<p>I’m having around 30 for Thanksgiving. Usually I make one giant turkey. It’s very unwieldy. This year I’m considering making two smaller turkeys at the same time in the oven. Here’s my question: Would I get as much/more meat from two turkeys as from one big one?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>You will probably get less meat on two turkeys but they will taste better. What I do is one 16 to 18 pound turkey and then I buy a boneless breast or two and extra thighs/drumsticks. The latter cook faster, easier to carve, but the big turkey makes the statement. And the breast has no waste.</p>
<p>Rachael Ray recommends two from a cooking standpoint, but I have no idea from a meat yield standpoint. I would imagine you get less with two. So just up the size by a couple of pounds – two 16-pound birds rather than one 30-pound bird.</p>
<p>A couple things to consider: Space in your oven & if you’ll have more than 2 people wanting the legs. In past years I’ve done a turkey & a ham–all the sides go equally well with ham.</p>
<p>We have about that many people for T-day dinner and we do two turkey breasts.</p>
<p>I think you will have trouble cooking two turkeys at the same time in the same oven, due to “hot spots” and air currents. You would have to be switching them aorund from one position to another several times. </p>
<p>In the same situation I would be very tempted to have done a breast meat only piece the night before, or if you have drumstick lovers maybe the drums & boneless breast at the same time.</p>
<p>How about someone from that 30 making a turkey and bringing it with them? Too great distance involved?</p>
<p>You must have a bigger oven than I do. No way I could fit two birds in mine.</p>
<p>We do ours in the Weber. They are the best, smoky and juicy, and it frees up the oven for other things. (And you can always borrow a second grill.)</p>
<p>Don’t forget to get 3 turkeys so you can give one to the local food bank.</p>
<p>Great reminder _dad. I always give the away the free “spend x amount of dollars and earn a free turkey” from my local grocery store. Dropping it off tomorrow.</p>
<p>I’m doing something different this year. Instead of preparing the turkey, I’m buying them pre-cooked from the local grocery store (Pavilions/Vons). For $39.95 you get a 10 to 12 lb. turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, etc., and an 8" pie. Now that I have lots of “free” time on my hands, with not having to prepare the main courses, I can do a homemade soup and vegetable casserole to “dress up” the store-bought pre-cooked meal. </p>
<p>Maybe purchase one of these, in addition to cooking one of your own, and see how you like it?</p>
<p>If you fry them they’ll take less than an hour apiece!</p>
<p>And they are DELICIOUS!!</p>
<p>I have 16 for dinner Do two birds stuffed approx. about 20 and 18 pounds.One goes in the oven and other one goes in counter top roaster oven (get at Walmart or Target) they work great!</p>
<p>I do two; one traditional and one cajun style but we also have drum-stick lovers.</p>
<p>One turkey, one crown rib roast.</p>
<p>16-18 guests and we always do 2 14 lb turkeys. We start one early and roast about 1/2-way through, then put it on the covered grill to finish up. Second turkey goes in the oven, and that’s the one we serve first. By the time we get around to the second, no one seems to notice that it might be a little more roasted. By the time we have open-faced turkey and gravy sandwiches the next night, no one cares how long it cooked.</p>
<p>I did two turkeys last year and that worked so well that I’m going to do it again. I did one in the oven and one in a large electric roaster. The latter did not brown very well but that didn’t matter since we carved it on the counter and used the oven one for show! Both tasted great.</p>
<p>My sister-in-law had a great idea! I am having 22 for Thanksgiving.Bought one big bird (almost 22 lb) and then 2 more packages of turkey thighs, adn will put them inthe cooking bag with the big bird. I’ll have to make sure they done get too cooked before the big bird is done-- but it takes care of the meat quantity and food for dark meat eaters. And, I dont have room for 2 turkeys</p>
<p>Reporting back in after the event! We had two 15 poundish turkeys instead of one big unwieldy one. The day I bought them I determined they would fit into my oven by smooshing the two bags full of turkey into the oven confirming that they would fit long way front to back side by side. Then I further determined that the two pans would fit into the oven side by side. Naturally yesterday when I prepped them they indeed did NOT fit in the oven as out of their packaging they relaxed and so were just a tad too wide for the pans (long glass pyrex) and their sides bellied out just enough to make the whole thing not feasible! Fortunately I had a back up plan which was to engage the microwave/convection oven and use the convection function to obtain a second oven option. Note I had never in 17 years here used the convection oven to roast meat. (But I will in future!)</p>
<p>Birds were covered with lumps of butter in and out, whole cloves of garlic under breast skin and in and out and handfuls of parsley chopped amply sprinkled around. No carrots celery onion in pans (first time ever left these out). Oven well heated to 450 and birds put in and oven changed to 350. Except I forgot to change oven temp till 1/2 hour later when I ran back to kitchen to correct error and baste crispy parsley! Mop brow time and pray to turkey goddess! !! Convection turkey cooking faster than non convection turkey (natch) so dropped temp to 300 then 275. Basted every 20 min. to 1/2 hour, more as finish time arrived since turkeys were done a tad! early. Pulled lots of excess drippings off regularly so as not to have the birds more boiled than roasted and simmered those drippings for gravy. </p>
<p>Verdict? Well when one of the seven year old twins pulled my shirt to gravely inform me that this was the best turkey he had ever had, I knew that the goddess had heard and answered my prayers. </p>
<p>Whew!</p>
<p>P.S. This gave the carver an opportunity to have a partner and that aspect of the thing was nice, too. Also, four drumsticks worked well - two for carving sliced dark meat, one for the old uncle and the other for the young prince.</p>
<p>Two turkeys it is from now on!</p>
<p>We have two ovens and have been doing two turkeys for years. The best part (aside from ample drum sticks, etc.) is that you can sleep later because the two smaller birds take less time to cook!</p>