This is our turkey, and it was missing one very important thing that we were looking forward to: the giblets! We love giblets in stuffing, and we were looking forward to putting them in our turkey stock (for gravy) and in the bread dressing itself. Well, lo and behold, when we went in to get them there was only a lone neck - no giblets.
But it turns out that, given the kind of turkey we bought, we should have been ready for this. Read on to learn why.
See? No giblets in the body cavity - just a neck. Sometimes the giblets are hidden in the neck cavity or inside the neck itself, but I chopped up this turkey myself for braising and there were no giblets squirreled away.
We were giblet gypped!
This was disappointing at the time (although the stock, gravy, and dressing all turned out fabulous - more on that later). As I did a little more research, though, I discovered that since I bought a kosher bird it was likely that I would not get giblets.
According to a thread on Chowhound, which strongly advocated the Rubashkin's Aaron's kosher turkey that is repackaged under Trader Joe's brand, these kosher turkeys often don't include the giblets. During the koshering process the giblets are handled separately, and if they are damaged in any way they are discarded instead of being packaged with the turkey.
• Read the thread here: Rubashkin's Aaron's Best Turkey at Chowhound
Did your turkey have giblets, and if so, what did you do with them?
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I seared the liver and served it to my well-deserving animal friends. :) Used the heart and gizzard for my turkey stock.
view sjbreeze's profile
I always throw away the giblets, Faith. You could have had mine.
I did put the neck to good use for the first time this Thanksgiving. I just simmered it in some water and it made a stock that I added to the gravy. It made the gravy much richer in flavor and color.
One problem I did have was keeping enough water in the turkey neck pot. Next year, I need to remember to use a lid.
view gochrisgo75's profile
I got a farm turkey that came straight from the processing plant. I had to sear off a few feather remnants but boy did I get innards. The heart still had major blood vessels sticking out of it. I didn't know what to do with this stuff immediately so I froze it probably for stock.
view kmarie's profile
I had a neck and a liver in my chicken. I wrapped them in a paper towel and stuck them in a plastic bag in the fridge. I'll throw them out when I next take out the trash. I don't care for livers at all and won't be making stock any time soon, so I have no use for them.
view popcorn.for.dinner's profile
My grandmother likes buying *extra* giblets for the stuffing. I used to think it was strange, but I've gotten used to it, and now enjoy the extra texture.
view squidlette's profile
anyone else find that first photo really disturbing?
it really reminds me of the famous black&white photo of a back alley abortion victim.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/maryscottoconnor/MSOC%20Family/back-alley-abortion.jpg
view ratita's profile
Rubashkin's is in a lot of trouble for treatment of workers. According to the NY Times, "Union officials said the Postville plant stood out from other Iowa packinghouses for the frequency of its labor violations."
They are now filing for bankruptcy (perhaps because many kosher consumers stopped buying their products when they learned about these practices), but I am pretty sure that TJ's stopped carrying Rubashkin's a while ago.
Not to worry, there are still other Kosher chicken options out there, but they may also be gibletless for the same reasons.
view SuperDesigner's profile
holy crap, ratita!
view chusmabilly's profile
I bought a Sheltons freerange, which had all the giblets. Went into stock for gravy.
view Palmetto's profile
"anyone else find that first photo really disturbing?"
Yes, I could certainly do without the dead animal carcass photos in my blog reading.
view lemonader's profile
Giblets were chopped and fed raw to the kitties. Usually I make them into stock, but this year I used the carcass instead.
view violet222's profile
I roasted my first turkey this year.
Wanting to make the gravy stock before brining the turkey, I wondered why I only found the neck inside the cavity, and no giblets.
And I discovered where they hide the giblet bag while carving the yummy bird on the Thanksgiving table...
view sindin's profile
Non-kosher birds don't always have all of their "parts" either. My theory... During the process, the necks get piled together, the rest of the parts get piled together. Then, when they go to package them, they grab a neck and a handful of innards. Sometimes you get 1 liver and 2 gizzards. Sometime a heart and a liver but no gizzard. It's a craps shoot when you pick a bird, with regard to what's in the giblet bag.
view cara_mia's profile