# Cooking my first turkey??



## deerjohn (Feb 14, 2009)

Shot my first turkey yesterday and fillet out the breast and leg quarters. I now find that most turkey hunters throwaway the leg quarters?? Why do they discard the thighs and drumsticks?? What do you all recommend for cooking the breast? I was hoping to do the legs and thighs in a crockpot like I do with domestic turkey drumsticks. Who's deep frying the breast?


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## Gobblerman (Dec 19, 2004)

I slice the breast in thin strips and bread them in a turkey seasoning and flour then pan fry it in butter. It's Delicous!


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## I'llbeoutside (Feb 2, 2003)

Legs go in the smoker or are ground to make sausage/jerky. After smoking shred and make turkey salad sandwiches. I can usually get two or three meals out of the breast for my family(kids are young). Cubed, breaded and fried is alway good. Marinating in italian or your fav and cube for kabobs on the grill. We also like to slice thin and make fajitas. I think breaded and fried is our fav. Be careful not to overcook.


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Like many others we slice into strips and deep fry the breast.. The best advice I can give you is to really take your time getting rid of the silver skin and tendons found in the breast.. If you do this your meat will be the most tender turkey you have ever had.. Folks that claim they do not like wild turkey, have never prepared it right. If you have time to marinade the combination of White Vinegar, Oil and a fruit juice containing citric acid work together to break down the meat and add even more tenderness and flavor.. 

As for a breading I prefer Shore Lunch Cajun.. Light batter with a fuzz of kick.. Wet batter first mixed with beer, than a light rolling in dry batter.. Heat fryer to 350 and cook till golden.. The opposite procedure on breading does not work as well. 

As for thighs I sometimes save them sometimes not.. Pressure cooker and make soup or over noodles with gravy..


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## Termie33 (Sep 26, 2002)

I take the breast, cut it thin, and soak it in italian dressing. After its been in the dressing for a while, i throw it on the grill, or in a frying pan. Awesome stuff.

The legs and thighs are a little chewier, but not horrible. I took the leg and thigh meat from my bird and my wifes bird, and threw it in the slow cooker with a mesquite marninade and an onion. I cooked it for a couple hours. When it was falling apart i shredded it and cooked it in the slow cooker some more. I let some of the water evaporate and concentrate the flavor. Made pulled turkey sandwhiches out of it, and it was awesome.


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## wdf73 (Sep 14, 2009)

Little late for this bird, but next time take a few extra minutes to scald and pluck the bird. I tried it a few years ago and have never looked back! Much better and even more moist than a domestic turkey when roasted whole with the skin on.


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## Sprytle (Jan 8, 2005)

Cut one side of the breast into 3-4 in long, thick strips. Marinade overnite in itailian dressing, a little soy sauce, a little worchesire sauce and a bit of honey. Take these out and wrap them in maple bacon. Grill...
Watch them closely, they dont take real long, when the bacon looks done the turkey is. Watch close because any thing wrapped in bacon has a tendency to flare up.

There is nothing better.....unless you have some morels to grill up with like i did last week!!!!!:corkysm55:corkysm55

-Bob


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## EdB (Feb 28, 2002)

> I slice the breast in thin strips and bread them in a turkey seasoning and flour then pan fry it in butter. It's Delicous!







Spyrtle, might have to try that, sound delicous too!



> After smoking shred and make turkey salad sandwiches.


Thats my favorite for the legs too.


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## fanrwing (Jul 31, 2010)

This year my wife used an injector and shot chicken broth into the breast and thighs of the bird.. We then cooked it in a baking bag.
It came out moist and tender. the thighs were a little tough but chewable the rest was melt in you mouth tender


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

I smoke the whole breast. sometimes i slice it up and have cheese and crackers and sometimes i make a smoked turkey spread out of it. Its out of this world.


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## 2deerboxing (Dec 19, 2005)

Braise the legs until tender and use the juice to make gravy. Debone the breast and marinate. It's important to sear the breast and thighs (in a pan or on the grill) before you cook them to lock in the juice. Do not over cook the breast, I pull them out of the oven when they reach 150 -155 degrees and let them rest for 15 min. before slicing against the grain. We also use the rest of the bones to make turkey stock. 
It's the perfect time of year to make a morel cream sauce and some grilled asparagus. Findlehead 's are also up.
Wild tukey taste like turkey should and not pellet feed industrial meat.


