Wild turkey recipe.

[mdeerjunkie]

Hey all,
I am looking for some recipes on how to cook this turkey that I shot earlier this year. Most of the time it turns out dry and chewy for me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
The turkey weighed 21 pounds, had an 11 inch beard and 1 and 1/2 spurs.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

One think that helps with the chewiness on a wild turkey is to marinate in orange juice and Italian dressing. Then just cook however you want after marinating.

 

[jakewood321]

Congrats on an awesome bird! My favorite is wrapping the breasts in bacon then throwing it on the smoker, keeps the meat moist and gives it fantastic flavor. Kind of like you would if you were to cook pheasant, both very lean and low fat, don't overcook it!

 

[Hem]

Many options for recipes.
The fool proof, easiest technique for a wild turkey is using an oven bag. The average turkey cooks in 2-2 1/2 hours. It wont be dry. Just check the breast with a meat thermometer before it's supposed to be done.

 

[BrentD]

This is a very easy recipe that is superb for turkey or pheasant. If the former, cut the breast into "steaks" across the grain.

Use a smoked paprika if you can find it.

pheasant in cream sauce mushrooms and paprika



INGREDIENTS

2 bone pheasant breasts plus legs,

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2+ teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons butter

½ cup finely chopped onions

6-7 sprigs fresh thyme

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup frozen sweet peas

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sour cream

1 lb fresh mushrooms (portabellas are good)

Serve over wild rice

PREPARATION

Sprinkle the breasts with salt, pepper and paprika.

Melt the butter in a heavy nonstick skillet large enough to hold the pheasant breasts in one layer. Add the breasts and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Turn the breasts and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the onions, carrots, and thyme. Stir and cook until the onions are wilted. Add the wine to dissolve the brown particles that cling to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until most of the wine evaporates.

Add the heavy cream and peas and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the sour cream, blend well and bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings and serve very hot.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

pheasant in cream sauce mushrooms and paprika

I'm gonna cook this today....thanks for sharing.

 

[Hem]

Since I've killed close to 55 birds , in recent years I have been boning out turkeys and grinding the meat. Whole new arena of food options.

 

[timberman56]

fillet breast off bone, slice across grain into fingers, dip in seasoned egg wash, dredge a.p. flour, fry in iron skillet, make gravy from drippings, and enjoy If I had a choice it would be my last meal

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

fillet breast off bone, slice across grain into fingers, dip in seasoned egg wash, dredge a.p. flour, fry in iron skillet, make gravy from drippings, and enjoy If I had a choice it would be my last meal

A family friend at archery camp growing up in PA. would come stay and bring his shotgun for fall turkey and he would make pretty much this same thing every year if he got a bird. Good times!

 

[Nathan]

Turkey schnitzel. Check the MeatEater website for the recipe.

GF hasn’t liked a single wild turkey recipe I’ve made over the years and this year I made the schnitzel and she enjoyed it. Even made sure she ate the leftovers before I had a chance to get them.

 

[huntnpack]

Braising and then shredding for tacos, bbq sandwiches etc. is my favorite way to eat the legs and thighs.

 

[kansasdad]

Braising and then shredding for tacos, bbq sandwiches etc. is my favorite way to eat the legs and thighs.

Following Hank Shaw's recipe ("Pheasant Quail Cottontail" cook book) after braising and shredding ahead of time or at the time of service, to add some crunchy texture, Hank suggests frying in real lard. He further suggests to not turn the shredded legs/thighs so that one half is crunchy, one half is still soft, but hot. Lay down your best taco ingredients and enjoy.

 

[kansasdad]

I like diced mango and peach habenero salsa and skip the cilantro on my tacos when making my own. I also make mega tacos or small burritos out of mine just because they are so good.

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

Do yourself a favor with turkeys and part them out. Breast meat and thigh/leg meat do not cook at the same speed...this is a reason you have been a fan of "dark" meat your whole life. After that, there are a ton of great ways to handle wild turkey. My personal favorite methods are as follows.

1. Brine the breast and make turkey schnitzel. This is almost imposible to mess up. Bread it, fry it. Then add lemon and chifonaded parsley if you wanna get fancy. A close relative to this recipe is to make spicy turkey nuggets, I posted that whole recipe here.

2. For the legs/wings, you have a few different options, but in my mind all of them involve low temps, high moisture, and a lot of time. These pieces of meat can be very tough, but are some of the most flavorful when handled in a way that breaks down the connective tissues. Think pulled pork type applications. Tamales, tagine, and caseroles are great options. If you should a young bird (like I stupidly did this year), then of course you can do some simpler baked preperations. I just personally like things that really stretch out the use of the bird.

3.As for the back (and whatever is left of the neck), I usually make stock. It's a great way to add a ton of flavor to whatever other dishes you might make throughout the year (or just a way of having a killer base for soup when you get home too tired to manage much else). In a deep roasting pan, or oven safe stockpot, place your turkey back, some chunks of onion, and a few cloves of garlic. Lightly salt and sprinkle with olive oil. Roast in an oven at 350 for an hour or so; until the meat is well browned on the outside. Deglaze the pot with a small amount of water to get all that browned goodness off of the bottom of the pot and into your pan (this also makes dishes easier). Cover with a whole bunch of water and simmer this on the stove-top for...a long time. When the stock hits the flavor intensity you are looking for, remove all the solids from the liquids and freeze in 2 quart plastic lidded containers (mason jars have a tendency to break).

Do not. I repeat DO NOT throw out your feet. Blanch them for a minute in boiling water, and peel them. Toss these into the stockpot during the simmering phase, this addition to your stock will add a silkiness that you just can't get elsewhere (it's the gelatin). One Bird makes 4-6 quarts of stock. The meat can be picked and utilized, but will lack most of its flavor at this point, so I'd advise you use that in heavily spiced dishes to compensate.

Once you start taking your birds apart you will have a whole world of options open up to you. Start messing around with it and tell us how it turns out.

 

[NEWHunter]

Nice photo. I clean my bird and take it to a local butcher to have it smoked. I then make 5 or 6 pot pies out of a gobbler. I don’t season the pot pie recipe with salt as the smoke and saltiness of the turkey takes care of that. Turns out great every time and always a big hit.

Send me a message if you go this route and I can get you the recipe I use.

 

[geetar]

Only ever cooked one. Injected it with creole butter and deep fried in peanut oil. Definitely not chewy or dry that way. In fact it’s probably some of the tastiest wild meat I’ve had done that way.

 

[Elkwhisper]

The schnitzel suggestion is solid....one of my favorites. But I shot one last week and turned it into a chowder in the crock pot. Sweet potatoes, corn, bacon, bell peppers, carrots, green chillies etc.... even my wife and daughter singned up for seconds on that one.