How much turkey do i need?

[Mareli]

I am going to a family reunion in a couple weeks and each family has one night to make dinner for the group. I am thinking of making a turkey dinner since we all live all over the country and are never together on the traditional holidays. I need advice on how big a turkey to cook for 22 people (12 adults and 10 teenagers). I know I have read about how much/person, but I did a search and can't find anything. Can anyone out there help?? TIA:)

[Norma]

I have always figured 1 1/2 times the number of people. For 22 people, I would figure 33 pounds. Wow...that's a BIG turkey dinner!!

[sneezles]

The basic rule of thumb for poultry is one pound, unocoked weight, per person. So if you can find a 22 pound this time of year that would probably do but my guess is you'll have to do a couple of 12 pounders.

[Mareli]

Thanks for the help!

[funnybone]

Originally posted by sneezles
So if you can find a 22 pound this time of year that would probably do but my guess is you'll have to do a couple of 12 pounders.

My thought was - can you find a whole turkey this time of year? I remember living in PA and a gentleman asked at the poultry counter for turkeys. They told him they were a Thanksgiving and Christmas item only. Unitl then, I never realized that it could be a problem finding one at other times of the year.

[sneezles]

I guess we live in the poultry area because while I can't find a lot of things locally there are plenty of turkeys in the store! And not just the ones working there either! :p

[Mareli]

LOL Sneezles!
Actually around here I know I could get a turkey any size any time (the benefit of living in a big suburban town, I guess).....but, this family reunion is in Rochester, MN, so I am really not sure what is available. I'm trying not to make more running around for my sister-in-law, so I am also thinking of some back-up menus in case I can't get a good size turkey.

[Kathy B]

I think you could get by just fine with a smaller one if you aren't planning on having a bunch of leftovers. Assuming this is a regular meal(not a Thanksgiving feast), a 16 - 18 pound bird would probably be enough. We generally have 20-24 people for Thanksgiving, and with all of the other side dishes, a smaller bird is plenty. My experience is that the guides tend to overestimate by quite a bit. When I was buying deli meat for about 30 people, the deli person told me to figure 1/3 pound per person. That would have been 10 pounds! I went with 6 pounds, and still had way too much, because there were other things to eat besides just sandwiches.

BTW, have a great time at your reunion! What fun!