How much meat is on a 20lb turkey?

Answer 1

A good estimate is approx. 13 pounds of it is edible. The rest is bone, grizzle, etc.

The rule of thumb I use when estimating how much edible meat is in a 'bone-in' piece is,

>> Take the total weight and about 2/3 of it can be eaten.<<

Everybody has their own 'rule of thumb', but that seems to work for me.

Answer 2

It depends. A plump 20 pound turkey which is full grown will have more meat on it than a 'skin and bones' turkey which would have grown to the 35 pound range when full grown.

That being said, there is still a pretty broad range of answers. An 'average' looking 20 pound turkey (from years of experience) may have 10-13 pounds of meat on it most of the time. Your mileage may vary just like the turkies do.

However, there appears to be a noticably better yield for larger birds (generally) than for smaller ones.

Answer 3

A twenty pound turkey is perfect for feeding about 13 people. This can vary depending on portion sizes and the appetite of the guests.