How does wild turkey taste?

[jjdavis2222]

 Never turkey hunted before but all this turkey talk has got me interested.

How does a wild turkey taste compared to a store bought demestic?  

[NRA4LIFE]

Taste is very similar to store bought, just a little drier.  The big toms can be a little on the tough side and a little gamier.  A big tom I shot in the fall in Missouri had his crop full of grasshoppers and walking sticks and he tasted like $hit.

[jackelope]

mostly dark meat...I wouldn't bother trying to eat the legs or maybe just use them for stew. Really good deep fried. Ithink thats probably the best way to do it and keep them juicy. They actually use their muscles to fly and what-not so they don't have the big fat juicy meat like a yard bird has.

[NWTFhunter]

I really do not know why people say wild turkey taste bad ??  I have had only 1 that turned out poorly, and that was because I over cooked it !!!!   As with any game meat, you have to take the care not to over cook, or dry it out from lack of moisture.
I just cooked up half a breast of my tom that I shot monday, and my girlfriend loved it.  It does not taste like a store bird at all !
I marinated mine in worchester, garlic, and crushed red pepper overnight in a ziplock.  Peeled carrots, potatoes and added onion, and red pepper in an ovenbag.  Cooked for 1.5 hours on 300 and it was soooooooooooo moist and tastey !

[jackelope]

the oven bag and the low temp for a longer period of time is what helped you out there...the oven bag mainly.
 

[boneaddict]

Not bad as long as you drink a fifth of the other wild turkey before hand.

[NWTFhunter]

Yes the oven bag is the secret ! You have to remember, wild turkeys are not pumped full of juice like domestic store birds before being sent to the market.

Bone, your a nut !  And you would have loved my recipe !!

[chrisb]

ANything you harvest will tasty exactly the same..... like victory

[boneaddict]

I'm sure I would love it.   I've had horrible and I have had finger lickin good, so I'd imagine its just like Venison.  60% prep, 20% what they eat, and %20 how you cook it.   Throw that fifth of wild turkey in there and its 100% who gives a damn.

[Jekemi]

Short answer: Wild Turkey is delicious. if you braise the leg/thigh in the pan that the breast and wings cook in they will be tender. Remove the leg/thigh from the turkey body using a very sharp knife. Season & brown the legs lightly in a large saute pan. Place them in the large roasting pan with the rest of the turkey body. Add a few cups of chicken stock to the pan so that the leg/thigh are almost summerged.
By the time the breast meat is cooked the leg/thigh will be tender, falling off the bone, and very flavorful. Wild turkey can be a little gammier but if you brine the bird overnight it removes most of the game taste. Make sure you take all that delicious turkey stock and make gravy out of it. It's the best part.

[Austrian Hunter]

I really do not know why people say wild turkey taste bad ??  I have had only 1 that turned out poorly, and that was because I over cooked it !!!!   As with any game meat, you have to take the care not to over cook, or dry it out from lack of moisture.
I just cooked up half a breast of my tom that I shot monday, and my girlfriend loved it.  It does not taste like a store bird at all !
I marinated mine in worchester, garlic, and crushed red pepper overnight in a ziplock.  Peeled carrots, potatoes and added onion, and red pepper in an ovenbag.  Cooked for 1.5 hours on 300 and it was soooooooooooo moist and tastey !

Thanks, I have to try this, hopefully next week!!

[NRA4LIFE]

I cook the legs in a slow cooker with some chicken stock, onions and garlic.  Very tasty.

[NWTFhunter]

No problem A.H.  Just use plenty of fluid such as worchester so that it is swimming in marinade.  You can also use cran juice, white grape, or chicken stock. Basically any liquid with a low citrus.

[Pathfinder101]

Another vote for Oven Bags.  Except for the legs, they taste like store-bought birds.

[NWTFhunter]

Another great way is to use a pressure cooker.  But I have not played with one at all, nor know anyone who has. So knowing how long would be the key !  You would lose NO moisture that way though.