An 11-lb turkey cost me $24.09 (it was $2.19 a pound at Aldi versus $1.09 for an uncooked Butterball turkey). It's a fair bit less than Popeyes Cajun Turkey. According to the attached tag, you can actually keep one of these in the freezer for over a year (assuming you have the space).
I thawed the turkey for about three days in the fridge. On the last day, I unwrapped it to help the skin dry out for a few hours in the fridge before reheating it. You want the skin to be dry and brushed with oil so that it crisps up in the oven. It takes about an hour and a half to heat the turkey up according to the included instructions but it only took about half that time in my convection oven so it's pretty convenient as long as you remember to thaw it out.
Out of the oven, the skin was lightly crispy with a nice brown color to it. The white breast meat was just a little dry but I may have overcooked it a little as I'm not used to the convection oven. The dark meat was nice and juicy though.
There was a moderate smoked flavor and moderate saltiness throughout the turkey meat. It was much welcomed as turkey meat is generally mild in flavor, especially white meat. The dark meat felt very similar to smoked ham, especially when eating the leftovers out of the fridge. The smoked flavor was especially enjoyable when eating the turkey cold as cold turkey tends to be pretty plain.
Since I got the turkey and Aldi, I also picked up some store brand accompaniments, including a jar of gravy ($1.09), a box of stuffing ($0.75), and a pouch of instant mashed potatoes ($0.75). They were all easy to prep (you just need butter for the stuffing, water for the mashed potatoes, and just reheating for the gravy) and cheap. However, while they turned out decently, the mashed potatoes had a coconut flavor that I tend to be sensitive to (coconut oil is the second ingredient) and the stuffing had a slightly weird herb aftertaste. I was A-Okay with the gravy though.
Overall, Butterball's Fully Cooked Whole Smoked Turkey is definitely worth trying if you are looking for a smoked Thanksgiving bird that doesn't require much prepping. The turkey turned out really well and the smoked flavor made for good eats out of the oven as well as out of the fridge as leftovers.
Nutritional Info - Butterball Fully Cooked Whole Smoked Turkey
Serving Size - 3 oz (84g)
Calories - 160 (from Fat - 60)
Fat - 7g (Saturated Fat - 2g)
Sodium - 700mg
Carbs - 1g (Sugar - 1g)
Protein - 17g
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