Has anyone ever tried processing turkey breast meat into ground meat? Similar to venison or beef? I've had plenty of store bought ground turkey that I've enjoyed in all sorts of dishes. I've gotten to the point in my life where I eat more ground meat than any other cuts in my wild game.
Do you just mix in a percentage of beef fat or pork butt for flavor and binder like a lot of folks do with venison?
Does it have good flavor? Seems ground meat usually has less gamey taste than portion cuts do.
Just something I was thinking about and haven't heard much on.
Thanks!
Interesting idea but I've never heard that before. Fried turkey nuggets are too good for me to do anything different with the breast meat. I've smoked the dark meat before and it was good. This year I'm going to slow cook the dark meat and have pulled barbecue turkey.
With venison I always add 20% beef fat, but with turkey I just usually toss in some of if not most of the turkey fat from the carcass. I've used ground turkey in things like enchilada fillings, dumpling fillings, meatballs, etc...
Funny you mention using more ground meat and less whole cuts as time goes. I fond myself doing the opposite. Particularly woth venison. I feel like I can find a million things to do with the bottom round, blade roasts, sirloin, neck meat, etc...but am less enthused to find fun ways to use up my ground venison.
I should add that a nice juicy venison burger is one of the very first things we make though after butchering, lol
Never ground turkey breast. I mostly do fried and turkey jerky. I'm sure the ground turkey would be good.
I've always said in a joking manner that it should be a sin to cook wild turkey breast any other way besides fried nuggets. I bet it would definitely be good. I would eat turkey might near anyway you cook it though.
My buddy grinds it and mixes in Bacon or jowl. I think he told me about half the weight of the turkey for bacon( three pounds of turkey and one pound of bacon). He gave us some and it was very good. Made into patties, but be careful not to over cook it. I was thinking of doing some myself. I say go for it.
I do. Best thing I've done with some of the harder meat to cook.
I save the thighs, legs, heart and gizzard. I take the stones out of the gizzard then clean the meat up. I also add the flat point of the breast to the mix and do a course grind of it all. I don't add anything to it and it's the best burger meat I've made. It's gone before the deer burger, axis burger or beef burger in the freezer every year.
The dark meat gives it enough richness to not have to add any fat.
I've got a good many birds in the freezer and I'm about to make burger out of a lot of them.
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I just posted pictures of turkey meatballs in mushroom gravy that I make every year. I grind one turkey breast and mix with one pound fatty ground pork. I also add eggs and breadcrumbs and cream, so that adds very nice moisture and softness to the final product. I made a double batch and they all were eaten in one night by the crew.
Quote from: 3seasons on May 30, 2024, 03:48:43 PMI do. Best thing I've done with some of the harder meat to cook.
I save the thighs, legs, heart and gizzard. I take the stones out of the gizzard then clean the meat up. I also add the flat point of the breast to the mix and do a course grind of it all. I don't add anything to it and it's the best burger meat I've made. It's gone before the deer burger, axis burger or beef burger in the freezer every year.
The dark meat gives it enough richness to not have to add any fat.
I've got a good many birds in the freezer and I'm about to make burger out of a lot of them.
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That looks really good!
I have. Makes one heck of a breakfast sausage!
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Here is one for everybody to try. Grind your turkey with bacon and brown sugar. Use a hot skillet and make a smash burger. Take soft cream cheese with chopped up jalapenos on a toasted bun and you won't believe how good it is.
That's all my neighbor, who receives most of the birds I shoot (gasp !! :o ) does is grind them. They use a lot of it that way. Don't know if they mix anything in or not.
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Thats one hell of a system you got going there. Finished product looks really good. I commend you and those others who utilize the WHOLE Turkey. Has that meat in tubs been frozen once, or is that all "fresh" meat.
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Some had been frozen with dry ice on that trip.
I have ground the thighs and legs and made shawarma, with Greek spices, cumin, garlic, paprika, lemon rind, fennel, lots of black pepper. etc. After that's cook we slice it thin and make wild turkey gyros. Tomatoes, cukes, onion,tazziki yogurt sauce with lots of garlic and lemon and dill. Bam! Let's go!! 🤩
I grind breast occasionally but have ground thighs lots of times. I don't add any fat to it. I use it as a very lean ground for things like chili.
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I recently got a grinder to specifically grind the thigh and drumstick meat. I have been slow cooking the thigh and drumstick meat and making pulled turkey for various dishes. Now, I can grind some of it and untilize it in even more variety of ways.
Not for my breast meat but i do grind all the legs/thighs i get. Perfect for meatballs!
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yes.
i add ground bacon.
3:1 mixure.
it is excellent
My wife got me the meateater cookbook for Christmas and there is recipe in it for ground turkey breakfast sausage patties.
Gonna have to give it a try sometime..
