Thanksgiving turkeys may sell out. Here's how to reserve yours now
The USDA has predicted a turkey shortage for 2022. If the very thought of not having a turkey this Thanksgiving is enough to get your wattle in a twist, take our advice: Reserve one now.
Your friends at CBS Essentials have found a variety of retailers that will allow you to purchase a turkey online, before the holiday. We've even found a retailer that will give you a Thanksgiving turkey for free.
Top products in this article:
Harry & David gourmet turkey feast (with 10 pound turkey), $250
D'Artagnan heritage turkey (8 pound minimum), $166
Goldbelly Gourmet Butcher Block Turducken (17 pounds), $200
In its October report, The USDA warns that turkey production will be lower for the rest of 2022 and the first half of 2023 due to outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Turkey prices are up significantly over last year due to HPAI (PDF).
Thanksgiving is sooner than you think. While you're shopping for your Thanksgiving turkey, remember to give yourself enough time. According to food-shipping site Goldbelly, frozen turkeys take approximately three to four days to thaw in the fridge, depending on their size. That means you'll need your turkey delivered at least five days before Thursday, Nov. 24.
We've scoured the internet for the best Thanksgiving turkeys you can buy online. We've found top-rated, drool-worthy birds from Amazon, D'Artagnan, Harry & David, Blue Apron and more that you can buy now and freeze, or reserve and have your turkey delivered just in time for the holiday.
How to get a free turkey before Thanksgiving
Butcherbox will give you a free Thanksgiving turkey right now, when you sign up for your first box of meat. Plans start at $169 for 9 to 14 pounds of meat every four weeks.
New members who order their first box of 8 to 10 pounds of meat will receive one free-range, all-natural, 10 to 14-pound turkey. This deal is a great option for families who graze on bacon for breakfast, like their Thanksgiving sides heavy on the protein and want a free holiday bird.
Burgers' Smokehouse hickory smoked whole turkey
You can order your Thanksgiving turkey on Amazon. Yes, really. The online giant sells pre-cooked, hickory-smoked birds from Burgers' Smokehouse. Just heat and serve.
Turkeys start at 6 pounds and can be found as large as 28 pounds.
Burgers' Smokehouse hickory smoked whole turkey, $85 and up
Burgers' Smokehouse hickory-smoked, bone-in breast
For those wanting to order a smoked white-meat-only turkey, this Burgers' Smokehouse breast serves five to 10 people.
This 4.4-star-rated bird comes pre-cooked. All you need to do is heat it up.
Burgers' Smokehouse hickory smoked bone-in-breast turkey, $80
Crowd Cow pasture-raised turkey
Enjoy a 10-pound, free-range, antibiotic- and hormone-free bird for 8 to 10 people from online meat delivery marketplace Crowd Cow -- neck and giblets included.
If you preorder your Blackwing pasture-raised turkey from Crowd Cow, you'll get a free oven mitt set ($30 value) while supplies last.
Pasture-raised whole turkey (10 pounds), $110 (regularly $150)
D'Artagnan heritage turkey
If only the best suffices on Thanksgiving, order up a D'Artagnan heritage turkey. These rare Narragansett and Bourbon Red breeds of the bird are raised on a grain-fed diet of non-GMO corn and soy.
Can be ordered fresh or frozen.
D'Artagnan heritage turkey (8 pound minimum), $166
Harry & David turkey and stuffing Wellington
Gourmet food purveyor Harry & David offers a variety of Thanksgiving turkey options.
Looking for an unconventional meal perfect for serving a small party? Try turkey and stuffing Wellington -- an already assembled version of the puff pastry dish, which cooks in 80 minutes.
Harry & David turkey and stuffing Wellington (2 pounds), $60
Uncle Ray's Cajun deep-fried turkey
Famed Dallas fried-turkey joint Uncle Ray's serves up deep-fried turkey, southern style. Order up a 10 to 12-pound cajun style bird from Uncle Ray's on Goldbelly for a southern-inspired holiday.
Uncle Ray's Fried Turkey cajun deep fried turkey (10-12 pounds), $130
Harry & David gourmet turkey feast
If you don't have time to make your own Thanksgiving feast, Harry & David can make one for you.
The meal includes a pre-cooked, ready-to-heat, 10-pound turkey. You also get apple sausage stuffing, creamy Brussels sprouts with bacon, brown sugar sweet potatoes, pumpkin New York cheesecake, classic turkey gravy and spiced cranberry chutney. Doesn't that sound delicious?
Harry & David gourmet turkey feast (with 10 pound turkey), $250
Blue Apron's Thanksgiving feast
Blue Apron offers a budget-friendly Thanksgiving feast that you make yourself. Recipe cards and just about everything you need for Thanksgiving dinner are included.
The traditional holiday meal serves six to eight people. It includes butter-roasted turkey breast, homemade garlic and herb gravy, fresh cranberry sauce with ginger and spicy maple syrup, roasted Brussels sprouts with fried rosemary and pumpkin seeds, brown butter and fontina mashed potatoes with Romano cheese and chives, and apple crumb pie with warming spices and almonds.
Blue Apron also offers add-ons and additional options for vegetarians.
Blue Apron's Thanksgiving feast (serves 6-8), $140
Omaha Steaks whole basted turkey
Omaha Steaks has turkeys. Order now and get 50% off a whole, basted and ready-to-cook bird, which includes a cooking bag and pop-up timer.
Omaha Steaks whole basted turkey (10 pounds), $100 (reduced from $200)
Goldbelly Gourmet Butcher Block Turducken
Why not try Turducken? This Thanksgiving dish is a New Orleans classic -- a turkey stuffed with duck and chicken, layered with sausage stuffing and cornbread dressing.
Order one on Goldbelly from Gourmet Butcher Block -- the originator of the dish.
Goldbelly Gourmet Butcher Block Turducken (17 pounds), $200
Related content from CBS Essentials:
- The best early Black Friday deals on kitchen appliances at Amazon: Keurig, Instant Pot and more
- 100 Most Wanted Holiday: KitchenAid Professional 5 stand mixer
- 100 Most Wanted Holiday Gifts: Why the Cosori Dual Blaze air fryer is the best to use and gift this Christmas
- The new Keurig K-Cafe Smart promises to make delicious coffeehouse drinks. I tried it for myself
- Top-rated smart refrigerators in 2022: Samsung, LG, Miele, Bosch and more
- The best sous vide cookers of 2022
- Best induction ranges and cooktops in 2022 following the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act
- The best coffee and espresso maker deals this fall
