Wild Turkey

[Kurt]

I finally shot my turkey this morning and was wondering if anyone had ever smoked some wild turkey breasts. I'm open to any suggestions on a good wild turkey receipe or would it be the same as chicken or domestic turkey?

[Tiny Tim]

Only Wild Turkey recipe I have is 3 ounces in a can of Coke over ice. :P ;D

[Wildcat]

I have not but you may want to drape bacon over the turkey for moisture.  I think someone mentioned in the past that the meat is naturally leaner and tougher since in the wild they eat what they can and get lots of exercise (not much fat and strong muscle).

[Kurt]

Tiny, I like the way you think. Wildcat, you right, they are leaner and dryer. This will be the first time that I have ever had them in the smoker. The bacon sounds like a great idea. I'm going to give it a try this weekend. Thanks. I might have some of Tinys wild turkey also, or just some CAPTAIN.

[KyNola]

You beat me to it Tim!!! :D

KyNola

[pensrock]

The bacon will help, maybe injecting it or a brine?
I'm thinking a garlic/butter injection would be real good with turkey.

Hmmm..... haven't had Wild Turkey in a while, thanks for the idea Tiny!

[Ontrack]

I''ve never cooked a Wild Turkey, I don't even think I've eaten one. But, as stated above, it is my beverage of choice, with coke. Preferably Wild Turkey Rare Breed, 108.6 proof. :)

[FLBentRider]

The only time I see Wild Turkeys (the feathered kind) is when I am hunting something else!

If it was me, I would probably use a simple brine and a lighter wood like cherry. My reasoning is that I would want to highlight the "wild" flavor of the game. When I do a domestic Turkey, I am looking to add flavor(s). Those I use a honey brine and a stronger wood like Hickory.

As far as the Distilled type of Wild Turkey, I like mine straight up.

[Kane]

I assume you just breasted the bird and threw the rest away?  Ive cooked alot of wild birds before. My most favorite method is I just clip the wings and legs off, skin the bird, dry rub inside and out and deep fry.   Sometimes Ill pluck the bird which is the best but Ill only do it if I have time right after the kill while its still warm. it plucks so much easier. if you wait than ya gotta mess around with dipping in hot water and it becomes more work.

anyway... if you have removed the skin and plan to smoke or roast you MUST use bacon! It will dry out if you dont.  watch your internal temp and dont overcook, keep the meat basted with apple juice or something.  you could try a brine as some suggested. I myself havent done that but if I get a bird next week Im gonna try it. 

another thought and this is awesome too.   cut the skinned breast into nugget sized pieces. Hit em with a beer batter and deep fry!

good luck and congrats on your bird!

[Smoking Duck]

If you're gonna smoke it, I'm with pensrock.  I'd use lots of bacon and I'd inject it with whatever floats your boat.  You will definitely need to provide the moisture because it will be lean.

Congrats on the bird.  Post some pics so we can all see it.

[Kurt]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I think I will try the bacon and inject it with something before hand. Your right Kane, all I did was breasted it out and got rid of the rest. It was raining out and just wanted to get done. Spring in Iowa this year has sucked. Sounds like you do some turkey hunting yourself. I like the clipping the legs and wings off idea and cooking it that way. I too am going out next week (4th season) and try for another. I saw one yesterday that I swear his beard was almost dragging on the ground. Duck, I would post some pics of the bird but as mentioned above, it was raining and just wanted to get inside. No pics of the bird this year. Will let you know how the smoking turns out though.

[MRH]

Kurt.

I did some wild turkey breast a couple years back (Before I  had the Bradley)  I did a brine/cure that had some Morton TQ in it, wrapped it in bacon and smoked.  It was very moist and tasty, came out like a ham.  Congrats on the bird, it has been tough here in Iowa this year for sure!!  Youth season was the worst and it hasn't improved much since >:(  I am still trying to get one with the bow, my son also got a bow tag since youth didn't work out for him.  Maybe one of us will get one yet. 

Mark

[Kurt]

Thanks MRH. That sounds good too. I'm going to do them on Sunday, depending on the weather. I have 3 slabs of ribs in the fridge right now that will go on tomorrow. Your right about the turkey hunting this year. It has been terrible so far. Thursday when I got mine, I heard the most gobbling of the season yet. Went the first season with the son in law and was awful. Hopefully by the 4th season, the weather will shape up. Much luck to you and hope you both get one. God knows theres plenty of them out there.