WILD TURKEY RECIPES

If you’re also interested in learning about brining a wild turkey, I’ve got you covered on that as well. Cooking these wild game birds isn’t as hard as some make it out to be.

With a little time, patience, and know-how, you may just forget about buying your Thanksgiving turkey from the grocery store and hit the woods this turkey season.

FOR BREASTS AND TENDERLOINS

These white meat cuts are best suited for frying, grilling, smoking, sautéing, and grinding. Bite-sized breast pieces can also be used in pot pies , although I prefer turkey thighs.

Working with breast meat is pretty straightforward, as there is relatively no connective tissue. However, when preparing the tenderloins, you must first remove the tendon that runs through the meat.

Brining: These cuts are also the leanest parts of a wild bird. So when working with whole breast, it’s generally a good idea to brine them before cooking.

In my opinion, this is the best way to ensure they are moist. I like to brine them in a basic solution ratio of (1 gallon of water, 1 cup of kosher salt, and 1/2 cup of white or brown sugar) for around 2 to 4 hours.

I usually add aromatics such as garlic, rosemary, thyme, and sage to enhance the flavor of the turkey.

Before cooking, be sure to rinse the brine off of the meat and dry it with paper towels. If you have the time, it is also a good idea to let the meat relax overnight, uncovered in the refrigerator to allow the brine to distribute through the meat. This is especially important when smoking birds and a great way to help promote a smoke ring.

Frying: When frying wild turkey, I like to use the entire breast or cut it into large chunks. This will allow you to attain a golden brown crispy crust while minimizing the chances of overcooking the meat.

Letting the meat sit at room temperature between 30 minutes and 1 hour is also good practice. This will allow the surface of the meat to be slightly warm, minimizing the chances of drastically dropping the temperature of your fryer oil. And while there are countless oils to fry your turkey in, I myself, prefer peanut oil. 

I like to deep fry them in my small countertop fryer. But my favorite method is shallow frying in a cast iron skillet. This allows the meat to touch the bottom of the pan, which creates a special kind of crust.

Cooking Times: As with most proteins that aren’t being braised, there are no set cooking times. You aim for the internal temperature of the meat to be 165 degrees F.

I like to stop the cooking process once the internal temperature has reached around 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the meat has had a chance to rest properly, “carryover cooking” will occur.

This is when the internal temperature continues to rise off of the heat. Tenting the meat with aluminum foil can speed up this process, although I wouldn’t do this with fried foods.

Sous Vide Cooking: This method isn’t my favorite way as I’m a little old school for cooking wild birds. But if I were to use this method, I would vacuum seal an entire turkey breast with loads of grass-fed butter, garlic, and herbs.

FOR LEGS AND THIGHS

Tenderness: Slow cooking is your friend when working with wild turkey legs and thighs. This wild dark meat isn’t like its farmed cousin. It needs to be cooked low and slow.

This can be done in a crock pot, braised in a baking dish, or on your stove top in a Dutch oven. But keep in mind that this is lean wild meat and will take longer to cook than farmed poultry.

Leftovers: Dark meat reigns supreme when it comes to leftovers. You can shred them into smaller pieces and add to casseroles, savory pies, tacos, and soups. In my opinion, it truly is the greatest leftover meat.