My lovely Wife made the wild turkey I shot last night and it was a culinary delight to say the least. I was very very surprised at how tender and flavorful the meat was as I was expecting it to have the flavor and texture of the meat to be somewhere between asphalt and the liner of my combat boots based on what I heard from other hunters. That was DEFINITELY not the case. Here is what she did, in her words to her facebook buddy. I wish I had a picture of the finished bird. Julia Childs ain't got nothin' on my wife!!!!!
The turkey turned out great! I dried it off, slathered it with butter, seasoned in with seasoned salt, covered it with just over a lb of bacon strips, so very little meat was showing (skinned bird), then added sliced onion and celery around the turkey in the pan and in the cavity. This turkey didn't fit into my 24 lb turkey bag, so I placed it in a large roaster, added about 4 cups of water and covered it with alum foil, poked a couple holes in the top and baked it low in the oven at 325 degrees for 2 3/4 hrs (which was almost too long)... it came out very moist and flavorful! Kirk loved it!! I made gravy out of some of the stock, and reserved some of it for making more stock tomorrow out of the carcass. I would def do this again, in fact, Kirk is considering seriously about getting a fall turkey tag!....I may add some thyme or rosemary to the seasoned salt next time, to add a bit more flavor... but overall, I was very impressed. the lower cooking temp I believe help to keep it from getting tough.. the thighs and legs were a bit over done, which is why I think it was a bit over done, plus the internal temp was up to about 180, which is about 15 degrees too high, but it was still quite moist... just glad I didn't cook it any longer.... Let me know if you have any other questions... and thanks again for inviting Kirk along!!
The turkey turned out great! I dried it off, slathered it with butter, seasoned in with seasoned salt, covered it with just over a lb of bacon strips, so very little meat was showing (skinned bird), then added sliced onion and celery around the turkey in the pan and in the cavity. This turkey didn't fit into my 24 lb turkey bag, so I placed it in a large roaster, added about 4 cups of water and covered it with alum foil, poked a couple holes in the top and baked it low in the oven at 325 degrees for 2 3/4 hrs (which was almost too long)... it came out very moist and flavorful! Kirk loved it!! I made gravy out of some of the stock, and reserved some of it for making more stock tomorrow out of the carcass. I would def do this again, in fact, Kirk is considering seriously about getting a fall turkey tag!....I may add some thyme or rosemary to the seasoned salt next time, to add a bit more flavor... but overall, I was very impressed. the lower cooking temp I believe help to keep it from getting tough.. the thighs and legs were a bit over done, which is why I think it was a bit over done, plus the internal temp was up to about 180, which is about 15 degrees too high, but it was still quite moist... just glad I didn't cook it any longer.... Let me know if you have any other questions... and thanks again for inviting Kirk along!!