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I grind up everything but the breast. Most of the time I don't add any fat or bacon to it unless we want sausage. If I do burgers I just mix an egg and some breadcrumbs and they stick fine. My wife wasent crazy on the legs or thighs but grinding has been a game changer
AWESOME replies! Thanks to all. I'm definitely going to give this a try now. I think one of the reasons I use more ground meat anymore is that it's just so convenient to prepare and cook a simple meal with it. Cubing, breading, and deep frying nuggets are great but it's more work and more of a mess to clean up when finished. I like the bacon mix idea but I think I'll just batch grind first without adding anything and then add bacon afterwards to a portion. I might experiment by adding a little fat/binder to a batch as well... should I use beef fat, pork fat, or pork butt?
The ground meat in posted photos looks amazing!! Almost looks like marbled beef!!
Anymore experiences or feedback... keep it coming. Thanks!
I use a seasoning called "potlatch" Williams and Sonoma makes it
I'll fry up strips with olive oil , potlatch , and roasted red peppers...then serve it in a pita with sour cream on top ..LIGHTS OUT
Boil a whole box sometimes 2 boxes of pina' pasta ...let it cool down ...If you take the same turkey, potlatch and red peppers fryed up mix ...take it out of the pan and let it cool down add chopped celery, red onion ...then a 50/50 dressing of sour cream and mayo, mix in more potlatch seasoning into the dressing ...then throw in the pina' pasta ...mix it all up ...put it into Tupperware....and you'll get at least a few good lunch meals before your family finds it hidden in the fridge ...and they will eat it all gaurenteed...happens every time
We butchered 80 easterns ,and ground all the breasts. My wife makes delicious meatballs, Tacos and meatloaf from it.
The legs and thighs make pot pies.
I bought sage sausage mix and breakfast sausage mix to mix in with my ground mt. lion and think it will work with the ground turkey also. It sure make s the ground mt. lion, which is great by itself, even better.
Quote from: KYFrid on May 31, 2024, 08:41:30 AMMy wife got me the meateater cookbook for Christmas and there is recipe in it for ground turkey breakfast sausage patties.
Gonna have to give it a try sometime..
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My wife and I used this recipe on one bird and it was excellent. Highly recommend. Especially if you end up with a lot of turkey meat
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Quote from: The Lung on May 30, 2024, 03:08:07 PMWith venison I always add 20% beef fat, but with turkey I just usually toss in some of if not most of the turkey fat from the carcass. I've used ground turkey in things like enchilada fillings, dumpling fillings, meatballs, etc...
Funny you mention using more ground meat and less whole cuts as time goes. I fond myself doing the opposite. Particularly woth venison. I feel like I can find a million things to do with the bottom round, blade roasts, sirloin, neck meat, etc...but am less enthused to find fun ways to use up my ground venison.
I should add that a nice juicy venison burger is one of the very first things we make though after butchering, lol
Funny I have never heard of anyone using beef fat before growing up, I had always seen it done with pork meat or pork fat. May be a regional thing though. I seem to remember somebody in this area using beef once but though the flavor was fair it was very dry. Everybody does things different and I am not knocking you, just not something I have really seen done much at all.
Now to the OP no, I would never grind turkey, it is not a texture that I enjoy at all and I have always felt like I was eating waterlogged turkey when I have had it that was and it certainly felt that way out of the package. That said I did not try to much of it because I found it so unappealing but I am sure there are many ways I have not had it that may well be good. I also would not think that wild turkey would have the went texture to it as store bought seems to.
I do and I really like! But i only grind legs. No other meat added.
Quote from: 3seasons on May 30, 2024, 03:48:43 PMI do. Best thing I've done with some of the harder meat to cook.
I save the thighs, legs, heart and gizzard. I take the stones out of the gizzard then clean the meat up. I also add the flat point of the breast to the mix and do a course grind of it all. I don't add anything to it and it's the best burger meat I've made. It's gone before the deer burger, axis burger or beef burger in the freezer every year.
The dark meat gives it enough richness to not have to add any fat.
I've got a good many birds in the freezer and I'm about to make burger out of a lot of them.
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I would never put my hearts and gizzard in ground meat, i like them fried in the pan way too much.
I grind a fair amount of breast meat cut with bacon. Makes great burgers, and makes 6-10 longbeards to disappear within a year between memorial day, fourth of July and labor day parties.
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Quote from: Old Gobbler on May 31, 2024, 07:10:29 PMI use a seasoning called "potlatch" Williams and Sonoma makes it
I'll fry up strips with olive oil , potlatch , and roasted red peppers...then serve it in a pita with sour cream on top ..LIGHTS OUT
Boil a whole box sometimes 2 boxes of pina' pasta ...let it cool down ...If you take the same turkey, potlatch and red peppers fryed up mix ...take it out of the pan and let it cool down add chopped celery, red onion ...then a 50/50 dressing of sour cream and mayo, mix in more potlatch seasoning into the dressing ...then throw in the pina' pasta ...mix it all up ...put it into Tupperware....and you'll get at least a few good lunch meals before your family finds it hidden in the fridge ...and they will eat it all gaurenteed...happens every time
That sounds lights out! I'll have to give it a try.
