How do you Field dress and prepare your Turkeys?

[PierBridge]

Once your Bird is down how do you guys proceed?

I was a little more prepared this year but I'm wondering how you guys go about this important part of the Turkey harvest.

Basically we boiled water poured it into a 5 gallon bucket

dipped the Bird and plucked it. That went rather smooth I thought. I have heard no water is necessary if you start plucking right away but the water trick worked great.

We then removed the internal Organs and placed some Ice in the cavity until we got back home we then rinsed the internal cavity with cold water and froze the bird.

I was thinking maybe we should have soaked the bird in Salt water or something to rid it of any impurities but we didn't and just put it right into the freezer.

Now to smoke, Deep fry or Grill?

What say you!

[Archerysniper]

I do the same as far as plucking them, scauldind the bird makes it much easyer to remove the feathers especialy the pin feathers, as far as cooking slow cook on the charcoal grill and smoke at the same time inject it with your favorite spices mixed with butter 1/2 lbs bacon in the chest cavity and the other 1/2 lbs over the breast.

[PierBridge]

My mouth is watering just thinking about it...I like the Bacon idea..Noted!

[eric29]

ive always just skun mine. I tried to pluck the first one i ever got bout ten yrs ago but didnt work to well, so always just skun them like a pheasant. Ive never heard of the boiling water trick before. Does that work pretty well, make it a lot easier?

After its skun out i soak for a little while then take it to the butcher shop and let them smoke it. They also slice the breast up for sandwich meat for me.

[paceman]

I cheat a bit. I hunt close to town. So after pictures... I simply drop mine off at a local butcher and they do it for me. Cost me 5 bucks last year.......

[NWBuck]

I've plucked a handful over the years, but I usually just get lazy and skin them.

[Archerysniper]

With the boiling water the feathers almost fall out makes it very easy to pluck when your done the look like a butterball from the store, it's best to scauld them before dressing them.

[DonBo]

I just breast mine out in the field. I use the legs/thighs for soup.

The breast can be cooked many ways as long as they stay moist. My wife's favorite is to cut breast into several smaller pieces, roll in flower, brown good in butter, then put into pan with a can of cream of mushroom or chicken soup. Cover and cook for an hour or so at 350. You can add pototo chunks and green beans to the mix for a complete meal.

My favorite is smoked, but a close second is to cut into smaller pieces, soak overnight in Italian dressing, roll bacon around chunks and throw on the grill.

Just cook till the bacon is done. mmmmm.

[PierBridge]

You're killing me DonBo!...

We did breast one of our Birds out last year. I'm thinking we dried it out a bit much because it wasn't all the good IMO.

Thanks for tips on breasting it out guys!

So not many of you Deep fry them? We're thinking Walleye opener Turkey and Fish Fry for my Bird.

[Wanderer]

I deep fried one before and it was allright. I just can't deep fry much with my family's diet so all that costly oil winds up wasted.

The BEST turkey I ever had was breasted, marinade injected and smoked on my smoker grill. It's what keeps me shotgunning instead of bow hunting and not worrying about what size the tom's beard is before pulling the trigger.

Although the bow thing might happen next year.

[DonBo]

You're killing me DonBo!...

We did breast one of our Birds out last year. I'm thinking we dried it out a bit much because it wasn't all the good IMO.

It's true with all wild game but especially with Wild Turkeys. YOU CAN NOT OVER COOK THEM. THEY WILL BE DRY AND TOUGH IF OVER COOKED!

Wanderer's idea with the injectable marinade on the smoker is probably the best plan yet.

[NWBuck]

I just breast mine out in the field. I use the legs/thighs for soup.

The breast can be cooked many ways as long as they stay moist. My wife's favorite is to cut breast into several smaller pieces, roll in flower, brown good in butter, then put into pan with a can of cream of mushroom or chicken soup. Cover and cook for an hour or so at 350. You can add pototo chunks and green beans to the mix for a complete meal.

My favorite is smoked, but a close second is to cut into smaller pieces, soak overnight in Italian dressing, roll bacon around chunks and throw on the grill.

Just cook till the bacon is done. mmmmm.

You sir, are an evil human being!! Only thing you could've done worse would've been to show a cold Busch Light sitting next to that grill

Seriously, thanks. I breasted my bird from a week ago and you've given me a couple of great new ideas on how to prepare it.

[goblueM]

my favorite is pounding the breast flat. dredge it in flour

then melt 2 T of butter on top of the turkey breast and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle that with salt and pepper

Saute 1 to 2 cups of mushrooms (ideally morels!) in 4 T of butter and put them on the meat

Add 3/4 C dry white wine and 1/2 C chicken broth to a sauce pan and simmer for about 10 mins, add salt/pepper to taste. Pour this over the meat and mushrooms

Combine 1/2 C each of shredded fontina and parmesan cheese and sprinkle on top of the meat and mushrooms

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 mins or until done

Result is very rich, tender turkey smothered in mushrooms and cheese

[PierBridge]

Oh my Blue! Sounds incredible!

[Borch]

You're killing me DonBo!...

We did breast one of our Birds out last year. I'm thinking we dried it out a bit much because it wasn't all the good IMO.

Thanks for tips on breasting it out guys!

So not many of you Deep fry them? We're thinking Walleye opener Turkey and Fish Fry for my Bird.

I've deep fried almost all of mine. I inject them with my favorite marinade,(Cajun or butter garlic) give them a good spice rub and allow to sit in the fridge over night to let the marinade distribute throughout the bird. Nice moist and tasty.

[onlydrakes4me]

Stop All this talk about cooking Turkey is killing me..........

man am i hungry

My season starts tommorrow and I can only hunt Sat morning for a couple of hours then not till Monday.

going to the cities for a 'family' weekend, figures just had to be the same weekend as my turkey season.

[bearslayer]

For anyone that has smoked a turkey, how long do you smoke it for? Got about a 15# bird soaking right now and plan to smoke sunday morning. Thanks for any help.

[Wanderer]

I knew the time thing would come up.

I was going to post about 2 hours but I think it took less than that. Get a meat thermometer and go by the temp recommended for poultry.

When I cook a bird on my smoker grill its next pass is my plate, so its more cooking it for dinner than for later. I'm basically grilling it with indirect heat and damp wood chips (apple and hickory) on my charcoal.

IMO its hard to have a bad tasting bird as long you don't overcook it. Some of these recipes are making me drool.

[LABS4ME]

Ah the rites of spring! A cold beer, asparagus and turkey on the grill!

This year was Maple/Chipotle glazed breast with the ever popular "Thunder Thighs"....

MMMM... Butterball who? Nice and moist... melt in your mouth!

I pluck the breast and remove it with the bone intact... keeps it nice and moist when smoking or grilling. I used to use the thighs for soup but we now make "Thunder Thighs". Fillet the thigh meat off the bone in one piece, marinade for at least 8 hours in your choice of marinade... I used garlic steak house, season liberally on the inside with salt and pepper, couple slices of white cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, a couple of pickled jalepenos, and some roasted garlic. Roll up and do a good rub to the meat and then weave the outside with bacon. Put on the grill to sear the bacon and move off the direct heat for a coupe of hours (300 degrees)... slice and enjoy.

Just finished a leftover turkey sandwich for lunch... mmm mmmm. Wish I had time to go out again this spring, but it's not in the cards. Eating them s only second to working one into the dekes!

Good Luck!

Ken

[PierBridge]

Very Nice Labs!

For the Deep Frying crowd. Is it roughly 3 minutes per pound like normal Deep Frying or do you tone that number down also?