What the Turkey Shortage Means for Thanksgiving BBQ Plans

If you want to eat turkey this Thanksgiving, buy your store-bought frozen turkeys now or pre-order soon from your local BBQ joint.

That’s the consensus of local barbecue experts and restaurant owners, who have been seeing sky-high poultry prices amid a national turkey shortage and supply chain nightmare. Prices for restaurant turkey breasts have increased by as much as 300%, and whole turkey prices have risen 150% in some markets.

“If anybody's looking to get their turkey, get it reserved now if you’re having somebody else cook it,” said Ed Randolph, owner and pitmaster of Handsome Devil BBQ in Newburgh, NY. “If you're going to buy it yourself, find one now and make some room in your freezer. I have a good feeling that we're not going to have many turkeys come Thanksgiving time, or the price is going to be so high it's going to be out of this world.”

Pig Beach NYC will be offering Thanksgiving packages again this year. (Photo via Pig Beach NYC)

The primary culprit for the turkey shortage is an extremely rampant avian flu (bird flu) that has spread around the country during 2022. An estimated 47.6 million birds have been impacted by the bird flu, and more than 6 million birds have either died from the illness or had to be slaughtered to stop the spread.

Matt Abdoo, chef, pitmaster, and partner at Pig Beach NYC in Brooklyn and Queens, said that the avian flu is just one component driving costs up for turkey. 

“You have this perfect storm of avian flu, inflation, all the costs of goods on the farm side, including fuel and feed, and higher transportation costs,” Abdoo said. “All those things add up to price increases. Everything across the board is currently high since Thanksgiving is a month away. The whole meal across the board is gonna be more expensive this year than last year.”

Whole smoked turkeys can be pre-ordered from BBQ restaurants, including Red White and Que Smokehouse in Green Brook, NJ. (Photo via Red White and Que Smokehouse)

Many local NY and NJ area barbecue restaurants are now offering packages for pre-order, most of which have increased in price but not substantially. Red White and Que Smokehouse owner and pitmaster Dan Misuraca said he just put up the option for pre-ordering smoked turkeys on his site yesterday and has already had multiple orders placed. 

“We're doing our whole birds, 14-16 pound turkeys, with our homemade sausage stuffing, and then we're going to have gravy and a homemade cranberry ginger sauce,” Misuraca said. “We’re hoping to do over 100 turkeys this year.”

Additionally, most of the joints on last year’s NYC BBQ Thanksgiving list are offering packages again. I would highly recommend taking some of the stress out of your Thanksgiving and get a smoked turkey from your local BBQ joint. Pig Beach NYC and Handsome Devil BBQ (previously mentioned here) also have great Thanksgiving options.

I ordered a turkey breast from Pig Beach a few years ago for a holiday gathering, and it was delicious. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)

Outside of Thanksgiving considerations, BBQ restaurants themselves have also been feeling the pain of turkey prices. Some BBQ joints nationally have had to remove turkey from the menus entirely while waiting for prices to come down.

Randolph said his Handsome Devil BBQ restaurant has sometimes had to resort to buying turkey breasts from wholesale stores like BJs and Sam’s Club because they offer cheaper prices than the distributors they normally rely on.

“If I need to get turkey breast from a wholesaler, you're looking at $4 or $4.50 a pound, which is rivaling the price of my brisket,” Randolph said. “Currently, we have to get it from stores like your BJs or Sam's Club or something like that.”

Turkey prices have increased for restaurants, but many, like Handsome Devil BBQ, are keeping it on the menu. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)

Even with the turkey costs up across the board, the prices have not soared on the menu boards at these restaurants.

“I think for us, it's important to keep it on the menu,” Randolph said. “Our menu is small enough, and we try to pre-order as much as we can. [But] we can't bump the prices up 50%. So it's like anything else, you take the hit for a bit.”

Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ

EAT ALL ABOUT IT (NEWS)

Hill Country Barbecue will again host its BBQ Thanksgiving dinner at its Manhattan restaurant in a month.

Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:

  • Since this issue is focused on turkey, it’s worth highlighting that Hill Country BBQ in NYC will once again host its huge Thanksgiving dinner at its restaurant. It includes all-you-can-eat pit-smoked turkey, brisket, spare ribs, sides, pies, and non-alcoholic beverages, priced at $95 per adult, $45 for kids aged 5-12, and kids under 5 eat free. READ MORE. 

  • Additionally, Forbes also has collected a small list of other restaurants that will be hosting Thanksgiving dinners, including Virgil’s Real Barbecue in Times Square. READ MORE. 

  • Popular PA BBQ joint Holy 'Que Smokehouse in Lahaska will be hosting a second-anniversary party “on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 12 p.m. until sold out, with a host of $2 food specials, including $2 brisket tacos, $2 pulled pork tacos, and $2 brisket cheesesteak sliders.” READ MORE. 

  • Pitstop BBQ in Wakefield, MA, plans to close its doors for good this weekend, Patch reports. The restaurant has been in business for more than 10 years. READ MORE. 

  • Philadelphia-based BBQ joint (go Phillies in the World Series!) The Lucky Well recently opened a new location in University City, differentiating itself from other joints with BBQ pizzas. READ MORE.

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Sean Ludwig