Please--don't go with the easy gags on this one. Be creative.

I found a real treasure trove last weekend in Irvine, CA (just down the
street). It's called Wholesome Foods and appears to be a Persian
concern. In one section, near the fresh meat case, I found a bunch of
smoked meats and fish, mostly with labels indicating it came from a
place in Chicago. In another area (opposite part of the store by the
deli) I find a bunch of smoked meats most of which are from Brooklyn.
Totally cool!

I got some smoked trout, and on a whim got a four-pack of smoked turkey
necks. My total experience with the latter is dinner with my Granny in
Oklahoma. We'd be eating the rest of the bird and she would belabor a
turkey neck for what seemed the entire meal. My mother would get
frustrated and try to get her to eat some of the "real bird". My
take-away was the Gran was just so use to eating last and least in a
family of country folk, that she had acclimated.

So my turkey necks were smoked, refridgerated (not frozen) and packed
in a plastic bag (not vacuum packed). It says "sell by July 10, 2010).
So this clearly looks like "ready to eat", right?

Nevertheless "cook thoroughly" is printed in one corner of the label.

I intend to heat it, likely steam it a bit, before eating. But do I
really need to cook this thing?

Any tips appreciated.
--
If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly
find fault with, you will not do much. -- Lewis Carroll

On Apr 28, 12:57*pm, gtr > wrote:
> Please--don't go with the easy gags on this one. Be creative.
>
> I found a real treasure trove last weekend in Irvine, CA (just down the
> street). It's called Wholesome Foods and appears to be a Persian
> concern. In one section, near the fresh meat case, I found a bunch of
> smoked meats and fish, mostly with labels indicating it came from a
> place in Chicago. In another area (opposite part of the store by the
> deli) I find a bunch of smoked meats most of which are from Brooklyn. *
> Totally cool!
>
> I got some smoked trout, and on a whim got a four-pack of smoked turkey
> necks. My total experience with the latter is dinner with my Granny in
> Oklahoma. We'd be eating the rest of the bird and she would belabor a
> turkey neck for what seemed the entire meal. *My mother would get
> frustrated and try to get her to eat some of the "real bird". My
> take-away was the Gran was just so use to eating last and least in a
> family of country folk, that she had acclimated.
>
> So my turkey necks were smoked, refridgerated (not frozen) and packed
> in a plastic bag (not vacuum packed). It says "sell by July 10, 2010).
> So this clearly looks like "ready to eat", right?
>
> Nevertheless "cook thoroughly" is printed in one corner of the label.
>
> I intend to heat it, likely steam it a bit, before eating. But do I
> really need to cook this thing?
>
> Any tips appreciated.
> --
> If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly
> find fault with, you will not do much. -- Lewis Carroll

If the label says cook thoroughly, thats what you should do!

"gtr" > wrote in message news:2010042812572557757-xxx@yyyzzz...
| Please--don't go with the easy gags on this one. Be creative.
|
| I found a real treasure trove last weekend in Irvine, CA (just down the
| street). It's called Wholesome Foods and appears to be a Persian
| concern. In one section, near the fresh meat case, I found a bunch of
| smoked meats and fish, mostly with labels indicating it came from a
| place in Chicago. In another area (opposite part of the store by the
| deli) I find a bunch of smoked meats most of which are from Brooklyn.
| Totally cool!
|
| I got some smoked trout, and on a whim got a four-pack of smoked turkey
| necks. My total experience with the latter is dinner with my Granny in
| Oklahoma. We'd be eating the rest of the bird and she would belabor a
| turkey neck for what seemed the entire meal. My mother would get
| frustrated and try to get her to eat some of the "real bird". My
| take-away was the Gran was just so use to eating last and least in a
| family of country folk, that she had acclimated.
|
| So my turkey necks were smoked, refridgerated (not frozen) and packed
| in a plastic bag (not vacuum packed). It says "sell by July 10, 2010).
| So this clearly looks like "ready to eat", right?
|
| Nevertheless "cook thoroughly" is printed in one corner of the label.
|
| I intend to heat it, likely steam it a bit, before eating. But do I
| really need to cook this thing?
|
| Any tips appreciated.

They sound good. According to many websites they do need to be
cooked as they are tough in their just-smoked state. For instance
this is from eHow:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5707663_boil...key-necks.html

"Smoked turkey necks add great flavor to soups and stews. Smoked
turkey necks are pre-cooked but are not tender enough for eating;
boiling is necessary for releasing flavor and eating. Boiled, smoked
turkey necks are excellent for making homemade broth, and are a
healthy alternative to cooking with pork in greens and beans."

