Is the KellyBronze Turkey Worth the Price? We Tasted It to Find Out

Would you pay nearly $500 for a turkey? KellyBronze,  the luxury, mail-order heritage bird from England, can cost that much at its 32-pound largest, and its fans swear the flavor justifies the splurge. Thanks to celebrity fans like Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and Martha Stewart, expectations are sky-high. But is it worth it? We roasted one to see.

A heritage turkey with British roots

Derek and Mollie Kelly founded Kelly Turkeys in 1971 when they purchased their family turkey-breeding farm in Danbury, Essex. The KellyBronze brand officially launched in 1984 when Derek began raising the bronze turkey native to Mexico to preserve the breed and set their company’s carefully reared product apart from the mass-produced white turkeys flooding the market. Three generations later, the company is led by their son, Paul Kelly. Since 2014, Kelly has raised KellyBronze turkeys both in England and the United States thanks to a partnership with Judd Culver, a turkey farmer whoseHeritage Glen Farm is in Crozet, Virginia.

This heritage bird rewrites the rules of conventional breeding and processing. To meet demand, most grocery store turkeys are harvested around 10 to 12 weeks. While the meat is tender, its natural flavor is very mild. KellyBronze birds, on the other hand, mature for more than six months, developing richly marbled meat with layers of intramuscular fat that give them their signature succulent flavor and juicy texture. A free-range diet also deepens their flavor. When processed, each bird is dry hand-plucked, a traditional method of removing a turkey’s feathers without scalding in hot water, and dry-aged to tenderize the meat.

With a nickname like the “Rolls-Royce of turkeys,” a KellyBronze turkey is unsurprisingly spendy and prices vary by weight. We roasted a 14-pounder, which cost about $207 before tax and shipping, or roughly $14 per pound — over ten times more expensive than the recent dollar per pound prediction from the USDA on the national average composite wholesale price for a frozen whole turkey. However, it is only a couple of dollars per pound higher than other premium options like Diestel’s regenerative-certified birds which clock in at roughly $12 per pound . Here’s what we found in our tests.

How we tested

Alongside the KellyBronze turkey, we tested two other 14-pound turkeys: a Diestel Family Ranch Pasture Raised Whole Turkey and a budget-friendly turkey as the control. Testers thawed and prepared each bird according to the package instructions. For the KellyBronze, the instructions call for starting the turkey breast side down in a roasting pan with about two cups of water, then flipping the turkey breast side up halfway through roasting so it stays juicy while the thighs finish. 

We pulled the turkey when the deepest part of the meat hit 140°F as directed (more on that later) and let it rest uncovered at room temperature for 40 minutes before carving.

The KellyBronze experience

Upon arrival, the KellyBronze turkey presents like something from an old-school butcher. Rather than plastic, it’s carefully wrapped in greaseproof paper — something that’s only possible because water is not used during any stage of its processing. “No excess moisture, no bacteria buildup, and no need for plastic,” according to the company’s FAQ sheet. Also included in the box is a complimentary meat thermometer, a crucial tool for properly cooking a turkey.

Cook time is the next place where KellyBronze sets itself apart. Our turkey took two hours to reach 140°F, exactly as advertised for a 14-pounder. Cook time is the next place where KellyBronze sets itself apart. Our turkey took two hours to reach 140°F, exactly as advertised for a 14-pounder. Noticeably, this is about half the cook time of a standard turkey and 25°F lower than the recommended poultry internal temperature of 165°F per the USDA. But before you start drafting an email to customer support, remember these are not standard turkeys. Due to carryover cooking, the brand recommends a serving temperature of 150°F after resting, which we followed for optimal results.

Our review of the KellyBronze whole roasted turkey

On looks alone, the KellyBronze is a showstopper. Perched high on the platter, the turkey commands the table; its skin is burnished to deep mahogany. Any lingering doubt that these birds are hand-plucked vanished when our cooked turkey emerged with a few black feather quills still visible. The company’s FAQ notes that any quills that don’t singe off in the oven are safe to eat, though some testers found the stray stubble off-putting. Nonetheless, this turkey looks like a Baroque-period still life. Add a scattering of herbs and a few wedges of citrus to the platter and it’s downright arresting. 

Taste-wise, it scored well overall. Testers sampled both white and dark meat from every bird; on dark meat, the KellyBronze was the runaway favorite. It was unctuous, with layered umami and depth, where the maturity of the bird shone. The white meat was more divisive: Some tasters preferred the KellyBronze’s flavor, others said it “just tasted like turkey” and didn’t find it particularly distinctive. Two editors actually favored the flavor and juiciness of the white meat on our budget-friendly control turkey over the KellyBronze. For the crispiest skin, the KellyBronze narrowly missed the crown, as that honor went to Diestel Family Ranch.

Final thoughts

Back to the question: Is it worth the investment? We think so, but only if it’s the right occasion. If we use our handy turkey-per-guest calculator, a 14-pound turkey can serve up to nine guests. For KellyBronze, a 14-pound turkey retails for about $200. So for a more intimate Thanksgiving meal where you want to wow your guests, we definitely think it’s worth it. Plus, the shortened cook time delivers real peace of mind (and precious oven space), which, on a holiday, is valuable in its own right. Given the cost, we’d still choose a more budget-friendly bird for casual gatherings like Friendsgiving or potlucks — but some people may be perfectly happy to spend Tory Burch tote money on a turkey for any occasion.