Best ways to cook wild turkey

[NorthJerseyMike]

Hi all, 

Looking for tips and recipes.  I have had wild turkey once - the entire bird was smoked and finished off in the oven.  The chef brined the bird in salt water before smoking it.  It wasn't bad, but it could have been much better.  

How many of you use the entire bird?  Or do you just use the breast meat?   Any marinade recipes to make the bird taste even better?  And go... 

[archer36]

I would cook the breast meat and legs/thighs separately and by different methods. The breast you can grill or fry. The legs/thighs you must cook low and slow in a crock pot. Tough as nails. 

[Lunatic]

The best way to cook turkey legs is to braise them. 2.5 hrs at 250 with some root vegies and spices you like and it comes out great. Cooking breast with tough lags is not a good idea. Each requires different method and  time. 
Breasts I use for Turkey Marsala or similar dish which requires thin cutlets and quick, high heat cooking, 

[mazzgolf]

I never pluck and cook the bird whole - it isn't a Butterball.

I breast the bird out and make several very good recipes with it. Just recently (I think the past year I started this) I slow cook the legs - comes out very good in the slow cooker! Don't throw away the legs!

Look in Food & Recipes forum here on NJW&W, I'm pretty sure I posted several breast and leg recipes that came out very, very good.

[Deerslayer21]

Cut breasts up into cubes. make a packet of seven seas italian dressing . pour dressing in plastic bag with 1/2 cup milk. Seal bag let sit in fridge couple hours.  take turkey out of bag and wrap the turkey in bacon and cook on the grill until done...   I usually top the turkey and bacon with my pickled jalapenos....   

[Eyesofthewoods]

I like to cut out the breast and then cut into strips and marinade in honey mustard for a few days.  Then I put em on the grill.  It’s a sweet savory taste and pretty close to grilled chicken IMO.   The legs you can either grind up make some sausage or go to the slow cooker with some veggies and broth base let it just go and then you’ll have more fall off the bone type meat.  Obviously season it all to you’re liking.

[Bucndoe]

Breast and cube the meat. Put it in a crockpot with Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken soup. Pour over opened buttermilk biscuits and add fresh ground pepper. If you ain't lickng your plate when done, there is something wrong with you

Edited March 15, 2021 by Bucndoe

[Swamprat]

Gotta remember a wild bird isn't fed a high calorie high fat feed it's entire life.  So you're not going to have a juicy piece of meat.  Also chickens and turkeys in the supermarket are young birds. They are all usually less then a few months other than your Thanksgiving turkeys. Turkey breast gets cut into thin cutlets.  The thighs get thrown into Crockpot with either bbq sauce, cider vinegar ,  and brown sugar or into a chicken broth. Simmer all day. 

[chenrossi]

Tons of different ways to do wild turkey. 

My personal favorite is smoking turkey breast. Really can't beat that. I like frying turkey nuggets too in a mixture of panko crumbs with some lemon pepper seasoning mixed in. Fried cutlets...turkey parm...Turkey jalapeno poppers...Thighs I usually save for sausage, or I'll crockpot them for bbq sandwiches. 

Kind of endless.

[Bonefreak]

There is a good Outdoor Life fried turkey recipe I like in this post. 
 

also saw a recipe for frying turkey like Popeyes Louisiana style....I think it’s called copy cat Popeyes 

 

[mazzgolf]

This is one of my favorites - if you aren't into "cooking", might not be for you because it isn't a simple "throw everything in a pot and turn it on" recipe. But if you want to stir up your inner-Julia Child then the end result is well worth it... Turkey Chimichangas:

(sometimes when I'm lazy, I just make the flavor base and turkey and forget making the chimichangas part of it. In that case, I just wrap the flavor base/turkey in soft taco shells ... but the first time you try this, make the whole thing)

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by mazzgolf

[MikeStaten]

Got this recipe from a turkey hunting guide from Nebraska.   It’s good.  
 

First remove all silver skin and sinew from the breast meat and cut into small nuggets. Then marinate them in a ziplock with a bottle of buttermilk ranch and a small jar of yellow banana peppers with the juice from the jar. Overnight is recommended for a good soak on the marinate time. Then dredge the nuggets in flour and fry until golden bites of heaven. Immediately after removing them from the fryer season them with Weber Steak and Chop seasoning to allow it to caramelize to the breading. Then do the same with your peppers.

For the legs I do the equivalent of pulled pork in the crock pot.   I put water tomato sauce, bbq sauce and turkey legs and cook it down until the meat falls off the bone.   

 

[OMC]

On 3/15/2021 at 11:01 AM, Deerslayer21 said:

Cut breasts up into cubes. make a packet of seven seas italian dressing . pour dressing in plastic bag with 1/2 cup milk. Seal bag let sit in fridge couple hours.  take turkey out of bag and wrap the turkey in bacon and cook on the grill until done...   I usually top the turkey and bacon with my pickled jalapenos....   

Hey that sounds really really good ! 
🤣😂

Where did that recipe come from ? 
I would only add one step soak the cubed breast meat in some milk for a few hours then follow the above !! 

[LPJR]

On 3/15/2021 at 10:48 AM, NorthJerseyMike said:

Hi all, 

Looking for tips and recipes.  I have had wild turkey once - the entire bird was smoked and finished off in the oven.  The chef brined the bird in salt water before smoking it.  It wasn't bad, but it could have been much better.  

How many of you use the entire bird?  Or do you just use the breast meat?   Any marinade recipes to make the bird taste even better?  And go... 

Wild Turkey cutlets for us. 

Best. Ever.

Cannot wait, so good...

 

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by LPJR

[Buck154]

Deep fried is good if you have one. If not just deep fried turkey cutlets breaded with your favorite bread crumbs and spices.