Emergency help needed re: 2 turkeys

[Paper Roses]

The volunteer organization for which I work was generous in giving the volunteers a turkey for Thanksgiving. Gave me mine yesterday. While I an thankful for their generosity, I had already bought a fresh turkey.

This Butterball is mostly defrosted and I don't know if I can refreeze it. Cannot cook 2 and the food pantries near me are all set and do not need any more. I don't know who to give it to, everyone I know seem to be all set.

Can I refreeze this turkey for later?
I think I know the answer but I don't want to waste it.What will happen if I refreeze this bird?

I am spending my AM getting things ready and can't run around asking...in fact, I don't know where to go.
My fresh bird is the size to feed my guests. The butterball is 12 pounds. I cannot use the Butterball and freeze the fresh because it is not large enough.

I am thankful to all my family for coming my way this year but need to find something to do with this extra bird. Help! BTW, it has been refrigerated for 2 days before given to me and is still in the refrigerator.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.
PR

[Freddie]

1. If the partially frozen turkey

Still has ice crystals it is safe to re-freeze, or so I've always heard, you might want to look it up. Have done so with smaller things (steak, pork chops) safely. Good luck!
I make turkey once a year (thx) and DH's employers always give them a turkey for Christmas, which I give to my daughter.

[MyNameGoesHere]

2. Why take a chance

on maybe it's ok, or it should be ok? Cook it and serve it or freeze the cooked meat for later use as stock/soup parts.

[Tab]

3. Two options

Find a needy family and offer it to them

Spatchcock it (remove backbone and splay it out) and cook that way - you should be able to fit two in your oven if they're not overly huge.

Failing that, I guess you could cook them in succession, but that seems like a lot of cooking. Or cook the first one "traditional", serve it, and cook the second one "experimental" - different technique, spices, whatever just for afterwards, but see if it does anything for you you like. Or cook one tonight experimentally, and the regular one tomorrow.

But if you could find a homeless shelter or some such thing and offer it, that'd be great.

[Paper Roses]

4. Thanks for your comments. I called the local food pantries.

Full up...and they are thankful.

I stuffed the turkey into the freezer and some time soon I will defrost it and see what I get. I will be by myself then, if anything goes wrong...I'll trash it.
I did try and give it away. Too late for those I could reach.

I have no time or oven size to cook both at the same time. I may try and defrost it this weekend and make soup and a meal or two for myself. I feel badly about this but I did try and pass the extra turkey along to someone in need.

Happy T-day to all and thanks for the advice.

[Warpy]

5. You can refreeze it. There will be some loss in taste and texture but it will be safe to eat

What I'd do is butcher it down, packing breast and leg meat separately. I cook with turkey as a substitute for veal and pork in a lot of recipes and am much more likely to butcher a turkey into usable pieces and then make soup out of the carcass. Butchering it down and putting it through the food processor or grinder can also give you enough ground turkey for several months' worth of meatballs and turkey burgers and you'll have the added benefit of knowing how the meat was handled.

The final benefit to this is that you don't have a damned turkey taking up all the room in the freezer. Even if you freeze the stock from the carcass, it will take up far less room along with the turkey meat than the original entire bird did.

Then again, you might want to be prepared for another turkey feast on Xmas, just about the time you've disposed of the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers. In that case, freeze the bird.

[grasswire]

6. have a good holiday, PR

I hope your weather isn't bad.

[Aerows]

7. Freeze it

if it isn't past the due date. You can cook it later. You have to be EXTREMELY careful doing that, but if you know the due date, the origin of the turkey, you can get away with freezing twice. Be prepared for it to be a bit tougher.

[Lucinda]

8. I would definitely make stock/soup with the second bird in a few days

and then pop what I couldn't use right away into the freezer. We often simmer a chicken to make stock and use the meat in making enchiladas, casseroles or bbq sandwich filling.