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| Staring back from the abyss  |
As a lifelong hunter, it's odd that I've only had wild turkey one other time...and I didn't much care for it, likening it to chewing on a hunk of leather. Yesterday, though, I cooked one right and it was fantastic. I first brined it in salt, brown sugar, a little Prague powder (that I may delete next time), rosemary and savory for two days. I then smoked it in my Masterbuilt smoker with hickory at 190F. Took about six hours to get to 160F (it hung at 130F forever), but when I took her off it was juicy and oh so tasty. Anyone else have some other tricks for cooking these things up? Brine recipes? Different smoke? ________________________________________________________ "Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton. | ||
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"Member" |
Other than saving the legs to cook in a pressure cooker, nope. That's the advice given by a friend who along with his friends shoots lots of turkeys. Me it would take decades to save enough of them up.  _____________________________________________________ Sliced bread, the greatest thing since the 1911. | |||
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Drill Here, Drill Now |
Never done wild turkey, but I had my butcher spatchcock a fresh never frozen turkey for Canadian Thanksgiving. Getting rid of the cavity means it cooks faster, and it was incredibly juicy. In fact, when I pulled out the thermometer probe the juice shot out several feet. One tip I got from Lastmanstanding, turkey needs to be smoked hotter to crisp the skin so 275 to 325 is the preferred temp. Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer. | |||
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blame canada |
I've never shot or eaten wild turkey. Growing up though (for the small amount of time my family lived on a farm with my grandparents), the chickens we'd harvest (usually old or especially mean) were a bit gamey. Solved by using a pressure cooker. These days, I use a pressure cooker for most meats that are freezer burned or old. Perhaps try a pressure cooker? I also do the deep fry method for turkeys often, in peanut oil. Seems like that'd solve any off flavors or toughness as well. I've discovered that everything tastes good when its been deep fried in peanut oil. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The trouble with our Liberal friends...is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." Ronald Reagan, 1964 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Arguing with some people is like playing chess with a pigeon. It doesn't matter how good I am at chess, the pigeon will just take a shit on the board, strut around knocking over all the pieces and act like it won.. and in some cases it will insult you at the same time." DevlDogs55, 2014  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ www.rikrlandvs.com | |||
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Glorious SPAM! |
The last time I had wild turkey I was probably 12, and I have no clue how my uncle cooked it but I do remember it was meh (certainly not mom's Thanksgiving bird). Anyway can one of you enlighten me as to what a pressure cooker does to the taste of gamey/freezer burned/old meat? Never heard the suggestion before. | |||
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Member |
Was working for a relative a few weeks ago and she fixed lunch for me and said she was going use a recipe from my late mother of chicken with mushrooms and rice.... Half way through me eating my first helping she informed me the chicken was actually a turkey her husband had shot the week before and the mushrooms were ones she picked out of the woods... My Native American Name: "Runs with Scissors" | |||
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The Unmanned Writer |
Breast them out, bread in corn meal and red pepper flakes, fry in cast iron pan. Serve with mashed potatoes an some steamed veggies. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. "If dogs don't go to Heaven, I want to go where they go" Will Rogers The definition of the words we used, carry a meaning of their own... | |||
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| Member |
It's not bad on the rocks. | |||
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| Member |
I like to use the thighs of a wild turkey in a mole. Cooke it in a crock pot for most of the day, then serve in flour tortillas with some sliced radishes and a little sour cream. Even my wife, who isn't much of a wild game fan, really likes it. | |||
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| Staring back from the abyss |
Damn that sounds good. Do you brine them first? I'd think it'd be too dry if not. CADuckhunter - your's sounds good too. I'll have to give that a go. This one was too small to have thighs worth harvesting (don't tell the game warden though, they frown on that.  )________________________________________________________ "Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton. | |||
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| stupid beyond all belief  |
Never had bad wild turkey. Only eat the breast since the legs are spindly and wings too. Ive grilled or deep fried em. What man is a man that does not make the world better. -Balian of Ibelin Only boring people get bored. - Ruth Burke | |||
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| Member |
CADuckhunter - your's sounds good too. I'll have to give that a go. This one was too small to have thighs worth harvesting (don't tell the game warden though, they frown on that. )[/QUOTE]I will scan the recipe and email it, if you'd like. My email is in my profile. | |||
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| Member |
With wild turkey we would cut the breast from the carcass, cut it into medallions and fry it. The carcass would be put in a stock pot with carrots, onions, and potatoes. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer until the meat falls off the bone, remove the bones and cartilage add salt and pepper to taste, makes a really good soup. | |||
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I'm Fine |
The breasts are great - I've never managed to get the legs tender.. ------------------ SBrooks | |||
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| Member |
Quite coincidentaly, I did the same thing this weekend. My Brine included honey as well brown sugar, I also basted with periodically with honey mixed with a tiny bit of allegro hot and spicy while smoking and used apple wood. I took one side of the breast, trimmed it up and rolled into a roast, tied with twine. Mine also took longer than expected to finish but it was outstanding. Brett | |||
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