What to do with a harvested turkey?
- Thread starter boogie
- Start date
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
no different than any other bird, gut it through the anal area and pluck away, I usually cut the last half of the wing off (at the joint) as the wing tip feathers are very difficult to pluck. once you have the feathers off you can burn the pin feathers off with a quick pass from a propane torch. A wild turkey looks nothing like a butterball when its plucked (long legs and very small breast) Like any other game meat be careful about over cooking as it will turn into something dry and chewy. You might try brining them before cooking to instill a bit more moisture in them. Personally I dont think thay are that good to eat
invisible man
Walk The Line
Why are you waiting until next week to kill your turkey?If im in the woods and its turkey season and I get a chance at a turkey Im not passing it up.
teachanother
New Member
If you want to puck your bird and have a traditional looking presentation try soaking it whole (before you gut it) for 3-8 minutes in boiling hot water (a 120 qt. cooler works good for a basin). The feathers will come out easily.
Another handy tool is a pucker from Cabela's that attaches to any portable drill. The wing feathers will always take a little more work to get out.
Then slow cook it however you prefer. Our family likes it smoked for 8-9 hours on the Traeger BBQ. If you like fried turkey and have a fry pot set up that's pretty good too. We avoid the oven bake thing. The wild birds tend to dry out too much in there.
Another handy tool is a pucker from Cabela's that attaches to any portable drill. The wing feathers will always take a little more work to get out.
Then slow cook it however you prefer. Our family likes it smoked for 8-9 hours on the Traeger BBQ. If you like fried turkey and have a fry pot set up that's pretty good too. We avoid the oven bake thing. The wild birds tend to dry out too much in there.
invisible man
Walk The Line
Current license with upland game bird stamp is all you need.
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
I agree if you have a smoker or better yet a traeger (got one myself) Cook it low heat and slow. If not braise it ( covered pot in the oven) with lots of moist stuff in or around it
teachanother
New Member
Snake Charmer said:
I disagree. When we smoke wild turkeys at low temp, not letting the bird get hotter than 140 degree, they give Butterballs a run for their $. They're juicy and sweet!
Most of my non-hunter in-laws actually reach for the smoked WT and pass on the baked store bought bird on Thanksgiving. If you have a Traeger, you have all you need to make some outstanding Holiday grub.
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oneazbowhunter
"will work for tag"
cook it in the ground..you cant beat it...
invisible man
Walk The Line
That is one good looking bird right there.
teachanother
New Member
Invisible man said:
Thanks.
That's my oldest daughter's bird (17 years old at the time). It was a 24 pounder with a 14" beard. She cleaned and cooked it herself too. If you look at the upper right corner of the picture on the kitchen counter you'll see the plucking tool that goes into any 1/2" or 3/8" drill. It really saves time on the plucking job.