Good luck with them.

pavane

On 4/28/2010 3:57 PM, gtr wrote:
> Please--don't go with the easy gags on this one. Be creative.
>
> I found a real treasure trove last weekend in Irvine, CA (just down the
> street). It's called Wholesome Foods and appears to be a Persian
> concern. In one section, near the fresh meat case, I found a bunch of
> smoked meats and fish, mostly with labels indicating it came from a
> place in Chicago. In another area (opposite part of the store by the
> deli) I find a bunch of smoked meats most of which are from Brooklyn.
> Totally cool!
>
> I got some smoked trout, and on a whim got a four-pack of smoked turkey
> necks. My total experience with the latter is dinner with my Granny in
> Oklahoma. We'd be eating the rest of the bird and she would belabor a
> turkey neck for what seemed the entire meal. My mother would get
> frustrated and try to get her to eat some of the "real bird". My
> take-away was the Gran was just so use to eating last and least in a
> family of country folk, that she had acclimated.
>
> So my turkey necks were smoked, refridgerated (not frozen) and packed in
> a plastic bag (not vacuum packed). It says "sell by July 10, 2010). So
> this clearly looks like "ready to eat", right?
>
> Nevertheless "cook thoroughly" is printed in one corner of the label.
>
> I intend to heat it, likely steam it a bit, before eating. But do I
> really need to cook this thing?
>
> Any tips appreciated.

Typically you don't directly eat smoked necks and similar items. They
work really well to flavor other dishes such as soups.

On Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:57:25 -0700, gtr wrote:

> Please--don't go with the easy gags on this one. Be creative.
>
> I found a real treasure trove last weekend in Irvine, CA (just down the
> street). It's called Wholesome Foods and appears to be a Persian
> concern. In one section, near the fresh meat case, I found a bunch of
> smoked meats and fish, mostly with labels indicating it came from a
> place in Chicago. In another area (opposite part of the store by the
> deli) I find a bunch of smoked meats most of which are from Brooklyn.
> Totally cool!
>
> I got some smoked trout, and on a whim got a four-pack of smoked turkey
> necks. My total experience with the latter is dinner with my Granny in
> Oklahoma. We'd be eating the rest of the bird and she would belabor a
> turkey neck for what seemed the entire meal. My mother would get
> frustrated and try to get her to eat some of the "real bird". My
> take-away was the Gran was just so use to eating last and least in a
> family of country folk, that she had acclimated.
>
> So my turkey necks were smoked, refridgerated (not frozen) and packed
> in a plastic bag (not vacuum packed). It says "sell by July 10, 2010).
> So this clearly looks like "ready to eat", right?
>
> Nevertheless "cook thoroughly" is printed in one corner of the label.
>
> I intend to heat it, likely steam it a bit, before eating. But do I
> really need to cook this thing?
>
> Any tips appreciated.

You don't eat turkey necks )as you'll soon find out. They're used
for flavoring. Often times collard and mustard greens and beans.
You would probably enjoy choking them, too.

-sw

On Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:57:25 -0700, gtr > wrote:

>Please--don't go with the easy gags on this one. Be creative.
>
>I found a real treasure trove last weekend in Irvine, CA (just down the
>street). It's called Wholesome Foods and appears to be a Persian
>concern. In one section, near the fresh meat case, I found a bunch of
>smoked meats and fish, mostly with labels indicating it came from a
>place in Chicago. In another area (opposite part of the store by the
>deli) I find a bunch of smoked meats most of which are from Brooklyn.
>Totally cool!
>
>I got some smoked trout, and on a whim got a four-pack of smoked turkey
>necks. My total experience with the latter is dinner with my Granny in
>Oklahoma. We'd be eating the rest of the bird and she would belabor a
>turkey neck for what seemed the entire meal. My mother would get
>frustrated and try to get her to eat some of the "real bird". My
>take-away was the Gran was just so use to eating last and least in a
>family of country folk, that she had acclimated.
>
>So my turkey necks were smoked, refridgerated (not frozen) and packed
>in a plastic bag (not vacuum packed). It says "sell by July 10, 2010).
>So this clearly looks like "ready to eat", right?
>
>Nevertheless "cook thoroughly" is printed in one corner of the label.
>
>I intend to heat it, likely steam it a bit, before eating. But do I
>really need to cook this thing?
>
>Any tips appreciated.

I'd suggest heating to an internal temperature of 160ºF; place in a
roasting pan, tent loosely with foil, and place into a 325ºF oven,
like 30 minutes should do it... this to kill any bacteria... then eat
immediately or if you want to eat them cold just refrigerate and eat
within like 48 hours. One should always reheat these kinds of
so-called fully cooked provisions (you've no way to know how well
these foods were kept refrigerated before you brought them home).
I enjoy turkey necks, but I glom the roasted neck from a holiday
turkey as cooks treat. If one had the patience to pick the meat off
all those necks they'd make an excelent addition to soups and rice
dishes.

