Wild Turkey!!

[Gerrit_Boys]

No, not that stuff! Last fall I got to shoot a couple of turkeys in western SD and I really want to BBQ them. My problem is I have no real idea what I'm doing. My dad used to brine in tenderquick and smoke to get that ham flavor going but I'd rather have a real BBQ thing going on. Should I brine and if so any recommendations? What about injections? Also would a regular poultry seasoning be ideal? I will be cooking on a stump clone. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[1_T_Scot]

Not sure but Lots of bretheren are hunters maybe some 1st hand advice. I smoke grocery store turkeys now and then no brine just smoke them with some Hickory on the egg.

 

[krandy21784]

We used to cook them every year but havent had one in over ten years. Just remember they are leaner than their dumb barnyard cousins...less white meat but we did brine them and smoke them unti 160 internal////We have draped them in bacon to keep them moist...enjoy

 

[Phesant]

Tell us about the bird.... skin on?, whole? cut up?....

Would be a help.

 

[bingo1912]

U should always brine birds, Just a cup of salt and 1/2 cup sugar per gallon of water will be a good basic startup brine, you can add lots of other stuff according to taste, but that will do just fine for starters. Brine them overnight, dry them off with a paper towel, then sparay with canola oil and off ya go!

 

[Yakfishingfool]

I brine mine and then cover in favorite rub then cover in bacon strips, then cover in rub again then smoke it. Delish!!!!

 

[BlkJeep]

What Phesent said.. breast only or whole? BTW was it a miriam (sp?) or eastern bird?

 

[grillzilla10]

Try smoking the breast for 3 hour injected with cajun butter. After the smoking session batter the breast in onion ring batter and deep fry the meat for about 5 to 10 min. . The meat will come out looking like a lump of coal . Remove the batter from the meat and that will be the best wild turkey you ever had. Serve with a peach mustard bbq sauce and dig in.

 

[Garyclaw]

Wild is very lean. If some kind of moisture is not added you'll have a good start on a new pair of shoes. At least brine. Maybe try injecting before and during the cook. Also, bacon is your friend too.

 

[McGurk]

I'd recommend spatchcocking it to reduce cooking/smoking time, too. That, along with a brine, bacon, and injections, will help to keep it moist. A water pan in the smoker filled with hot water couldn't hurt, either.

 

[bingo1912]

Hey McGurk what are those round thingies on the end of the bird? empty shot shells???? LMAO
Look like bacon wrapped creme filled jalepenos to me,,, darn good lookin whatever they are. Thanks for the pic.
Bing

 

[Gerrit_Boys]

OK, they are whole birds, skin on. I have no idea what kind of turkeys they are, they were black with red heads but now they look like a butterball with an eating disorder. Would I put bacon over the skin or no bacon since the skin is still on? If I inject, should I use the brine or some other sort of thicker injection. Thanks again!

 

[Yakfishingfool]

Brine, skin on, inject with flavorful injectate, not the brine. Cover the bird with bacon on top of the skin. They do get dry! Don't over cook it.

 

[Chuckwagonbbqco]

We live in the middle of a large wild turkey population. I have experimented with wild turkeys for years. I have ruined a few birds, and I have turned some into a wonderful dish.

Wild Turkeys are very very lean and require some sort of "fat" addition. One method is called "Larding." Larding is inserting strips of fat into the bird. This can be done with a "larding needle" and pilling bacon or salt pork through the bird. Some folks marinate their larding strips (Lardoon) in Brandy or other concoctions. Some folks insert garlic clove inserts in the larding hole. The other method is called "Barding" and inviolves wrapping the bird with a fatty product such as bacon.

I always brine wild turkeys for added moisture. I marinate strips of salt pork in Brandy or Sherry--this will wash off some of the saltyness of salt pork. I freeze the larding strips so that they stay on the larding needle better and then pull them through the turkey.

While smoking the turkey I baste it with melted butter with Brandy or Sherry. I use a drip pan under the bird and also baste with those collected juices.

One of my friends does not use a drip pan , but he likes to use a water pan--and that seems to work as well.

Good Luck with your turkey. What the turkey was feeding on will help determine the taste also--that is something that you have no control to change.

 

[Gerrit_Boys]

The birds had a lot of sunflower seeds in their crop when we cleaned them. They grow alot of that and millet where we were hunting.

 

[Chuckwagonbbqco]

The birds had a lot of sunflower seeds in their crop when we cleaned them. They grow alot of that and millet where we were hunting.

Nuttin' better than a grain fed bird. You might have a treasure