3 WAYS TO COOK A WILD TURKEY

Turkey is the fruit of the forest. And now that the season is in full swing for some and winding down for others, there’s a fair chance a gobbler or two has left the woods with you. Here are three great ways to cook a wild turkey that will keep you outdoors and not in front of an oven on those beautiful spring days.

Fry It

There are two forms of turkey frying: whole and strips. Both are handy for any occasion and it’s hard to say whether one’s more delicious than the other. Breasting a bird and cutting the meat into strips to fry is just like making chicken fingers minus all the fat and hormones. Simply salt and pepper the meat, dredge in flour and fry in vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet. Go for sweet and spicy by replacing the salt and pepper with honey and cayenne.

Frying the whole bird is a bit more of a process. You’ll need a pot, burner and a propane tank. Not to mention a roomy outdoor area in which to cook it. Many folks like to brine a turkey before any form of cooking. This adds a nice flavor to the meat and keeps it moist. Whether you brine or not, here are the steps to frying a whole wild turkey:Weigh the cleaned the turkey.

• Place the turkey inside the pot (with basket if that’s what you’ll use for removal) and pour in water, gallon by gallon, until the turkey is covered. This will tell you exactly how many gallons of oil to use so that there’s no overflow and ensuing grease fire.
• Remove the turkey from the water, pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
• Remove all water from pot and wipe dry with paper towel.
• Add exact amount of oil to the pot and start burner.
• Once the oil reaches 350 degrees, place turkey in basket and lower into the oil. Note the temperature will cool periodically but will rise back to 350.
• Cook the bird for three minutes per pound or until the inside temperature reaches 165 degrees.
• Set aside to rest for at least 20 minutes.

Slice and serve.

Grill It

• Here is one of our favorite grilling recipes:
• Breast the bird and cut with the grain into strips.
• Marinate in Italian dressing for up to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
• Remove from marinade and wrap in bacon, secure with a toothpick.
• Heat grill to 350.
• Place bacon-wrapped breast on grill, flat side down, for three minutes, then flip.
• Drizzle teriyaki sauce on the wrap as soon as you flip and let cook for two minutes more.
• Let stand for a couple minutes then serve.

Smoke It

You wouldn’t think that the more lean wild turkey would prove good for smoking. On the contrary, it’s excellent. In our opinion, to make it worthy of a six-year-old’s sandwich, the bird must first soak in a brine for 24 hours. This will give it the tender deliciousness those picky eaters will love.

• Soak in brine of choice for 24 hours.
• Using hickory, apple, wild plum or mesquite, fire up your smoker.
• Place the bird breast up on the rack and let smoke for six hours, periodically checking the internal temperature.
• Once the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees, wrap the bird in aluminum foil and let sit on the smoker for one more hour.
• Remove from smoker and let stand for 30 minutes.
• Slice and serve.

That… That’s about it.