Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Turkey Hunting => Topic started by: KP-Skagit on April 20, 2021, 11:05:20 AM

Title: Cooking your bird
Post by: KP-Skagit on April 20, 2021, 11:05:20 AM: Managed my first turkey over the weekend. Plucked it and now its sitting in the fridge. Its a young tom, I imagine not going to be very tough.

My question is, how does everyone cook their birds?

Growing up my dad got a couple, we roasted them like Thanksgiving. One was a jake and was great, one was a big tom and even the gravy was tough. He got third that we fried the breast and then crock potted the remainder.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: jrebel on April 20, 2021, 11:19:01 AM: We have almost exclusively made schnitzel out of ours. We use an egg wash with panko and fry it in cast iron pans. After it is cooked we will eat it like chicken strips or chop it up and sauce it with an orange or teriyaki sauce over a bed of rice. It stays moist this way and everyone that eats it loves it.

I have made turkey pot pie soup in the slow cooker and it also turned out amazing. I don't have the recipe with me but could get it and post it if needed. It was a recipe we found online and then we just tweaked it to our liking.

My next venture with ours will be smoked in the traeger. I breast all of my birds as well as cut the legs off. I plan on wrapping the breast meat (butterflied) with the boned out thigh meat, rolled and stuffed, before smoking. I want to stuff it with something that will help keep it moist. I may try wrapping one with bacon to add fat. I will post how that goes when I complete it.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: bearpaw on April 20, 2021, 11:27:19 AM: I like making turkey McNuggets with the breast, small pieces with lots of Johnny's seasoning and fried in butter, all the other parts that have any meat make pretty good homemade soup in a slow cooker.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: Dan-o on April 20, 2021, 01:12:14 PM: BREASTS: Turkey schnitzel and panko pounded turkey.

LEGS: Braised in a wine sauce
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: vandeman17 on April 20, 2021, 01:15:40 PM: I roast mine like thanksgiving turkey. Stuff cavity with cut up orange, lemon and apple. Rub down the outside with olive oil, salt, pepper. Turns out pretty good
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: h2ofowlr on April 20, 2021, 02:08:05 PM: I brine it first, that way it doesn't dry out. Then do some Jack Daniels poultry seasoning rub. Placed the breast and thighs on the treager for 1:45 at 325F. Turn out pretty good.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: HAGEMANIAC on April 20, 2021, 02:42:06 PM: Breasts, schnitzel in the cast iron and white wild turkey chili in the instant pot.
Legs cook in the crockpot for a long time on low, then usually turn into nachos.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: Parasite on April 21, 2021, 05:40:30 AM: I brine and smoke the breasts.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: Jonathan_S on April 21, 2021, 07:46:17 AM: pavo asado on a HOT grill.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: Sneaky on April 21, 2021, 07:58:40 AM: schnitzel with gravy or katsu for the breasts, always good. Breasts are good on the grill but you have to really watch the temperature and brine/marinade first.

This year I made a big batch of sausage from 4 birds my buddy and I were able to harvest. Add about 40% smithfield natural pork shoulder from walmart (tastes better than most commercial bulk/cheap pork) and whatever spices you like. This year I did cajun, jalapeno, and jalapeno ranch flavors and they were all good. I use the spice packets from Northwest spices and add salt to taste. The spice packets are actually made to make dip but work great in sausage as well.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: dilleytech on April 21, 2021, 09:12:08 AM: Wild turkey doesn’t lend itself well to whole baking imo. And no matter how old the turkey is those legs are going to be really tough. You can make anything out of the breasts you would make from chicken breasts but you should really slow cook the legs. And never forget the heart and liver. 👍
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: Karl Blanchard on April 21, 2021, 10:10:01 AM: I've cooked turkey about every way imaginable and have settled on just schnitzel with the breast meat and turkey sausage with everything else. The sausage is always good on a Sunday morning with some sour dough pancakes and let's be honest, anything breaded and cooked hot is gonna be good so schnitzel is always a winner.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: BlackRiverTaxidermy on April 21, 2021, 10:22:43 AM: Pluck the bird...skin it if you’d like.
Gut bird and clean out cavity well and stuff with apples, onions and carrots.
Wrap the whole bird in a thick cut bacon.
Cook at 325 for 40 minutes and baste several times with the juices and bacon grease
Remove bird from oven
Clean out apples, onions, and carrots, and wrap bacon and set aside
Eat cooked apples, onions, carrots and bacon and throw away the bird :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: MR5x5 on April 21, 2021, 10:29:48 AM: Quote from: Karl Blanchard on April 21, 2021, 10:10:01 AM
I've cooked turkey about every way imaginable and have settled on just schnitzel with the breast meat and turkey sausage with everything else. The sausage is always good on a Sunday morning with some sour dough pancakes and let's be honest, anything breaded and cooked hot is gonna be good so schnitzel is always a winner.

