Wild turkeys are some of the best eating game birds out there, be it in the spring or fall seasons. As with all upland game birds, turkeys are born to run, so are nothing like that farm-raised, fat, fluid-injected, store-bought bird. The key to optimizing the flavor of a wild turkey–or any upland bird–is to properly clean it and not overcook it.
If cooking wild turkey is new to you, for the best results break the turkey into parts. Once the bird has been skinned, position the carcass on its back, press down on the legs until they pop at the ball and socket joint. Keeping the knife blade close to the carcass, remove each leg and thigh. At the joint, separate the leg from the thigh. Though both are excellent when slow cooked, separating the two parts ensures they’ll fit in your slow or pressure cooker.
Next, remove the wings at the large joint where they attach to the carcass. Cut the neck off at a joint close to the carcass. The wings and neck can be added to the carcass, gizzard, heart, and liver, for a tasty stock.
With the bird still on its back, run the knife blade against the keel, filleting away each breast. Gently pull the tenderloin away from the breast meat. Don’t worry about bits of meat left on the carcass, as it will lend more flavor to your stock.
Here’s a breast recipe you’ll love:
Depending on the time of year you choose to cook your wild turkey, this recipe can be varied to include different herbs and spices. The key ingredients are butter and Parmesan cheese but even the breadcrumbs could be changed to crackers or cornbread.
Butter Parmesan Stuffed Turkey Breast
1 3-pound skinless, wild turkey breast
1/2 cup butter, divided
1 onion, diced
1/3 cup grated carrot
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
5-7 fresh sage leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
3” fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt & black pepper
Clean any silver skin, fat or sinuous tissues from the turkey breast. Lay a wooden skewer on each side of the turkey breast, preferably on a cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut 1/2” cross-grain slices in the turkey breast. When making the cuts, the wooden skewers will stop the knife from cutting all the way through the breast. This should leave about 1/4” of meat attached at the bottom of the entire turkey breast, allowing the stuffing to fit in the “pockets” you are making. Discard skewers and place turkey breast on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet.
In a large skillet, caramelize onion and carrots in 1/4 cup butter on medium heat. Add garlic, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme and orange zest, and sauté a few more minutes. Remove from heat, let cool slightly. Stir in Panko, orange juice, beaten egg and Parmesan cheese, mix until combined.
Divide stuffing equally in between each slice of turkey, tuck any leftover stuffing under the turkey breast. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup butter over stuffed turkey and sprinkle with salt, pepper and additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Bake in a preheated 350º oven 35-45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160º. Let turkey sit 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
As for the tenderloins, here’s a tasty burger idea. This recipe also works great with pheasant, chukar, quail, grouse, or any upland birds.
Start by filleting the meat off the tendon that runs the length of each tenderloin, then chop the meat into small pieces. Each tenderloin yields one burger. If desiring more burgers, simply cut strips of breast meat to the approximate size of the tenderloins, then chop into bits.
Tenderloin Turkey Burger
Ingredients for 2 burgers:
2 turkey tenderloins
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Olive or coconut oil for pan frying
Salt to taste
Remove the center sinew from each turkey tenderloin and roughly mince the meat. In a small bowl, mix spice ingredients. Rub spice mixture through meat and let sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Divide meat mixture and form into patties.
Cover the bottom of a non-stick pan with a thin layer of oil and heat on medium-high heat. Gently place burgers in the pan and cook 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Salt to taste. Flip burgers and finish cooking on the other side.
Serve on a toasted bun with Burger Sauce or your favorite condiment, lettuce and tomato.
Burger Sauce:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon chili sauce
