PREFERRED RECIPE...

[jdickey]

:)Just curious as to how folks fix their wild turkeys...
Smoked, fried, or baked... And do you skin them or pluck?

Others prefer to DRINK their WILD TURKEY! But to those who actually harvest them in the wild, which do you prefer?

[ICMCumin]

I have done a few different things with mine over the years. Have baked them and smoked them. There is no fat on a wild big-bird so you have to worry about the meat drying while you cook it.

The first birds I harvested, I skinned the whole thing and cooked it. Since then I have gotten lazy and just breast them out now.

The wild turkey taste (as you know) is well different from what you buy in the store. (Guess its their diet) It is a much richer taste. I have not experimented with different marianades or anything so far - too lazy.

This year I am going to use my new Cajun Cooker to fry one - that ought to be a treat!

[jdickey]

:)iI've started skinning turkeys and found it works soooo much better. Get the breast, legs, and thighs and you're done.

I'll marinade turkey in Stubbs's Marinade and then "moist" smoke the meat. Plan on having some on Super Bowl Sunday!

[DazzleM12]

If I have time I will pluck them, but don't have a problem with eating a turkey that has been skinned.

We usually roast them in an oven bag like a domestic turkey only put bacon strips over the breasts. Three years ago we had a friend deep fry one and it was great. We also tried the marinade injection deal with 3 or 4 different marinades. Didn't care much for the marinades except the garlic-butter. Kind of felt like we wasted the turkey taste by marinading with strong marinades.

[DazzleM12]

If I have time I will pluck them, but don't have a problem with eating a turkey that has been skinned.

We usually roast them in an oven bag like a domestic turkey only put bacon strips over the breasts. Three years ago we had a friend deep fry one and it was great. We also tried the marinade injection deal with 3 or 4 different marinades. Didn't care much for the marinades except the garlic-butter. Kind of felt like we wasted the turkey taste by marinading with strong marinades.

[boyntosj]

I smoke mine using apple tree wood.

Well, actually, a coworker smokes them for me.

Jen

[YoteeeeHunter]

I usually bake mine..I don't mess with the marinades either they kill the taste...although i've tried some my brother deep fried and it was great

[jdickey]

:)HEY BOYNTOSJ... appletree wood... that sounds good... I'll have to try that one, just don't have too many appletree in our parts of Texas.

Used lots of pecan wood and soaked pecan hulls before. It gives a real good flavor, not as bitter as mesquite. ;D

[okcoyote]

if u r 2 lazy and dont want to pluck em and prefer to skin em this aint to bad.......breast em out and cut the breast into strips. i salt em( use what ever u desire) and roll them in flour and dip them in an egg/ milk mixture and roll em in flour again and drop em in hot cannola oil ( corn oil and others are fine). i have chicken fried turkey strips.. make some gravy and mashed taters and what ever else u want..... not bad grazzins....

okcoyote

p.s. i do ducks (mallards prefered) the same way.
alot like doves fried mmmm good.

[turk2di]

Deep fried and cold beer

[Camo]

Plucked & Deep Fried . I have always marinaded them with garlic butter, but I saw on a tv show that the marinade is one thing that makes the outside/skin so black, they recommend pouring or brushing butter over they meat after slicing. Gonna try this year.