Are Slagel Farm turkeys fresh or frozen?

Slagel Farm turkeys at Sunset Foods are always fresh and never frozen. They’re delivered direct from Fairbury, Illinois and prepared by our in-store butchers.

What sizes of fresh turkeys are available?

We typically carry 12–22 lb fresh turkeys to fit small gatherings and large family feasts. Call your nearest Sunset Foods Meat Department for live availability.

Do you offer spatchcocking or pre-brining?

Yes—our butchers can spatchcock your turkey upon request. We also carry brining ingredients and can provide reheating and roasting guidance.

What makes air-chilled turkeys better?

Air-chilled turkeys are cooled individually with circulating cold air rather than in water baths. This preserves natural flavor and texture, avoids added water weight, and promotes crispy skin and faster, more even cooking.

How do I reserve a Slagel Farm turkey?

Call or visit your nearest Sunset Foods Meat Department to reserve your fresh Slagel Farm turkey. Phone numbers for all locations are listed on this page.

Slagel Farms: Your Source for the Best Thanksgiving Turkey

Sunset Foods is proud to partner with Slagel Farms, bringing you the best, freshest Thanksgiving turkey available. To ensure we deliver the highest-quality turkey to your family’s holiday table, Dan Humphrey, Sunset Foods’ Meat Buyer, and his team took a trip to Slagel Farms in Fairbury, Illinois. LouisJohn Slagel, the fifth-generation owner and farmer behind the farm, gave us a firsthand tour, showing off the free-range and humane conditions in which our Thanksgiving turkeys are raised. We found a farm-to-table turkey that’s local, fresh, naturally raised, and guaranteed to be the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving feast.

“We walk the farm ourselves to make sure our customers get the freshest bird available anywhere in Illinois.” - Dan Humphrey, Sunset Foods Meat Buyer

Ready to Order? Call Your Local Sunset Today

Who is Slagel Farms?

Located in Fairbury, Illinois, Slagel Farms is a fifth-generation family farm known for producing high-quality, all-natural meats. Unlike large-scale commercial farms, Slagel Farms takes a hands-on approach, focusing on sustainability and ethical sourcing. Every aspect of the farm’s operations is carefully controlled to ensure the healthiest and best-tasting meat.

Sunset Foods Meat Buyer Dan Humphrey visiting Slagel Farms in Fairbury, Illinois.

Slagel Farms is widely recognized as one of Illinois’s premier turkey farms, trusted by Chicago’s top restaurants such as The Girl and the Goat, Publican Quality Meats, and Chicago Cut. At Sunset Foods, we’re excited to be the first grocery store in the Chicago Suburbs to offer their fresh Thanksgiving turkeys for the second year.

What Makes a Slagel Farm Turkey Better?

If you’re looking for the best Thanksgiving turkey for your holiday meal, a Slagel turkey stands out from the rest. At Slagel Farms, turkeys are raised without hormones or antibiotics in free-range, humane conditions. Their all-natural approach means you can feel confident that the farm-raised turkey you bring home is healthy, ethically raised, and free from unnecessary additives. This focus on quality over quantity shines through in the taste and texture of the final product.

Why Illinois’s Only Air-Chilled Turkey Tastes Better

A key feature that sets Slagel Farms’ turkeys apart is their use of air chilling. According to LouisJohn Slagel, Slagel Farms is the only facility in Illinois that uses this method for processing turkeys. Unlike the traditional method of immersing turkeys in water, air chilling cools each turkey by circulating cold air around it. This process has several important benefits:

Better Flavor & Texture: Because no water is absorbed during cooling, the meat's natural flavor is more concentrated, resulting in a richer taste and firmer, more satisfying texture.
Better Value: Water-chilled turkeys can absorb up to 8% of their weight in water, which you pay for. With an air-chilled turkey, you're paying for pure, natural poultry, not added water.
Safer & Cleaner: Cooling each bird individually with purified air reduces the risk of cross-contamination compared to communal water baths, and it's a more environmentally friendly process.
Superior Cooking Results: The lack of excess moisture means marinades penetrate the meat more effectively and the skin roasts up beautifully golden and crispy every time.

Air-chilled turkeys from Slagel Farms cook faster, absorb flavors beautifully, and stay juicier — the gold standard for chefs and home cooks alike.

How Do I Order a Slagel Farm Turkey?

Ready to serve your family a farm-to-table Thanksgiving turkey from Slagel Farms? Call or visit the Meat Department at your nearest Sunset Foods to reserve your fresh, local Slagel Farm turkey. We offer turkeys ranging from 12 to 22 pounds, perfect for small gatherings or large family feasts, available fresh daily at all Sunset locations across the North Shore, including Highland Park, Northbrook, Lake Forest, Libertyville, and Long Grove as well as Grand Food Center Winnetka & Glencoe.

Call Your Local Sunset to Reserve Today:

Highland Park: 847-432-5500
Northbrook: 847-272-7700
Lake Forest: 847-234-8380
Libertyville: 847-573-9570
Long Grove: 847-478-8150
Grand Food Center - Winnetka: 847-446-6707
Grand Food Center - Glencoe: 847-835-2842

Our Chefs' Favorite Turkey Recipes

Whether you roast, spatchcock, or smoke your bird, we have curated four foolproof ways to bring out the best in your Slagel Farm fresh, air-chilled turkey.