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## benster (Jul 31, 2006)

I marinade the breast whole and put it on a pre-heated grill, med heat and keep flipping.


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## HappyHawk (Nov 9, 2004)

Took 1/2 of the breast and soaked it in 8oz. of White Wine and 8oz of Italian dressing for 24 hours.

Place the marinated brests on a cookie sheet and add the following to your liking...lemon/pepper, ceole seasoning and salt.

Place in a baking bag.

Melt a stick of butter and add 2/3 cups of olive oil to the butter. Pour over the breast in the bag.

Seal the bag, cut a couple slits in the bag and cook for 90 minutes at 350! 

First time trying this and there was not a bite left. My 13 year old daughter adn 5 year old little guy at 75% of it!


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## killngrill60 (Apr 23, 2012)

Slice in strips or chunks, marinade in a garlic seasoning, drakes or (my favorite, bread crumbs and serve.

Legs are very tough a stringy, I save them for the crock pot though.


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## protectionisamust (Nov 9, 2010)

Next time I would pluck the whole bird, find a nice brine mixture that sounds good, brine foe 24-48 hours, then prepair a nice cold 12 pack and heat up the deep fryer!!

Brined and deep fried wild turkey is the best!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## springdale (Dec 19, 2007)

cut into strips, shore lunch original, deep fry, franks hot sauce, cold beer!

Amen!


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## slabstar (Feb 25, 2009)

brushbuster said:


> I smoke the whole breast. sometimes i slice it up and have cheese and crackers and sometimes i make a smoked turkey spread out of it. Its out of this world.


X2! I just breast the turkey and take them to The Country Smokehouse! For 8$ they smoke 'em for you 
I seer the legs de-bone and shred and put them in the crockpot w/bbq sauce 
Goodluck!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jem44357 (Jan 27, 2011)

Bake it in the oven. Eat the breast. Scavenge some white and dark from the carcass for sandwiches. Cook the rest down for soup stock... I do not waste any. 

I have never been a fan of breasting out any birds... even a quail but to each his own. I have done it when we were camping/hunting and cooked them over the open fire like a steak only because it was easier.

I have also striped the breast and seasoned/breaded and dropped them in the fry daddy. 

Jim


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## FreeTime (Jan 8, 2001)

Leg meat makes decent turkey jerky, actually all turkey does.

Strip it, marinate in your favorite flavor of spice for 24 hours, dehydrate. 

Yummy!


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## Bob T (Feb 6, 2000)

I have taken the leg sections and put them into a pressure cooker with onions, carrots, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley, thyme, salt and about five cups of water. Cook under pressure for about 30 minutes and release. When cooled separate the meat from the bones, add some cooked egg noodles and you have some good turkey soup. The pressure cooker really tenderizes the legs and makes some good turkey stock.

Bob


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## Threefish (Jan 20, 2009)

I like to pluck the the turkey when its still warm be careful not to take to many feathers at once so you do not rip the skin. Inject it with creole butter and rub the outside with creole rub seasoning then deep fry we do are domestic turkeys the same way. Wild turkeys cook faster than the domestic turkeys so don't deep fry as long. Best I have had yet and the turkey is real moist.


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## Nitro225Optimax (Feb 13, 2011)

I deep fried mine last year after injecting it with mesquite marinade...it was picked clean to the bone, legs and all. My understanding is though, that the older the bird, the more tough, but the younger, the less of a trophy it is? I shot a Jake last year, had a 5" beard, but boy, was he tasty...and about 13-14lbs dressed, perfect for the fryer...I have a picture somewhere...

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


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## Critter (Mar 3, 2006)

My old boss would cook the legs and thighs in a crock pot with rasberry vinegrette dressing til the meat fell off the bone. Then drained, removed the bone and tendons, return to the crockpot with fresh dressing for awhile. Man that was good eating.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

I like to cut off a chunk of turkey breast big enough to cover a piece of bread. I think slice it horizontally to knock the thickness in half. Trim any of the silver skin etc off. I like to use a meat tenderizer on it from there. I then season with blackening seasoning and bread. From there i deep fry. On a toasted piece of bread or a bun i put on some mayo, add the turkey and top with some lettuce and tomato. Makes a great spicy turkey sandwich. I agree with the sentiments of the deep fried turkey strips or nuggets. Hard to beat. I like to dip mine in a honey mustard or sweet baby rays. Smoked turkey is awesome as well.


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