Quote from: ferocious calls on May 31, 2024, 09:53:55 PMWe butchered 80 easterns ,and ground all the breasts. My wife makes delicious meatballs, Tacos and meatloaf from it.
The legs and thighs make pot pies.
Just straight up ground meat, nothing added? Thanks.
Quote from: Sir-diealot on June 01, 2024, 08:14:53 PMQuote from: The Lung on May 30, 2024, 03:08:07 PMWith venison I always add 20% beef fat, but with turkey I just usually toss in some of if not most of the turkey fat from the carcass. I've used ground turkey in things like enchilada fillings, dumpling fillings, meatballs, etc...
Funny you mention using more ground meat and less whole cuts as time goes. I fond myself doing the opposite. Particularly woth venison. I feel like I can find a million things to do with the bottom round, blade roasts, sirloin, neck meat, etc...but am less enthused to find fun ways to use up my ground venison.
I should add that a nice juicy venison burger is one of the very first things we make though after butchering, lol
Funny I have never heard of anyone using beef fat before growing up, I had always seen it done with pork meat or pork fat. May be a regional thing though. I seem to remember somebody in this area using beef once but though the flavor was fair it was very dry. Everybody does things different and I am not knocking you, just not something I have really seen done much at all.
Now to the OP no, I would never grind turkey, it is not a texture that I enjoy at all and I have always felt like I was eating waterlogged turkey when I have had it that was and it certainly felt that way out of the package. That said I did not try to much of it because I found it so unappealing but I am sure there are many ways I have not had it that may well be good. I also would not think that wild turkey would have the went texture to it as store bought seems to.
Beef fat, pork fat, and pork butt are all common here. The beef fat freezes better than the pork fat. I think beef fat has better flavor over pork fat. Pork fat has a lower melting temp than beef fat when cooking if you like things like rare burgers. I like pork fat for sausage over beef fat. Pork butt has less fat and I don't like it as well for things like burgers, meatballs, etc. The fat gives those items that juicy taste and that sizzle on the grill or in the pan. Ascetically, that bright white beef fat marbling looks oh so perdy in a batch of fresh ground venison.
Ground up a whole turkey and mixed with pork to make snack sticks.
Ground up the breast of another for spaghetti.
Quote from: squidd on June 04, 2024, 07:05:11 PMGround up a whole turkey and mixed with pork to make snack sticks.
Ground up the breast of another for spaghetti.
Looking good Squidd!
Quote from: Full_Fan on June 04, 2024, 12:38:06 PMQuote from: ferocious calls on May 31, 2024, 09:53:55 PMWe butchered 80 easterns ,and ground all the breasts. My wife makes delicious meatballs, Tacos and meatloaf from it.
The legs and thighs make pot pies.
Just straight up ground meat, nothing added? Thanks.
Nothing added at time of grinding. Wife adds spices/onions or garlic. They are top shelf table fair.
Grinding up game bird legs/thighs is, in my opinion, the best way to utilize the meat. I would add that I am very skeptical of any method where no fat is being added to the mince.
Maybe it's great, but outside of health considerations, there's no reason to dance around with a product that is already ultra lean.
20% of the weight of the meat with pork back fat will allow you to make a mince you would truly be proud of making and sharing with others.
Quote from: ferocious calls on June 05, 2024, 08:30:18 AMQuote from: Full_Fan on June 04, 2024, 12:38:06 PMQuote from: ferocious calls on May 31, 2024, 09:53:55 PMWe butchered 80 easterns ,and ground all the breasts. My wife makes delicious meatballs, Tacos and meatloaf from it.
The legs and thighs make pot pies.
Just straight up ground meat, nothing added? Thanks.
Nothing added at time of grinding. Wife adds spices/onions or garlic. They are top shelf table fair.
Thanks for the info. Next time we do a grinding day... I'm thawing some turkey to try.
Quote from: compton30 on June 05, 2024, 09:06:06 AMGrinding up game bird legs/thighs is, in my opinion, the best way to utilize the meat. I would add that I am very skeptical of any method where no fat is being added to the mince.
Maybe it's great, but outside of health considerations, there's no reason to dance around with a product that is already ultra lean.
20% of the weight of the meat with pork back fat will allow you to make a mince you would truly be proud of making and sharing with others.
Yes, :z-winnersmiley:
Got some new ideas here, Thank you. We grind the dark meat and add enough of the thin part of the breast to get to 4.5 pounds and add .5 pounds of fatback and that is our mixture. Find your favorite sausage recipe and that is our meat/fat ratio. Meatloaf and salisbury steaks is good also. Z