Wild Turkey Recipe

 Any wild turkey recipe? Brines? Best way to cook a breast? Is smoked the only way?

Utahman just cooks them like a regular turkey and so do I. Regular for me is stuffing a whole plucked bird. I used a large teakettle with scalding hot water poured slowly over parts of the bird at a time and the plucking goes much easier. I used the same method for the chickens I raised to butcher. No brine for me but I do stuff it and bag it to keep it moist and shorten cooking time. Follow the directions that come with the baking bag and it'll turn out great.

Looks great Polski.. May have to try. Thanks for sharing..

I made this "appetizer" last year, not really an appetizer if you eat about 10 of them though. I cut wild turkey breast cross grain into small junks, about 3/4" x 1 1/2" and seasoned with salt and pepper and then rolled them in some brown sugar, then added about a 1/4 strip of a jalapeno pepper, then wrapped them together with a 1/3 slice of bacon and secured with a tooth pic.

Placed on a cookie sheet and in the oven at 300 till the bacon started to get crispy. Took them out and brushed them with some of my hot pepper jelly for a glaze and back in the oven for about 5 minutes.  My version of a wild turkey popper...enjoy, Polski.

https://youtu.be/LlVoDc0GyGg

After tryng this I will do this every year.   Breakfast sausage.   Easy and awesome.  

Mig8r-  Thanks for the recipe/smoke process. Looks like a tasty meal. I have smoked numerous store bought breasts but will definitely try a wild bird.

Number one thing with WILD turkey breast is to not cook it higher than 150*, 147* is the sweet spot between done and overdone on my thermometer. Get it to 147-150*, tent in foil for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it. The internal temp will rise while tented to about 155* and that’s as far as you want to go. Every recipe will tell you to cook turkey to 180*, do that with a wild turkey breast and it won’t be edible. 

Domestic turkeys are grown in absolute filth and are loaded with bacteria, which then need to be cooked to a higher temp to kill the bacteria. Wild turkeys are clean and don’t need to be cooked as long. Wild turkeys are also not injected with saline to keep them moist like most domestic turkeys are. 

I have smoked well over 100 wild turkey breasts. I usually use a Cajun or southwest style seasoning. I actually make the seasoning blends myself and don’t add salt to them. So reduce the added salt if the seasoning you use has salt. 

For one tom breast-

1 Tbsp Cajun or SW seasoning 

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp kosher salt (adjust if necessary)

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder or 2 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp fresh minced rosemary (add more if using dried)

Place all ingredients and turkey breast in a ziplock and move it around until the meat is covered evenly. Leave in fridge for a minimum of 24 hours. I’ve left them brine for up to a 3-4 days. Science is involved and needs a minimum of 24 hours. In the first 6-8 hours, the salt draws out the moisture from the cells in the meat. The moisture combines with the seasoning and after a few hours begins to get drawn back into the meat but that moisture is now seasoned and throughout the meat. 

Fold the tail of the breast over so the breast is somewhat uniform thickness. Smoke at 225* for 3-4 hours until internal is 147-150*. I will baste with bacon grease 2-3 times during cooking. Remove from smoker, tent for 15-30 minutes. Slice thin. 

Legs and thighs are best long cooked or ground for burger. Smoked wild turkey meatloaf is outstanding! 

I have used a number of different versions of what has already been posted.

Have brined the meat in a simple salt/brown sugar/water mix for 1-2 days and then cut into strips to either make on the grille (breasts).. or.. deep fry like a McNugett.  Another favorite is to just grind the meat with bacon (roughly 80/20 mix) for turkey burgers. Have made "white chile" a couple of times.  Have seen the Meateater recipe before (turkey taco's) and will give that a try at some point.      

i cut the meat from a half breast across the grain (from thick end toward tip), which makes it more tender when cooked, about 3/4 inch thick, marinate (i like lawry's mesquite) for a couple hours and grill. like any wild game, dont over cook.

or my absolute favorite, cook the turkey strips like chicken fried steak and make pan gravy ... or use the grilled breast in wild turkey white chili.

i cook legs and thighs in crock pot, usually both legs or both thighs at a time, cover with water or chicken stock/broth with seasonings (i like thyme, poultry seasoning and a couple bay leaves) on low for 10 hours.

meat falls off the bone tender, then lots of options ... soup, w/noodles, enchiladas/fahitas/tacos, bbq sandwiches, casseroles...

Never noticed the difference from a store bought, except the wild ones have more flavor, and less white meat but not much. If in doubt brine, always turns out good. I would brine for two days seems if you do less time, it doesn't seem to penetrate far enough. Cut down on the salt in the brine. Lately I have been using half salt in my brines and more time, it wont hurt. Too much salt you cant fix. It takes 6-7 days to do corned beef, so it isn't too much difference for a turkey that weighs more.

Mine is similar to Greenhead's and have similar results with the family eating it.  Cut breast into 1" strips crossways.  Marinate in dill pickle juice for 12-24 hours.  Fry in oil with your favorite batter similar to what you would use for fish.  The marinade keeps it juicy and tender even after frying.  I added some shake and bake instead of bread crumbs to my fish recipe the last time I made it and it was the best yet.  Can be eaten plain or on a nice roll with some mayo and dill pickle slices.  Aside from the darker color, it's hard to tell it apart from a regular chicken breast.

As for the legs and other parts, I used the recipe below from Steve Rinella.  Took some time, but turned out good.

https://www.themeateater.com/cook/recipes/trophy-meals-beer-and-citrus-braised-wild-game-carnitas-street-tacos

This is a great recipe for the legs.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9izCyjnsyT0&t=2s 

Thanks guys. Keep them coming. This will be my first year. Just want to try some different ways. Friends say they suck. I will try some of these.