Philly Pretzel Manufacturing facility turkey places a twist on Thanksgiving

Brothers Brian and Shaun Kean have saved prospects riveted at their Philly Pretzel Manufacturing facility franchise in Langhorne for 17 years with their extraordinary tender pretzel creations, from a salty Ben Franklin signing the Declaration of Independence to a tacky interpretation of the Soiled Dancing elevate.

“It helps break up the mo-knot-ony,” Brian Kean advised me.

However as soon as Thanksgiving rolls round, it turns into all in regards to the birds. Sure, the Eagles after all (there’s an enormous cutout of a pretzel sporting an Eagles helmet exterior of their retailer), but additionally, turkeys.

Since 2006, the Keans have made tender pretzels within the form of cooked/bald/useless turkeys. Their creations began small, in regards to the dimension of a fist, however in 2020, they needed to make their a-dough-rable turkeys extra purposeful, in order that they determined to upsize them so the highest may be hollowed out and used as a bread bowl for dips.

“It’s identical to a daily turkey, however you don’t must prepare dinner it,” Brian Kean mentioned.

Clients who use the turkey as a centerpiece usually purchase an accompanying bucket of rivet pretzels for dipping or buy a feathered/alive turkey pretzel, whose plumage breaks off into dippable rivets. I’ve little question that being the bearer of such culinary delights is a feather within the cap of any celebration visitor.

Some could say tender pretzels run afowl of a conventional Thanksgiving meal, however across the Philly area — the place consuming tender pretzels is an intrinsic a part of our pursuit of happiness — the creation of this super turkey was inevitable. It’s simply pretzel logic.

Once I arrived on the retailer Wednesday morning, the Kean brothers and their two staffers have been so busy that we chatted within the kitchen whereas they twisted dough and pulled piping-hot racks of pretzels from the oven.

There was no time to waddle round with me, they wanted to mustard all of the power they may to satisfy orders (they twist 20 pretzels a minute and bake 300 each 20 minutes).

“We’ve got to be on our A-game on Thanksgiving,” Shaun Kean mentioned.

I used to be stunned at how flat and pale the turkeys appeared once they went into the oven, and the way fluffy and completely brown they have been once they got here out.

To date this season, the store has made 80 turkeys and on Thanksgiving Day, they’re booked with orders for 50 cooked/bald/useless pretzel turkeys (which include about one-and-a-half kilos of dough) and 30 of the feathered selection.

“Individuals at all times assume they’ve sufficient meals, however what about appetizers, or when the soccer sport goes on?” Brian Kean mentioned. “In actuality, pretzels change into the factor individuals go to most.”

Since we have been speaking turkey, I needed to know lengthy they final.

“It lasts till somebody breaks a leg off,” Brian Kean mentioned.

I yam not going to lie, I had a powerful need to tear off these lovable little legs and dip them in cheese, however I held myself again as a result of I’m an expert (boo!).

Because it seems, the turkey pretzel has the shelf lifetime of a daily pretzel, however it may be frozen and brought out 40 minutes earlier than serving time. The turkeys, which have to be preordered, value $15 by Nov. 17 and $20 thereafter.

Shaun Kean mentioned it’s been particularly common with those that don’t eat conventional turkey on Thanksgiving.

“Vegetarians say ‘I lastly discovered a turkey I like,’” he mentioned.

What I like in regards to the turkey pretzels is that they’re not only a novelty, they’re an expression of the Keans’ creativity and the satisfaction they soak up producing one of many area’s most-beloved meals.

“It’s a lot tougher, nevertheless it makes it tougher and extra enjoyable,” Brian Kean mentioned.