Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

Finally got my first turkey ( Jake ) after 3 years of trying. I cooked the breasts and they were very tender and delicious.  In talking with other turkey hunters they said, " its good you got a Jake because the Tom's breast are some what tough". Thought maybe someone here could say if this is true. I marinated mine over night and slow cooked on the grill.

I cooked my first turkey last year, and it was amazing. Not tough at all and it was an old tom at that.

I brined it over night, and then smoked it the next day, TX style. It was terrific, but I didn't think to take the tenderloin off sooner. They were fine, but being a smaller piece of meat, they didn't need as long in the smoker. If you have those too, keep that in mind.

I'll be doing the same process on my first jake this coming weekend, and I'm interested to see if it's more tender. I kept the legs too, so it'll be a first for me to turn those into turkey salad sandwiches via pressure cooker.

PM if your interested in the brine and/or smoking recipe.


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Quote from: Skeeter1 on May 22, 2023, 02:44:07 PM
Finally got my first turkey ( Jake ) after 3 years of trying. I cooked the breasts and they were very tender and delicious.  In talking with other turkey hunters they said, " its good you got a Jake because the Tom's breast are some what tough". Thought maybe someone here could say if this is true. I marinated mine over night and slow cooked on the grill.

Tell the other turkey hunters to learn how to cook!!!

Several ways to eliminate the toughness....soak 1 in buttermilk is my go to but there are several
I fry turkey nuggets every year for xmas.... no complaints so far
I feed about 35 people

killed a pile, never had a tuff one!

Don't overcook breast meat.

not tuff.
(https://i.imgur.com/hbp4UC0.jpg)

grilled and not tuff..
(https://i.imgur.com/WrR2kND.jpg)

Hey 3dailey3..... will you share the recipe for your grilled turkey.... I've been wanting to try some
I fry mine

Great info ...  Thank you all

Sounds like somebody is forgetting to take the tarsal glands off of their legs.

Lc marinate overnight in Italian dressing and worcestershire, then put cream chesse, a jalapeno and wrap in bacon, and don't over cook them.

I'm a fan of the Buttermilk as well. Dredged in seasoned southern flower and fried in strips.

I love to grill mine. Cut them in to bit size chunks and soak them in zesty Italian dressing overnight. Wrap them in half a strip of bacon, held together by either a tooth pick or spaghetti noodle and grill.


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Quote from: eddie234 on May 30, 2023, 12:23:44 PM
I love to grill mine. Cut them in to bit size chunks and soak them in zesty Italian dressing overnight. Wrap them in half a strip of bacon, held together by either a tooth pick or spaghetti noodle and grill.


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:jackson:

For context of my response, know that I don't cook hardly at all. I more assemble food/meals then do real cooking.

My experience is that wild turkey breast meat IS tough, if you don't do anything with it. I'm sure you're picking up a common theme from folks here: "What are you talking about? It's not tough.... after I marinated it overnight".  Which is what I eventually learned to do.

Once I thaw mine in the fridge, I let it soak 12+ hours in a simple saltwater brine. Then I soak it in a marinate of some kind (italian salad dressing works) for 24 hours. Then I cook it in the oven and take care not to overcook it. Once it hits 165 degrees, it's done.

Doing it this way, it comes out fairly tender, juicy, and tasty.

Again... my experience.

Grilled turkey breast sounds awesome! The only problem is they are so good fried I don't think I can do anything different!

Quote from: KYTurkey07 on May 11, 2024, 05:40:42 PMGrilled turkey breast sounds awesome! The only problem is they are so good fried I don't think I can do anything different!

Me too !!!!!

I've tried everything but frying always wins out IMO.

Soak the meat in pickle juice for a few hours, bread and fry. They're amazing that way and my kids eat them like crazy!

Quote from: KYTurkey07 on May 11, 2024, 05:40:42 PMGrilled turkey breast sounds awesome! The only problem is they are so good fried I don't think I can do anything different!

I always say I'm going to try a new recipe this year, and then every year they're back in the fryer.

Just cut in 1/2 to 3/4" strips salt, black pepper and plenty of garlic powder put into a bowl and add Buttermilk and mix around until all the strips are pretty wet but not so much as to dilute the seasoning, best to let soak overnight in the fridge, roll in flour and fry in peanut oil,  hard to beat

I've never had a tuff turkey breast.


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Cut into Strips/nuggs, bread/season as desired, and fry 'em.

There are other ways, but the biggest mistake is treating a wild bird the same as a fat store-bought bird. The wild ones are so much leaner and therefore easier to screw up, resulting in dry/tough meat.

I cube then soak it in buttermilk overnight, panco breading with an egg dip, then pan fry. I squueze a lime over them afterwards.

For the sauce I mix 2 or 3 parts ranch to 1 part franks hot sauce depending on the spice level I want.

I rarely cook a whole breast anymore. Cutting the breast into pieces and using a Jaccard (a meat tenderizer tool that is amazing) is great to tenderize any meat...not that turkey needs that, but it does help with marinade and seasoning penetration before I grill or fry.

Quote from: TrackeySauresRex on May 29, 2023, 09:32:58 PMI'm a fan of the Buttermilk as well. Dredged in seasoned southern flower and fried in strips.

Same here.

My wife's turkey meatballs are hard to beat.

Ground 160 breasts one year just for meatballs.

Did not find mine tough at all and he was a Tom. I don't recall how I cooked him, I more than likely in the crock pot though.

Cut the breasts into 1" chunks, then marinate in Teriyaki sauce in a covered bowl overnight.  Skewer the chunks and grill until the corners turn dark.  Enjoy some trophy eating.  It will make you want to go shoot another one.

Jim