YES VIRGINIA, WILD TURKEY DOES TASTE BETTER
By John Massie
The Author
If you have ever eaten a fresh pineapple, picked that morning and compared it with a canned pineapple product, you would have an idea of the order of magnitude difference there is between the flavor and texture of a wild turkey on the table and the frozen Thanksgiving bird we have all been associated with. For several very sensible reasons this difference is typical of wild meat generally. It’s how you treat them that makes the difference. I really doubt that the diet of the wild critter or the condition his adrenaline flow was in at the harvest makes a significant difference in his table quality.
To start with, the wild turkey needs to be able to break into flight with the snap of a twig while the Butterball never flies at all. It would be difficult for the wild bird to become instantly airborne if he had five to ten pounds of fat under his skin. As a consequence the wild bird has very little fat on it. Its thinner breast looks a little bit like a stork might look on the dining table platter. Energy storage is limited to a pad under the crop and is usually removed in the dressing process. Body fat in the domestic bird is spread throughout the bird and is contained in the oven by the use of brown paper or clear plastic bags. Baking instructions on these commercial products direct a prescribed number of minutes in 350 degree heat per pound of dressed bird. The melting fat and oil runs off the bird and takes heat with it so more heat is needed to bring the core temperature to 165 degrees.
If a wild bird is baked following these instructions the lack of dripping fat will allow the temperature to quickly exceed the 165 target long before it would in a domestic bird of the same weight. Internal temperatures will quickly reach 200 degrees and the meat will dry out and get tough to the knife and become largely unpalatable.
Using a good quality temperature probe pushed into the breast bone and then backed up a quarter of an inch and then closely monitored is the answer to proper baking of wild turkeys. Digital thermometers that can be read outside the oven and sound an alarm when the magic temperature has been reached are a big help. The bird should be removed from the oven when the temperature reaches 160 degrees because, even though the bird is out of the oven, the core temperature will continue to rise as much as 5 more degrees as heat already inside the meat works its way into the center of the breast. There should be a small amount of translucence in the meat just against the breast bone. One slice down along the breast bone will tell you if it needs more time but you can't undo what has already been over cooked so it’s important to watch it closely.
Wild turkey breasts should be sliced across the grain rather than in larger slices parallel to the breast bone like most domestic turkeys are cut. It should be served hot to take advantage of the natural juices and flavors of the bird which will start to dry out as soon as the temperature comes down. Dark meat on a turkey is limited in quantity and has serious sinews running through it that are stiff enough to pick your teeth with. It can be cut up in the gravy and makes good tacos the next day. Small amounts of dark meat can be set aside during the first cut for the table.
Cook, cut, and serve promptly. It should not need gravy to be palatable, but good gravy can be made from the contents of the plastic baking bag.
Many different marinades and injections are available but not needed as the natural flavor of the bird is prime with only a little salt on it. There is not the hint of any “wild" flavor even in seriously overcooked birds that simply get dry and tough if left in the oven too long.
I have eaten excellent turkey that has been deep fried as a whole bird. Again it’s even more likely to get an overcooked bird with this method. The cook in Pennsylvania cut the breast and thighs into finger size pieces, rolled them in a beer batter and dropped them in the deep fryer full of hot peanut oil. I nearly made myself sick on them they were so good.
We had four good drumsticks one morning in Missouri and the cook there dropped them in a slow cooker for 5 hours. They were excellent. The meat just fell off the bones.
Some large long beards can be several years old and tend to be tougher on the table. The meat of older birds can be ground to reduce the risk of poor table quality. Ground turkey can be treated just like hamburger if there is a little pork fat mixed in to help it stay together. While big gobblers make excellent trophies, it’s hard to beat a jake for eating qualities.
Fall hunting has its own set of problems when beardless birds might be the target. Without the aging characteristics of the beard it’s hard to tell if you have a jenny or an old hen in your sights unless there are several and you can pick out the slightly smaller (and tenderer) jennies. The adage about "shoot the back one" (so you have a second shot if you miss the first one walking in) is even more important when a dozen hens and jennies walk into range. It’s safe to assume the lead bird will be an older hen.
I have had whole turkeys smoked and they are excellent though I suspect that most of the natural flavor of the bird was overpowered by the smoky marinades they use in this process. Smoked turkey is not jerky but while tasty it can tend to be chewier after being smoked.