I’ve had turkey just about every possible way it can be cooked, and it just isn’t that good.
Doesn’t matter how juicy or dry and it doesn’t matter what herbs or spices are used, it just not that tasty.
Give me a brisket or a standing rib roast or just about anything that isn’t turkey for thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is very American, but turkey is a common christmas dinner in the UK at least, and probably fairly common across Europe
But that only proves OP’s point. Turkey is almost always only eaten on a holiday because it’s a tradition, and basically no one ever chooses to eat it when they’re deciding what to eat for any other regular meal during the year
The logic here doesn’t work for me. Moon cakes are generally eaten only in the week surrounding the Mid-Autumn Festival here in China. It’s traditional, see. Yet they’re incredibly yummy and were they available at other times they’d likely be consumed cheerfully. In Hubei there’s a special dish of “birthday noodles” eaten basically only on your birthday. (And only by you; the rest of your family doesn’t get them.) They’re also incredibly delicious … and literally eaten only once a year.
The fact that something is eaten only seasonally or by special occasion doesn’t mean that it’s not tasty. It means that it’s special, nothing more.
It could also be because fewer Americans have time to spend cooking dinner, and turkeys are large, cumbersome, and time consuming to cook well. I love to cook, and I love to cook turkey. I’ve converted a good amount of people over the years who said they don’t enjoy it.
All that said, I only make it three or four times a year for the reasons above. That, and it’s not practical when you’re cooking for two unless you can find butchered pieces. I’m making a duck instead today, but I wish I was making turkey.
That’s exactly how I feel about duck, although it takes less attention and time than a turkey does. I really love it, but it is a bit of a process, especially with the making of the gravy (if you’ve never had duck gravy, you really need to) and whatever sides you want to have. Roasting a chicken as much simpler if not as satisfying.
I make a duck for Thanksgiving every year.
I may default to duck if only cooking for myself or one other person. It turned out great! I have not had duck gravy, but now I must. I made a cranberry cherry chutney last night that was pretty satisfying, though.
Yeah, I don’t know why every recipe wants to pair duck with a fruity sauce. Sure, that’s good, but it goes great with gravy as well.
That just not true, people eat turkey all the time. Every sandwich shop has a turkey sandwich year round. Now do people cook a 15-20 pound turkey regularly? Absolutely not because it’s time consuming and you would need a gathering every time because a normal size family is not gonna eat that much food hence why we cook them a few times a year.