Best mail order Thanksgiving turkey?

[cpmom]

Hi, has anyone here had a really great experience with a mail-ordered turkey (or ham?). I once ordered a turducken (a boneless chicken in a duck in a turkey) because the idea seemed so incredibly sumptuous. It was from Cajun Grocers, and it was okay, but indistinguishable from a regular boneless turkey with stuffing.

Has anyone ordered a turkey and said, "Oh my God! This is the absolute best thing I've ever tasted in my entire life!!!"? That is the bite I'm searching for.

I really want to be informed before I place an order because they all look fabulous in the catalog, but I really want it to be worthwhile on the holiday table.

Thanks,
CPMom

[michelle71]

The NY Times had an article on 11/7 about heritage turkeys and the best places to order them.

[ceekskat]

For the past several years I've been buying smoked turkey from Harry & David & have been quite happy (flavorful & moist). Since this will be my first Thanksgiving as a chowhounder, I thought I'd do some homework for mail order turkeys. First run through resulted in the first link, then found the second one. Glad I dug deeper because according to the earlier thread, Greenberg's turkey is very smokey and may be an acquired taste. Perhaps as a simple turkey dinner this might be okay (love Texas bbq) but I don't know if I want the smokiness to overshadow the flavors of other dishes at the Thanksgiving table.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/301152
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/287190

[shewalk]

I ordered a smaller greenberg turkey last year. It was dry, and the smoked favor was too overwhelming. Prior to this, I'd eaten pieces from their larger turkeys which tasted great.

[Pampatz]

Greenberg Turkeys in Tyler, Texas. A seasonal, smoked turkey operation. Our turkey last year was the OMG variety. It was smoked almost black and moist and flavorful. Ordering again this year.