Wild Turkey Recipes....

[Jekemi]

I know this is an old post but I have to comment. The flavor of wild turkeys is excellent, when the bird is prepared the right way. Wild turkeys must be "brined" for at least 8 hours, typically overnight. The brine I use is a mixture of 4 parts salt, 2 parts sugar, 3 parts apple cider vinegar, and water. Mix the ingredients into the water and make sure you use a large enough bucket so that the bird is completely submerged. I sometimes use a cleaned brick to keep the bird completely underwater. If it's cold outside you can put the bucket on the porch or deck. If you have enough refrigerator space you can place the bucket in the fridge. It doesn't need to be ice-cold, just below 50 degrees. After the brining time, rinse the bird with fresh water and pat dry with a towel or paper towels. Season the inside of the bird with a mixture of salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.

Here's the secret. I use a meat syringe with a very large needle to inject the bird with a mixture of: melted butter, white wine, and a small amount of ground sage and ground thyme. Inject the bird in as many meaty places as possible, especially in the breast, thighs, and legs.

Rub the bird on the outside with melted butter, it will solidify almost immediately and season with the same seasoning mixture as you used in the cavity. You can also loosely pack cut up celery and onion into the main cavity. Truss the bird with meat string, keeping the legs and wings tight to the body of the bird. In a large roasting pan place the bird breast side down in the pan. Add a few more aromatic vegetables to the pan (onion, celery, carrot). Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 F degree oven for one to two hours. Remove the foil and roast another hour at least or until the juices run clear when poked or until the deepest part of the meat reads 160 degrees F. You can baste the bird with the pan juices from time to time after the foil has been removed.

This method insures that the bird will be tender, flavorful, and juicy. Don't forget to deglaze the roasting pan with some chicken stock and scrape all the caramelized bits into the liquid with a wooden spoon. This will form the base for your turkey gravy. I have cooked more than a dozen wild turkeys using this method, all with mouth-watering results.

[MtnMuley]

Another great idea, Jekemi Although I never keep birds in the whole these days, I will make an exception to our next bird for this recipe. Thanks for reviving a great thread.

[Jekemi]

As a former professional chef in St. Louis and Seattle for more than 11 years I have roasted hundreds of turkeys over the years - perhaps as many as 1,000. The big syringe trick wasn't available to me during the late 70's and 80's. However, most of the other techniques were available. I started brining many types of birds, commercially raised and wild birds in the early 90's with terrific results. One thing I forgot to mention: once you remove the aluminum foil, try to flip the bird over to breast side up and baste with pan liquids frequently for a great looking bird as well as great tasting. I published a cookbook 10 years ago and I make it available to anyone on the Hunting Washington Forum in an electronic copy for free.

[MtnMuley]

Thats awesome. How does one go about getting this cookbook?

[gaddy]

  Interested in the book. Thanks for the recipe

[Hercflyer]

I know this is an old post but I have to comment. The flavor of wild turkeys is excellent, when the bird is prepared the right way. Wild turkeys must be "brined" for at least 8 hours, typically overnight. The brine I use is a mixture of 4 parts salt, 2 parts sugar, 3 parts apple cider vinegar, and water. Mix the ingredients into the water and make sure you use a large enough bucket so that the bird is completely submerged. I sometimes use a cleaned brick to keep the bird completely underwater. If it's cold outside you can put the bucket on the porch or deck. If you have enough refrigerator space you can place the bucket in the fridge. It doesn't need to be ice-cold, just below 50 degrees. After the brining time, rinse the bird with fresh water and pat dry with a towel or paper towels. Season the inside of the bird with a mixture of salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.

Here's the secret. I use a meat syringe with a very large needle to inject the bird with a mixture of: melted butter, white wine, and a small amount of ground sage and ground thyme. Inject the bird in as many meaty places as possible, especially in the breast, thighs, and legs.

Rub the bird on the outside with melted butter, it will solidify almost immediately and season with the same seasoning mixture as you used in the cavity. You can also loosely pack cut up celery and onion into the main cavity. Truss the bird with meat string, keeping the legs and wings tight to the body of the bird. In a large roasting pan place the bird breast side down in the pan. Add a few more aromatic vegetables to the pan (onion, celery, carrot). Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 F degree oven for one to two hours. Remove the foil and roast another hour at least or until the juices run clear when poked or until the deepest part of the meat reads 160 degrees F. You can baste the bird with the pan juices from time to time after the foil has been removed.

This method insures that the bird will be tender, flavorful, and juicy. Don't forget to deglaze the roasting pan with some chicken stock and scrape all the caramelized bits into the liquid with a wooden spoon. This will form the base for your turkey gravy. I have cooked more than a dozen wild turkeys using this method, all with mouth-watering results.

What else is good is to take a huge bunch of thyme or other aromatics, steep them in honey and add some of that honey to your brine or injection mixture. We do it every year and smoke our birds, it's a crown pleaser for sure.