Help with wild turkey.

[beam me up scottie]

Noooo, not that kind. :D

Full disclosure here, I've been a vegetarian for almost 20 years and I'm doing this for my boyfriend because I love him.
He won't take cooking tips from me because he has it in his head that I've never eaten anything besides Tofurky and Boca Burgers.

So anyhoo, his mom always buys a ham for Thanksgiving and, except for me, everyone else craves turkey.

He killed a tom last spring and there's still some left in the freezer, but it's tougher than my old combat boots.

I suggested he grill up the rest of the bird (and get it out of the freezer, bleh) and bring it with us.

Last time he grilled the meat he used italian dressing for a marinade. I suggested he use another vinegar based marinade, but this time, mix it with traditional Thanksgiving spices and herbs.

Sage is the big one, what else should he use?

[Denninmi]

1. Well, let's see. Old, tough, been in the freezer 6 months.

Grilling doesn't sound like the answer. I would think it would need long, slow moist cooking to make it edible. Still might be strong-tasting, both because its wild and because its been in the freezer a long time.

What about slow roasting it in one of those oven cooking bags with various herbs and spices, such as sage, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, onion, and some carrots, apple pieces, and celery to flavor it?

[beam me up scottie]

2. That's an excellent idea, thanks! He's used them with chicken before.

We've got a good size crock-pot too.

Your list sounds great, he tends to over spice things so I'll try to convince him not to throw in the kitchen sink this time.

[BlueToTheBone]

14. I'd use marjoram too. More that than sage

give a more delicate flavor. I love the taste of marjoram and use it with chicken all the time. I've never tried it with turkey and I know that wild turkey is much stronger than domestic.

[beam me up scottie]

21. Thanks!

Sage can overwhelm if too much is used.

[Warpy]

18. Pressure cooking or a big crock pot would also work

and give beautifully moist bird. It's wild so you still won't be able to cut it with the side of a fork, but cooking it with herbs and some chicken broth and maybe a little white wine would be superb.

Grilling would likely give you grilled shoe leather.

[beam me up scottie]

20. Yeah, bf loves to grill.

He doesn't really mind the jerky-like quality of the meat but I want him to expand his horizons.

[beac]

3. Back before I went veg, these were my secrets for

moist turkey:

* lots of butter spread under the skin
* a cup of water in the roasting pan at the beginning of cooking (same idea as cooking bag)
* an couple of onions and sage, rosemary, thyme in the cavity (though it sounds like your bird is 'partial' now)


My Quorn Turk'y Roast isn't as pretty as those long-ago birds, but I don't miss dealing with giblets, neck and the odd stray feather one bit!

Good luck!

[beam me up scottie]

4. How is the Quorn Roast, btw?

I really enjoy Tofurkey (their stuffing is awesome) and I've always been hesitant to try Quorn.

Thanks for the tips, I may suggest that he cook an entire bird for Christmas dinner.

His mother will freak if he upstages her prepared prepackaged gourmet feast, but that'll just be an added bonus.

Speaking of not playing with carcasses, I don't miss dealing with the skin or fat either.

I'll happily coach him but he's on his own when it comes to getting flesh under one's fingernails.

[beac]

5. I love the Quorn "turkey"-- tastes most like the real thing, IMO.

Full disclosure: I find Tofurky vile, so we may have different taste receptors. :)

Quorn's Turk'y is available all year round, so if you don't want to risk a bad T-day choice, you can always try it another time. It costs about $6 and makes great sandwiches.

And shame at you, a good veggie, taking delight in bloodshed...

of the family food feud variety, of course! ;)


(It is amazing how some people think that unwrapping a meal is the same as cooking one! :rofl:)

[beam me up scottie]

6. That's it, we're going to Whole Foods next week.

That's the only place around here that sells Quorn.

Oh, his mom's something, all right, she refuses to cook, buys everything at the supermarket (store bought pies - bleh), and doesn't even bother to take it out of the package before slinging it on the buffet table.

Yet we are forbidden to bring anything. :eyes: One of bf's brothers brought venison chili last year, it was completely devoured in 30 minutes.

I usually eat before we get there; she makes such a fuss about my vegetarianism I feel like a commie or something.

I now keep a snort of vodka in a perfume bottle in my purse.

Maybe one of the horses will run away and I won't be able to make it this year.

[beac]

7. Do let me know if you like it.

Also, look around your local grocery for Quorn. Mine (Kroger) puts it in the frozen section of the "natural and organic" foods instead of in the regular "Vegetarian" section of the main frozen foods aisles (i.e. instead of being next to Morningstar and Boca, it's next to organic frozen REAL turkey burgers and sausages.... so weird.)

[beam me up scottie]

8. THANK YOU! Now I know where to look.

I knew there used to be a lot more veggie stuff in Kroger, they've strewn it all over the produce section too. It's like a freakin' easter egg hunt.

[beac]

9. Vegetarianism is good for us...

b/c of all the exercise we hiking around the grocery store. :rofl:

[beam me up scottie]

10. Unless you go in hungry.

And have to walk past the bakery several times.

They are evil geniuses.

:evilgrin:

[beac]

11. Save the animals and murder the doughnuts!

:rofl:

[beam me up scottie]

12. LOL!

:rofl:

[beac]

13. Thank you. I'll be here all week.

DON'T try the veal.

;)

[Mojorabbit]

15. I will have to try some of these ideas

My hubby hunts also and I have never been able to make a tender dish from wild turkey. I usually just grind it up and use it in chili or something these days. Hopefully I can get something tender following these tips!

[beam me up scottie]

19. I know!

I'm going to try the buttermilk marinade and roasting it in an oven bag w/butter, seasonings and a little chicken stock. Hopefully there will be enough drippings to make gravy.

[supernova]

16. Marinate in buttermilk?

Buttermilk is used for a lot of game because it tends to tone down the game-iness, esp for venison. Also it's a wonderful moisterizer and tenderizer. It's the secret to really moist southern fried chicken.

How long? The longer the better.

[beam me up scottie]

22. Thank you!

I was going to skip the marinade since I'm not grilling, but it should help tenderize the meat before I roast it.

Have two breasts soaking in it now. :)

[mtnester]

17. Brining, buttermilk and bacon grease

some good tips here:

http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/111906/spo_6320744.shtml

[beam me up scottie]

23. Good info there, got it bookmarked!

He may want to try the bacon grease method next time since he loves smoked meat.

Thanks!

[beam me up scottie]

24. Thanks so much everyone, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Bf only gets tomorrow off and decided to spend it here instead of doing the OhGodICan'tStandBeingHereAnotherSecond family dinner.

I tried to talk him out of it because his mom will blame me, but he's sure it's what he wants.

I'm making bread stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes w/tons of gravy, green bean casserole and pumpkin spice bars for dessert.

I can't wait for him to experience the smells of a traditional Thanksgiving day meal - his mom never served turkey.

Cooking and baking tonight and tomorrow morning, going on a long horseback ride in the afternoon, return to a feast in front of a fire followed by drinks and football on the tv.

Perfect!