On 2010-04-28 13:32:30 -0700, George said:

> Typically you don't directly eat smoked necks and similar items. They
> work really well to flavor other dishes such as soups.

Hmm. Yeah, pavane's post seemed to clarify that a bit. If it was such
a taste-treat, I guessed I would have seen them before in life.
--
If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly
find fault with, you will not do much. -- Lewis Carroll

On 2010-04-28 14:42:18 -0700, brooklyn1 said:

> I'd suggest heating to an internal temperature of 160ºF; place in a
> roasting pan, tent loosely with foil, and place into a 325ºF oven,
> like 30 minutes should do it... this to kill any bacteria... then eat
> immediately or if you want to eat them cold just refrigerate and eat
> within like 48 hours. One should always reheat these kinds of
> so-called fully cooked provisions (you've no way to know how well
> these foods were kept refrigerated before you brought them home).
> I enjoy turkey necks, but I glom the roasted neck from a holiday
> turkey as cooks treat. If one had the patience to pick the meat off
> all those necks they'd make an excelent addition to soups and rice
> dishes.

I may give this a try, but from the soup references upstream, I'm
beginning to have my doubts of it's use as an accompaniment for
afternoon beer...
--
If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly
find fault with, you will not do much. -- Lewis Carroll

On Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:57:01 -0700, gtr > wrote:

>On 2010-04-28 14:42:18 -0700, brooklyn1 said:
>
>> I'd suggest heating to an internal temperature of 160ºF; place in a
>> roasting pan, tent loosely with foil, and place into a 325ºF oven,
>> like 30 minutes should do it... this to kill any bacteria... then eat
>> immediately or if you want to eat them cold just refrigerate and eat
>> within like 48 hours. One should always reheat these kinds of
>> so-called fully cooked provisions (you've no way to know how well
>> these foods were kept refrigerated before you brought them home).
>> I enjoy turkey necks, but I glom the roasted neck from a holiday
>> turkey as cooks treat. If one had the patience to pick the meat off
>> all those necks they'd make an excelent addition to soups and rice
>> dishes.
>
>I may give this a try, but from the soup references upstream, I'm
>beginning to have my doubts of it's use as an accompaniment for
>afternoon beer...

Why not... picking neck meat isn't any different from picking
crab/lobster meat. Most of the meat on turkey necks strips off in
pretty large shards, there is only a little fussiness with the smaller
bones at the part near where the head was. And when hot the meat is
much easier to remove then if cold. Now picking chicken necks is a
lot more work, I've done it on occasion but not really worth it...
when I roast a chicken the neck becomes crow feed as does all the
giblets, the back, and other bits I eviserate out of poultry before
cooking.

gtr > wrote in news:2010042812572557757-xxx@yyyzzz:

> Please--don't go with the easy gags on this one. Be creative.
>
> I found a real treasure trove last weekend in Irvine, CA (just down the
> street). It's called Wholesome Foods and appears to be a Persian
> concern. In one section, near the fresh meat case, I found a bunch of
> smoked meats and fish, mostly with labels indicating it came from a
> place in Chicago. In another area (opposite part of the store by the
> deli) I find a bunch of smoked meats most of which are from Brooklyn.
> Totally cool!
>
> I got some smoked trout, and on a whim got a four-pack of smoked turkey
> necks. My total experience with the latter is dinner with my Granny in
> Oklahoma. We'd be eating the rest of the bird and she would belabor a
> turkey neck for what seemed the entire meal. My mother would get
> frustrated and try to get her to eat some of the "real bird". My
> take-away was the Gran was just so use to eating last and least in a
> family of country folk, that she had acclimated.
>
> So my turkey necks were smoked, refridgerated (not frozen) and packed
> in a plastic bag (not vacuum packed). It says "sell by July 10, 2010).
> So this clearly looks like "ready to eat", right?
>
> Nevertheless "cook thoroughly" is printed in one corner of the label.
>
> I intend to heat it, likely steam it a bit, before eating. But do I
> really need to cook this thing?
>
> Any tips appreciated.

You might try one as a substitute for a ham hock in beans and hocks. I
successfully use a smoked turkey leg or wing. I think it's better than a
smoked hock.


--
"When you choose the lesser of two evils, always
remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner

On 4/28/2010 6:56 PM, gtr wrote:
> On 2010-04-28 13:32:30 -0700, George said:
>
>> Typically you don't directly eat smoked necks and similar items. They
>> work really well to flavor other dishes such as soups.
>
> Hmm. Yeah, pavane's post seemed to clarify that a bit. If it was such a
> taste-treat, I guessed I would have seen them before in life.

FWIW, my mother used to cook the turkey neck and other innards for the
cats. The notion of "giblet gravy" never figured into her thinking.