Cooking the turkey

As you decide how to prepare the wild turkey, keep in mind whether your turkey is an older, tougher bird or a younger, more tender bird. Older birds should be cooked with a moist-heat method, while younger birds can be grilled or fried.

Cleaning a Turkey

Novice turkey hunters are often intimidated when it comes time to clean the large bird. Just like a chicken or other fowl, there are two basic ways to clean a turkey: plucking and skinning. If you want to help keep the moisture in the turkey while cooking it whole, then you should pluck the bird. Remove feathers from the turkey just as you would pluck a chicken. This method does take more time than skinning and it is messy.

Skinning the turkey is faster and cleaner, but you will need to wrap the bird in foil or place in a baking bag to cook whole. Here are some tips to make skinning the turkey easier:

  1. Hang the turkey by both feet at chest level. The turkey should hang so the feet are 12 to 18 inches apart.
  2. If you want to save the beard, remove it now. Grasp the beard as close to the body as possible, give it a half-twist, then sharply pull it away from the breast. The beard will pull away with a little tissue on it.
  3. Now remove the fan by cutting the skin away from the tail.
  4. Cut off the wings at the elbow or second joint.
  5. Grasp the skin at the tail and begin pulling it down. Work the skin off around the wings and pull it down to the neck.
  6. Cut off the neck and the skin. The feathers and head will come off in one piece.
  7. Open the body cavity and remove the entrails, if you have not already done so in the field. Be sure to remove all lung material from the backbone, as it tends to spoil quickly.
  8. Cut off the legs at the knee or sec-ond joint. If you don't want to cook or freeze a whole turkey, consider cutting it up into smaller portions. Remove the breast and other meat from the carcass and cut off the legs and wings. Package in appropriate servings for cooking. The turkey is ready for cooking or freezing. Double-bag the turkey in plastic freezer bags and seal as airtight as possible to prevent freezer burn.

Roasting Turkey in a Baking Bag

Roasting wild turkey in a baking bag helps seal in the delicious juices. Bak-ing bags are available from your supermarket in the section with foil and other food wraps. Instructions for using the bags are included with the packaging. Follow the directions for the bag and place the turkey (with or without stuffing) in a roasting pan or baking dish.

In general, most bags call for adding flour to the bag and shaking it inside to protect the bag, then placing it in a roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Place turkey, brushed with oil or butter and seasonings, inside the bag. If the turkey is skinless, add a small amount of water and close with a tie. Slits are cut in the top of the bag and it is baked for 1 1/2 to 3 hours depending on size (10 to 12 minutes per pound without stuffing). Most bag instructions recommend baking the turkey at 350 degrees F. For greater accuracy, place a meat thermometer in the turkey's thigh. The turkey tests done when the ther-mometer reaches 180 degrees F.

Turkey Stock

If you want to make stock for soup, noodles or dressing, boil the legs, wings or other less meaty pieces with seasonings (such as salt, pepper, garlic or onion) for one to two hours. Remove pieces of turkey and strain broth.

Grilled Turkey

For a light meat to serve with salads or in burritos, try marinating strips of turkey about 1/2- to 1-inch thick in prepared Italian salad dressing or Wine and Lime Marinade (recipe follows). Refrigerate for 1 to 6 hours, then grill until done.

Wine and Lime Marinade

Tenderize meat on one side. Sprinkle with garlic and place in bag to marinate. Juice lime in bag and add wine, remaining garlic and pepper. Seal and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Turkey Fingers

Whisk one large egg. Coat the turkey with flour. Dip in egg, then roll in breadcrumbs. Pan fry in a small amount of butter or olive oil until lightly brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Cook the rice as directed. In a skillet, melt the butter and add the garlic, onion, celery and mushrooms. When tender, add turkey, wine and seasonings. Mix cornstarch and part of milk and thicken. Cook until bubbly. Combine rice and turkey mixture in large pan. Add remaining ingredients and enough water to make slightly soupy. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Roast Turkey and Dressing

If turkey is not young, parboil or pressure-cook it for 1-2 hours. Rub the turkey with butter and turn breast down in pan to roast in slow oven. Cook the neck, wings and giblets together for dressing broth.

Dressing

Combine all ingredients and place in turkey cavity. Pour some dressing around the turkey and roast until dressing is lightly brown. Baste turkey occasionally while baking. Modified from Cy Littlebee's Guide to Cooking Fish and Game

Roast Wild Turkey in White Wine with Mushroom Pate Stuffing

Pate Stuffing (amounts are for 10-12 pound bird)

Ingredients for basting and later use:

Melt butter in skillet and sauté onion and mushrooms until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Turn into large bowl. Add chicken liver, bread-crumbs, parsley, salt, thyme, marjo-ram and pepper. Toss until thor-oughly combined.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry turkey inside and out. Mix salt and pepper. Sprinkle part of mixture inside turkey. Spoon stuffing into neck and body cavity. Use twine to close cavity, fasten wing tips to body and tie ends of legs together. Place turkey, breast up, in a deep roasting pan with a tight-fitting cover. Brush with oil and sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Insert meat thermometer in turkey thigh at thickest part. Add onion, garlic, cloves, bay leaf and basil to roasting pan. Pour chicken broth and wine over turkey. Cover pan tightly. Roast, basting every 30 minutes, for 2 1/2 hours, or until thermometer reaches 185 degrees F. Leg joints should move freely. Remove turkey from roasting pan and remove twine to serve.

Modified from Cy Littlebee's Guide to Cooking Fish and Game

Barded Wild Turkey Hors de Oeuvres

Cut turkey strips about 1 1/2 inches wide by 3 to 4 inches in length. Marinate in Italian salad dressing for 1 hour or more. Roll turkey strip around the pepper or chestnut. Wrap with bacon slice and secure with toothpick or bamboo skewer. Grill or broil until done.

Barbecued Wild Turkey

Cut turkey in serving size pieces; sprinkle with garlic salt and salt.

Barbecue Sauce

Mix dry ingredients in medium saucepan. Add the remaining ingredi-ents and simmer 15-30 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Cover each piece of turkey with sauce. Baste often on grill, cooking 4 to 5 minutes or until done.