chris grew up with us
and he's basically like a younger brother to me, so
you know, as a big family. But as I learned
more about turkeys growing up, and of course having a
love for food, I will tell you this one of

(05:36):
the best tips I can give you is better to
do two smaller turkeys, roast two smaller turkeys, or deep
fry or retisserie whatever you're however, you're going to be
cooking than it is to do one large one one
Now your cook the cooking time is going to be,
you know, not exactly the same as cooking just one

(05:58):
fifteen or twelve pound turkey, but pretty close, which is
going to be easier and better to manage than a
large bird. Plus just manipulating the size of the bird.
So that's going to be one of my first tips.
A couple of things that you're gonna want to look
for when it comes to picking a turkey out at
a local grocer. Now, if you have a butcher shop nearby,

(06:20):
then obviously you're going to be able to communicate what
you're looking for. We have some of our favorites. Of course,
you have the butchery. They're all over southern California. They
have a handful. That guys are great. We love them.
They've been on the show many many times. They know
what they're doing and they can walk you through any

(06:42):
of those things. They have their sides as well. Of course,
the Corner butcher Shop. We love John and the boys
there and everything that they do for the community in Laverne.
They've been very kind, and these are both places that
KFI hosts have gone out to. Now a sponsor and
partners that I love as well is Wildfork Foods. The

(07:05):
thing is with Wildfork Foods, a lot of people aren't educated.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
On them yet.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
And when I say that, that's because they aren't educated
about the freezing process. So people think I want fresh,
not frozen. Both two different have two different connotations and connotations,
and that frozen is not fresh. Now I realize it

(07:31):
seems like an oxymoron, but the reality is if you
freeze something, flash freeze food at its peak, then it
is a snapshot, a photo of that in time. So
imagine a picture of you when you're fresh faced at eighteen.
That doesn't change. You will always be eighteen in that moment,

(07:54):
and flash freezing does the same thing. It freezes in
that moment, and when properly cooked or defrosted, you're going
to get the fresh results. I wouldn't say that if
I didn't believe it, And the big change for me
has been Wild Fork Foods. Their meat and their poultry

(08:14):
are fantastic. Having said all of that, if you go
to your standard grocer and I put those in the
same categories, the butchers and wild fork foods. The difference
is if you're going to your local grocer. There's some
tips and understanding that you should have when you're picking

(08:34):
out your birds. When we come back back, i'll explain
what those are, give you some tips because you can
still get great birds. So stick around and we'll get
back more into picking your turkey for technique of the
week on the Fork Report. Stick around, We got more
to come. It's the Forkport of Neil Sevadra KFI AM
six forty. Obviously a lot going out with in the

(08:55):
south Land with rain and the like.

Speaker 3 (08:57):
Lit you're listening to the Fork Report with Neil's on
demand from KFI AM six forty.

Speaker 1 (09:04):
I'm Neil Savedra. Thanks for hanging out today.

Speaker 2 (09:07):
It is a gloomy, rainy Saturday for sure, probably gonna
get some rain some more tomorrow. Of course, this impacts
the roads the fire areas from January and we're keeping
an eye on that in the KFI news room. Of course,
Eileen Gonzalez is here. She will jump in if there's
anything you need to know and any road closures, any

(09:31):
of that stuff. So don't worry, stay here. We will
infotain you hopefully in addition to making sure that you
get all the information you needs no reason to go
anywhere else. All right, So Thanksgiving is coming and it's
going to come quick. Also want to remind you that
with that time and the holidays comes to Pastathon. So

(09:51):
Pastathon season is upon us, and this is where we
raise not only pasta and sauce for kids and two
feet hungry kids in the Southland here along with Katarina's
Club and our friend Brunos Serrata from the Anaheim White House.
But we start that off with some broadcasts. You've got

(10:12):
Conway's going to be broadcasting next Friday, I believe, and
we'll make sure we get that information for you. And
then next Saturday, I'll be broadcasting at Wendy's in Mission
via Ho. I think Conway's going to be out at
a smart and final. So Saturday, a week from today,
I'll be at Wendy's and Mission via Ho. That's two
three zero, two to two Alicia Parkway, Mission via Ho

(10:36):
and we'll be there two to five next week. I
hope you come out. I'm going to have some swag.
I think I'll do some cutting boards and things like
that for you. First come first served. Of course we're
talking about turkeys now going to if you're buying from
a grocer, just a couple things to think about size,
Like I said, better to go with two small or
two not too small, tw small turkeys like twelve to

(11:04):
fifteen pounds.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
And it is to try and get a bigger bird.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
The bigger the bird gets, really you're losing a lot
of flavor in that process, so keep that in mind
as you're choosing your bird. Second is you know, look
at the label. You want to know by how the
bird was raised and fed and all these things, because

(11:27):
that's going to change the flavor and the quality. So
looking for pasture raised birds, birds were you know, roaming
and forage outdoors. Free range is also in that. Typically
again smaller limited areas is make them that allows them

(11:47):
to do that. Organic always a good sign if you
can no added water solution or brind preferably air chilled
unless you want to prebind brind bird. When I do
pre brind birds at you know, anywhere at a butcher
shop or anything like that, one of the things that

(12:07):
I look for is I like the dry brine, and
there's some people are like, well that's not a bright Yeah.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
The chemical reaction is the same. Salt pulls the fluids.

Speaker 2 (12:18):
Out of the bird, breaks down the salt, and then
the bird reabsorbs it through osmosis and you get that
really wonderful taste in there. Things like that are important.
You know, you don't want any of the packaging opened,
you don't want any tears, anything that in the process

(12:39):
of freezing may have changed the integrity of the bird.
Keeping these things that in mind and trusting your instincts
are really going to be the best if you want
to bypass a lot of hassle. The first time that
I saw this at wild Fork again sponsors and partners
of the program, but they just have I'm a fan

(13:00):
of their products. This was the first time when we
were out there last week that I saw that they
have a fully cooked one and I think it's somewhere
around five hours from frozen, already seasoned, all of those things,
And if that's the process you want to go, I
think that's an awesome option. If you don't want to
mess with those things, all right, stick around. We have

(13:23):
just a metric butt ton of great people we want
to introduce you to or bring back to the show,
including our friend Karen Ross from talling Rand down the
street from the station which does a big to do
for Thanksgiving. Stick around, go no where. It's The Fork Report.
I'm Neil Savadri k I AM six forty.

Speaker 3 (13:41):
You're listening to The Fork Report with Nil Sevadra on
demand from KFI AM six forty