Empire Turkey Thigh Chops
I just chanced upon Empire’s new turkey thigh chops at the supermarket last week, and bought a couple packs figuring that $2.99/lb. was a bargain for something chop-like. Four “chops” come in a pack, and two are a decent serving.
It’s turkey, so it’s gamier than chicken, and can stand to take a lot of seasoning. I used a dry rub of grated orange peel, dried rosemary, onion powder, and pepper before tossing them on the grill. Unlike beef, these guys need to be cooked through, so I used a lower temperature to ensure they didn’t get overcharred on the outside before being done inside.
The extra-lean thigh chops were moist and tasty, and we even enjoyed them cold the next day.
This week, I plan to try them again, prepared in the oven with Shake & Bake, like a pork chop. I’ll amend this post appropriately with the results.
Update: Shake & Baked them last night. Texture was nice, but the turkey’s taste was quite unplesant. I likened it to reheated turkey, which I can’t stand. (I’m sure Harold McGee has something to say about the chemical compounds created by reheating turkey meat) With enough ketchup and barbecue sauce, I managed to eat it. I guess I’ll stick to grilling.
These actually aren’t a “new” product, although it’s possibly a new distribution avenue and packaging for Empire. Our butcher growing up would have turkey chops regularly (if not all the time) and we would grill them frequently. They do stand up to just about any preparation method you’d like to use. We typically marinated for a little bit before grilling (typically a teriyaki sauce base) and everyone enjoyed greatly. I saw similar chops at The Butcherie a while ago, but they weren’t the same good chops I had at mom’s house. They were a little bonier (with extra bones beyond the central circle), and that made for less enjoyable eating. Hopefully, Empire has solved that problem.
Yeah, Empire has labeled them as a “new premium cut.” New for them, new for me.
There’s just the circular bone in the middle, which made them very easy to eat. Compared to cross-cut turkey legs (LOTS of little bones) these thigh chops are a joy.
I don’t think he said it was a new cut of meat, but rather a new product, meaning it was newly available via mass-market.
Co-workers and I have a bet….can you solve this one? Are turkey chops just cut from the turkey or is this processed meat somehow attached to a bone?
They basically do a cross-cut of a thigh — real turkey.