Wild Turkey

[Fred M]

Did anyone hunt wild turkey and had it for x-mad dinner.

As a side dish we had a rosted hickory smoked pheasant, which was very good.

Many years ago when we had no children my wife and I had Black Ducks for
CHRISTmas dinner. They are much like a mallard and feed on wild rice rather than grain. At one time we had a Canada Goose for CHRISTmas.

Wild Turkey has always intrigued me, never tasted one.

[quickdtoo]

Fred,

I've eaten a lot of Merriams wild turkey, the breast is great cut ½" thick, dipped in egg and rolled in flour, then deep fried, but oven baked, they're no Butterball, I'll tell ya that. The rest of the turkey is good in turkey soup or stew, but the legs and thighs are so tough, they aren't much good any other way. They may be good deep fried in a turkey cooker, but I can't see spending that kind of money on oil for a turkey or two a year, so I just make chicken-fried turkey breast strips or Turkey McNuggets with the meat batter dipped and deep fried. 

If I want a turkey for oven baking, I'll buy one at Safeway or Albertson's!!

Tim

[ccoorreeyy]

Whats Safeway or Albertson's?  I'm live in Georgia and don't think I have ever heard of one of these.

[Foggy]

Winn Dixie

[quickdtoo]

Safeway is a national chain and is in Canada, I think Albertson's is a west coast chain.

Tim

http://shop.safeway.com/superstore/default.asp?brandid=1&page=corphome

http://www.albertsons.com/defaultSSL.asp

[Jimbo47]

Fred,

I've eaten a lot of Merriams wild turkey, the breast is great cut ½" thick, dipped in egg and rolled in flour, then deep fried, but oven baked, they're no Butterball, I'll tell ya that. The rest of the turkey is good in turkey soup or stew, but the legs and thighs are so tough, they aren't much good any other way. They may be good deep fried in a turkey cooker, but I can't see spending that kind of money on oil for a turkey or two a year, so I just make chicken-fried turkey breast strips or Turkey McNuggets with the meat batter dipped and deep fried. 

If I want a turkey for oven baking, I'll buy one at Safeway or Albertson's!!

Tim

Here I thought I was the only one who felt that way about those wild turkey!

I couldn't agree more, and give me a store bought ButterBall anyday!

We've got those Rio Grande subspecies, and they are some scraunny tough old birds, and if you don't make nuggets or strips out of them, then you would be better off eating your boot.

[Slufoot]

Fred,

I've eaten a lot of Merriams wild turkey, the breast is great cut ½" thick, dipped in egg and rolled in flour, then deep fried, but oven baked, they're no Butterball, I'll tell ya that. The rest of the turkey is good in turkey soup or stew, but the legs and thighs are so tough, they aren't much good any other way. They may be good deep fried in a turkey cooker, but I can't see spending that kind of money on oil for a turkey or two a year, so I just make chicken-fried turkey breast strips or Turkey McNuggets with the meat batter dipped and deep fried. 

If I want a turkey for oven baking, I'll buy one at Safeway or Albertson's!!

Tim

Tim I have to agree with you 100%. The wild turkeys we have here in Virginia are the same as your Merriams as far as the eating quality. I fix mine the same way as you do,  chicken-fried turkey breast strips.

I fixed a venison roast for our Christmas dinner and it must have been real good because it all got gone.

GOOD SHOOTING!
Slufoot

[Fred M]

Eh, you guys I am really disappointed, I thought these birds were really
yummy. They must be as bad as Ground Hogs, the toughest meat I ever ate.
One of my favorite bird is a farm grown capon, the bigger the better.

Albertson is a Supermarket chain right down to Yuma AZ. We shop there in Yuma.Yes we have Safeway in Canada. Safeway is US owned, they sell good stuff meat in particular.

[bigjeepman]

Sorry, but I have to agree with the others about the taste of wild turkey. Like Tim said, the breasts are okay if they are chicken fried. The only way I really enjoy any turkey is injecting it with liquid seasonings, putting rub on the outside, and deep frying it. Now that is good eating to me.

bjm

[Datil]

 The way turkey is fit to eat is smoked.  Over Mesquite wood fire,
 That's when they are good!!!!!!!!! Marv.

[mrgd]

Well, in my opinion, the main problem with Turkeys being tough has to do with the fact that it is popular to try to get one with a really long beard.  In other words, old and tough.  Shoot a jake, pluck the breast.  Leave the skin on and smoke it, delicious.  Older birds I do the chicken fry thing with too.  Every turkey I have ever eaten has had good flavor, but some of the old ones have been tough.  The best turkeys I have eaten were taken on a place where the neighbor decided about a year before to start feeding them corn.  He put feeders all over the place and fed the wild turkeys.  They were big and fat.  Then one attacked  his wife and he stopped filling the feeders.  I know, sounds like bs, but a crazy turkey flogged her for no apparent reason one day in the woods next to the house.

tt

[SM Bob]

A wild bird probably won't be as good eating as a farm raised one.
I can imagine it would be pretty stressful wondering where your
next meal is coming from on top of will I get eaten today?
I wonder if it would make a difference to brine a wild turkey?
I do that with my store bought ones that I cook for Thanksgiving
and Christmas. They are 100% juicy and tender as can be!

                           Robert

[ro]

 i smoke all my turkey over low coals with hickey and cherry wood, i have smoked just the breast and the whole turkey, they have always turned out great,

[Nightstalker6117]

I am with the later of the post sorry Tim, yall can take the butter(steroid)ball let me get a wild bird Smoke it rubbed with some good spicy seasoning and inject if you want nothing better. I did one and my brother came over and to this day he says that is the best thing he has ever put in his mouth.

[Clodhopper]

I had a little sip of Wild Turkey after Christmas dinner!  Does that count?

[AtlLaw]

We did ducks for CHRISTmas this year also... along with a Publix turkey and ham.  I did do a wild turkey breast in deer camp this year though.  Ina crock pot.  Fallin off the bone tender, but to much Tarragon...

[rex6666]

We had Rio grands in sw OK. where i hunted them years ago. They would start eating
pecans as soon as the pecans started to fall, they were pretty good eating if you got a younger one, i liked them smoked mostly, think the BB is better. i think the wild turkey is about 100% better than white tail deer.