This right there is the bomb. Myself I like to cut the breasts into 2-3 horizontal slabs, put a pounding to them, then schnitzel them up. Fantastic.
Legs braised and thrown in a crock pot are awfully good too.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: fowl smacker on April 21, 2021, 11:17:37 AM: Quote from: BlackRiverTaxidermy on April 21, 2021, 10:22:43 AM
Pluck the bird...skin it if you’d like.
Gut bird and clean out cavity well and stuff with apples, onions and carrots.
Wrap the whole bird in a thick cut bacon.
Cook at 325 for 40 minutes and baste several times with the juices and bacon grease
Remove bird from oven
Clean out apples, onions, and carrots, and wrap bacon and set aside
Eat cooked apples, onions, carrots and bacon and throw away the bird :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:
That's how I feel about wild turkeys as well. Although the schnitzel has me curious enough I think to shoot another one.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: emac on April 21, 2021, 11:31:38 AM: I do mine and few friends. Nothing but Turkey jerky for us.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: Bigshooter on April 21, 2021, 12:17:56 PM: Quote from: Karl Blanchard on April 21, 2021, 10:10:01 AM
I've cooked turkey about every way imaginable and have settled on just schnitzel with the breast meat and turkey sausage with everything else. The sausage is always good on a Sunday morning with some sour dough pancakes and let's be honest, anything breaded and cooked hot is gonna be good so schnitzel is always a winner.

:yeah: Breast meat schnitzel and I turn leg meat into brats.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: KFhunter on April 21, 2021, 12:19:14 PM: Jerky
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: washingtonmuley on April 21, 2021, 12:42:22 PM: Nuggets and turkey jerky for me.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: HikerHunter on April 21, 2021, 01:03:37 PM: Lots of good ideas already. I've brined and smoked most of my breasts, then used it in sandwiches, enchiladas, etc. I've only ever slow cooked the legs, seems like the easiest way to separate the meat from all the tough tendons and ligaments. I've smoked a few whole and they turned out great too.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: Karl Blanchard on April 21, 2021, 01:38:03 PM: I can't recommend the turkey sausage enough. Im not original at all so just went straight to the meateater recipe.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: 253shotgunner on April 23, 2021, 08:22:30 AM: Lately, I have been taking shredded breast meat or slow cooked turkey legs and adding them into a Thai red curry dish. It's pretty damn good :tup:
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: hal on May 03, 2021, 08:49:45 AM: cutlets off the breast. Pound, bread and fry. Always tender and tasty.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: skagit on May 04, 2021, 06:19:42 PM: Old Tom's I marinade the breast in terriyaki and make into Jerkey, delicious. My new favorite breast recipe is schnitzel.

The legs and wings go in the crockpot for carnitas or pot pie. It's the best way to get around all the tendons.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: KDB on May 06, 2021, 12:42:20 PM: Yesterday I baked a turkey pot pie that my daughter-in-law made and it was excellant.
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: KNOPHISH on May 06, 2021, 12:49:14 PM: Just cut up my bird and usually do same as most by snitzel breasts and slow cook legs for tacos. But I separated the huge meaty thighs to try something else. What are some fav recipes for those?
Title: Re: Cooking your bird
Post by: hunter399 on May 06, 2021, 01:21:18 PM: I know I know..........
Maybe not the best way ,
I cut the breast into strips ,pound out with meat hammer just to the point that they still hold together. Took three eggs with a shot of milk. Turkey strips into egg mixture then seasoned flour into hot pan with grease or oil.
That's what I did.
My son's recent Turkey did like 5 paper plates with like 6-7 strips per plate.