Turkey Frozen for 2 years- Still good?

[mauismoker]

The title pretty much says it. I'm wanting to smoke a turkey I've had in my deep freezer for two years. Wondering if the taste will be affected. The freezer isn't a defrosting type, so I'm thinking the moisture of the bird won't be a problem.

Thoughts?

 

[smokerjim]

I would have no problem eating it, as long it was kept frozen. There's turkeys in supermarkets that probably hang around that long.

 

[dave schiller]

I wouldn't have a problem eating it, but i suspect it would not be very tasty.

 

[mauismoker]

Good point. I was going to brine it first for a day to help it out.

 

[dave schiller]

[QUOTE="dave schiller, post: 1904301, member: 124079"Edit]I wouldn't have a problem eating it, but i suspect it would not be very tasty. One source says if in the original package, it will last for 2-3 years but is best up to ~six months.[/QUOTE]

 

[mauismoker]

Thank you Dave.

 

[desertlites]

done it before and tasted like turkey

 

[chef jimmyj]

Eat it? Yes. Prepare it for THE Christmas meal? I would not risk it. In the event the flavor is off, the big holiday meal is not the time to find out...JJ

 

[kruizer]

I would not recommend it for a holiday meal. The flavor will really be off.

 

[mauismoker]

My birthday is on Christmas day, so if it's off no one can say anything. Haha.

 

[desertlites]

didn't read it was for Christmas dinner till this last post

 

[SonnyE]

I'd use it for Tiger Shark bait.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I'd have a backup turkey, do both. If both turn out fine? Good for the guests!

If one is off..quietly not serve that one ;)

 

[archeryrob]

I would make turkey sausage with it. Any dry freezer burnt part can be trimmed and any taste quality the spices would cover up.

 

[chef jimmyj]

If the original package is intact, it is air tight and there should be no freezer burn. Unfortunately, that Freezer Smell seems to be able to penetrate plastic and even 12" of lead atomic shielding. So, chances are the bird is fine but your nose will know as soon as you break the seal.
I seem to remember a post a couple years ago. A guy found a 4 year old cryo-vac packed Pork Loin in the bottom of a deep freeze. He said it was fine...JJ

 

[Bearcarver]

I'm not big on Turkey, but unless it's got a problem that other meats don't have, I wouldn't worry about it, as long as it isn't freezer burnt or if it smells bad.
I've had all kinds of things in my Chest Freezer for more than 2 or 3 years & never notice any flavor difference, including Prime Ribs, Pork Loin, Ribeye Steaks, Salmon Fillets, etc.
Note: All my stuff is always Vacuum Sealed before freezing.

Bear

 

[johnmeyer]

I've cooked many things that have been in the freezer for almost that long (actually, I did once do a 2-year old bird). There are two keys to having it taste OK (it will certainly be safe to eat, so you don't need to worry about that):

1. The freezer must not have been allowed to get too warm. The colder the freezer, and the less it warms up during defrost cycles, the better. However, if you have eaten ice cream from this freezer and that ice cream sometimes comes out really soft, then your turkey may be a little "off."

2. The turkey must have been packaged really well. Ideally, it should have been in some sort of vac-pac, but for a big bird that is difficult to do. If I were going to freeze a turkey for a really long time, I'd spatchcock it first and then freeze it because that would let me easily put each piece into a Foodsaver vacuum bag.

Finally, for a holiday meal pretty much everyone recommends getting a fresh turkey, or at least get one that was slaughtered fairly recently. It's a big, important meal, so why serve anything other than the best?