How Do You Cook a Wild Turkey?

[PA Baker]

A friend of mine just recieved a fully-cleaned, frozen wild turkey and is looking for some advice on how to cook it. I know that the meat tends to be much darker and stronger, but that's where my knowledge stops. Any tips or advice on how to roast it?

 

[bethzaring]

I have only cooked one, and I found it indistinguishable from a domestic store bought turkey. I chickened out and cooked it in a cooking bag. It was delicious. I think I only cooked the breast in the bag. I simmered the other parts for soup and creamed turkey.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Miss Baker...The wild turkey has less fat than their domestic counterparts. You can roast the bird, but you will need to baste more often to keep the meat moist. Or, as Miss Beth mentioned, the Oven Cooking bag will give you nice results. Add some onion, and celery to the bag, salt & pepper. Coat the bird with a good coating of butter. Cook at 350* until the thigh meat is 185*

Enjoy!

 

[kitchenelf]

...and the dark meat is inedible on any wild turkey I've ever had.

 

[pacanis]

I was under the impression that wild turkeys are all dark meat ??? It's been a while since I've had one, though.

PA Baker,
One thing you may want to consider when cooking it is if it was plucked or skinned. My friend did one years ago in the bag that was delicious. He had plucked it, which is a LOT of work.

 

[PA Baker]

Thanks everyone.

I checked with my friend this AM and was told that the turkey is actually skinned. Does that make a difference? I told her my guess was that the oven bag would be the best bet in that case to hold in as much moisture as possible. Was I way off on that?

 

[Uncle Bob]

Miss Baker you gave good advice for a skinned bird. Open pan roasting would require coving the bird with strips of bacon, etc. Tell your friend to cover the bird with plenty of butter...

 

[sage™]

Cook it ?? I thought ya drank it

 

[Poppinfresh]

The only thing I'd have to contradict here is the post that said cook it till the thigh reads 185.

You'll be eating cardboard if you cook it to that temperature. If you cook it to 185, the carryover will continue to cook it to at least 200. And the breast meat is always at about 10 degrees warmer than the thigh meat, so you're talking 210 for that. I don't care what you do to try and mitigate that, that's a dry bird.

A bird is considered "cooked" when the thigh meat is at 165 (used to be 180 until very recently; rules got changed). Depending on the size of the bird, you're gonna want to take it out of the oven at between 145 and 155.

As for wild turkey in general...it's good stuff, it's just not for everyone and takes a little getting used to. It's a bit gamier than your farm-raised birds that you're used to.

 

[candelbc]

I have a group of friends that are willing to pay me to brine and smoke their Wild Turkey. I have never really been a fan of Wild Turkey, but they all claim it is the only way to prepare it. Plus, after it has been brined and smoked, it can then be frozen and baked at their convienence.

-Brad

 

[Michael in FtW]

Domestic turkeys are bred to have large breasts ... wild turkeys aren't. So, no, wild turleys are not all dark meat - they just have less white meat than domestic turkeys.

Wild turkeys have a different diet ... so they taste different than domestic birds fed a high corn diet. That's what I like about them - aside from the thrill of eating something I outsmarted! Yeah, yeah - turkeys are dumb - but, you ever bow hunt them?

For a "skinned" bird - Uncle Bob is right - you really should consder the baking bags. Brining first would definately be a plus - and then rubbing with butter, or lard, would help ... of course ... barding (laying strips of smoke cured bacon) over the bird would also work to help maintain moisture by self-basting.

 

[simplicity]

Wild Turkey Recipe

1 skinned wild turkey
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 stick butter, or bacon drippings

Put in a 325 Deg. oven for 2-1/2 hours

The butter or bacon drippings in this recipe were soaked in cheesecloth and wrapped around the turkey. It is similar to Uncle Bob's, except the bake-in-a-bag part. The timing is not exact, but I'm hoping it will give you an idea about timing.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

A littel Wild Turkey Story I wrote about 3 years back comes to mind here. Enjoy.

Turkey Story (Kind of like a good fish story)

It's all about those exercised muscles.

Two wild turkeys struttin' there stuff: " Hey, Girly-boy turkey. let me fluff my tail feathers in front of you. The women are gonna go for me. Just watch me strut my stuff, and take lessons boy."

"Get outta here, you bag of goose-down." I got a three inch dew-claw on the back of each leg that says you better find a new neighborhood."

"Why that little dew claw of yours aint big enough to menace an earth worm."

"Yeah, well an earth worm has more strength than that puny neck of yours, But then again, it don't take much to hold up that empty head."

"C'mere boy. You're gonna find out right now how empty my head is."

"Yeah fluff boy, bring it on."

"Gawk, ow, you're gonna pay for that!..."
"Arrrgh, get yer foot outta my eye!"
"#*@$# bird brain. Take that!" POW

Off in the distance - "Hey Erma. Wanna come over to my tree? It's quiet there. We won't have to listen to those amatures over there."

"Why yes, Clem."

"Oh, and did I mention that I heard some human squakin' his turkey caller over by those two yardbirds?"

"Why no you didn't. Do you think we should warn them?"

"Oh no. The human's far to close. It's too dangerous. You just come with me to my tree. We can watch from there."

"Well, if you thinks it's too dangerous. And besides, a bath in scalding, I mean hot water, will quiet those two."

"Yup, it's gonna be tough tukey for those boys come thanksgiving day, if you get my drift."

"Oh Clem, you're so bad..."

KPOW

"Claire. Are those turkeys ready to come outta the oven yet? The aroma is killin' me. I'm starved."

"Well you're just gonna have to wait. You shot two of the toughest Toms I've ever cooked. I just might have to put 'em in a stew."

"Then how 'bout a sandwich to hold me over."

"You got two arms and two legs. Come in here and make yourself a sandwich. And while your at it, you can peel some spuds."

Hubby sneaks up on his best friend/wife and plants a kiss on her cheek. "Honey, I love you so much. But you know, with your cooking, maybe we could sell that turkey meat to shoe stores, you know, to make tennis shoe soles."

She whirls and pokes him in the ribs with two fingers. He grins from ear to ear as he laughingly continues "Or maybe we can sell them to the road commision, you know to mix with tar for road construction."

He's at a dead run from the kitchen now as Claire picks up a sopping wet sponge to hurl at her goofball Husband.

Just another day in the life of Claire.



Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North