Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

My daughter harvested a monster Tom on Saturday.  This was a very old bird. With that being said, I took the bird home right away and cleaned him. I soaked the breast meat in salt water for about a full day and night changing the water several times. The meat has been in the fridge and kept cold. I took the breast meat out to start cutting it into eating portions and it had a very unpleasant smell to it. Not what I would call spoiled or rancid. Just un appetizing for sure.  I've cleaned and eaten a bunch of turkeys. Not sure what to make of it.
Anyone have any experience with anything like this???

Fry it up. It'll be fine. But, it you're concerned, pitch it.


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There's no way your going to enjoy it once you get that thought in your head. Id hate to throw it away though,maybe cook and eat a small piece and if its ok make a gumbo or something.

try a brine

Interesting , i still would have to fry up few pieces , but i never soak mine in salt water , could the salt have gotten some kind of odor ?  Just always soak mine in cold water for about 3 days before processing ...

I never soak mine in salt. Just water for a day or 2 before frying it up. Has me curious as if the salt caused something like Mr. Greg said?

I checked the salt to see if it had any odor and it did not. I have always added salt to my soak.  I've been doing it for 28 years. Lots and lots of delicious birds. I know I took great care of this one as well getting him dressed out quickly etc.  it just shocked me that the meat had an unpleasant pungent smell to it. 

Doubt the brine had any effect.  I've never had it happen, but talked to a hunter down here in New Mexico that killed a turkey that evidently had a real taste for stinkbugs (pinacate beetles). Found a bunch of them in the crop.  Said the meat was so foul smelling he couldn't eat it.

Maybe it was that birds particular diet?


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Quote from: 5arraquiver on April 06, 2020, 10:09:55 PM
I checked the salt to see if it had any odor and it did not. I have always added salt to my soak.  I've been doing it for 28 years. Lots and lots of delicious birds. I know I took great care of this one as well getting him dressed out quickly etc.  it just shocked me that the meat had an unpleasant pungent smell to it.

What do you think your accomplishing by soaking the meat in Salt Water ?

I've had a few that were taken care of right away and had a little funk. Turkeys kinda stink anyways. Wasn't concerned with spoilage so fried them up and they ate fine. Maybe it was in my head? Idk. Rule of thumb though if your in doubt pitch it out.

Quote from: Greg Massey on April 06, 2020, 10:34:06 PM

Quote from: 5arraquiver on April 06, 2020, 10:09:55 PM
I checked the salt to see if it had any odor and it did not. I have always added salt to my soak.  I've been doing it for 28 years. Lots and lots of delicious birds. I know I took great care of this one as well getting him dressed out quickly etc.  it just shocked me that the meat had an unpleasant pungent smell to it.

What do you think your accomplishing by soaking the meat in Salt Water ?

It makes it taste just like chicken of the sea

Quote from: Greg Massey on April 06, 2020, 10:34:06 PM

Quote from: 5arraquiver on April 06, 2020, 10:09:55 PM
I checked the salt to see if it had any odor and it did not. I have always added salt to my soak.  I've been doing it for 28 years. Lots and lots of delicious birds. I know I took great care of this one as well getting him dressed out quickly etc.  it just shocked me that the meat had an unpleasant pungent smell to it.

What do you think your accomplishing by soaking the meat in Salt Water ?

Greg, that was just the way I was taught. Draw out the blood and some brine to the equation.

You got it Crow lol
It very well could have been his diet. Great points guys. I appreciate all the feedback.

Quote from: Greg Massey on April 06, 2020, 10:34:06 PM

Quote from: 5arraquiver on April 06, 2020, 10:09:55 PM
I checked the salt to see if it had any odor and it did not. I have always added salt to my soak.  I've been doing it for 28 years. Lots and lots of delicious birds. I know I took great care of this one as well getting him dressed out quickly etc.  it just shocked me that the meat had an unpleasant pungent smell to it.

What do you think your accomplishing by soaking the meat in Salt Water ?

you know how people are with there game meats man....they destroy it with water.....

Quote from: 5arraquiver on April 06, 2020, 11:04:08 PM

Quote from: Greg Massey on April 06, 2020, 10:34:06 PM

Quote from: 5arraquiver on April 06, 2020, 10:09:55 PM
I checked the salt to see if it had any odor and it did not. I have always added salt to my soak.  I've been doing it for 28 years. Lots and lots of delicious birds. I know I took great care of this one as well getting him dressed out quickly etc.  it just shocked me that the meat had an unpleasant pungent smell to it.

What do you think your accomplishing by soaking the meat in Salt Water ?

Greg, that was just the way I was taught. Draw out the blood and some brine to the equation.

other than one initial soak to clean it up a little theres no reason to keep it in water in the fridge for days at a time. yes its going to spoil if you do that. Not saying yours is currently spoiled....but yes it will develop a stinch. Sadly ive done it....but I don't do that anymore. I clean it once, and either freeze it or cook it. Only time mine is soaking is if Im soaking it to make jerkey and that's only a 24hour soak in whatever im trying to flavor it with.

I don't soak mine at all unless it's very blood shot! I skin in, rinse in, and Ziplock it. I have noticed some turkeys have a different smell than others but unless it looks infected or has discoloration I eat it. I know several people who brine them, soak them, and do just like I and freeze them immediately unless eating in the next day or two. Do whatever you're comfortable with and enjoy the meal.

With the heavy shot of today, and the less defined patterning of my most recent shotgun (I've tried several chokes), I get more pellets in the meat these days than I used to.  If there is blood and feathers in the meat I have started soaking in salt water as that seems to get it cleaned out better than just water.  It also helps break down some of the yellow connective tissue that I try to pull or cut off.  I soak it for an hour or two.  I do not soak it overnight.  I did so once and the meat was tasteless mush.  Maybe I used too much salt or something.

As far as the smelly meat, if you are confident it smells different than all the other turkeys you have taken, I would think there is something wrong with it and I would throw it out.  As I tell people when they express shock that I often fish and throw them back...I don't need to eat the basketball to enjoy the game!

Shot a bird down in a swamp once, as soon as I took the meat out it smelled just like the nasty water he lived around which has never been the case before. i tried to cooking it as turkey bbq and even through the sauce it was rough and we didn't finish. Only thing I could think was that he had gotten a wound that punctured his skin enough for that foul water got in and soaked into the meat but not bad enough a wound for me to see any trauma at the date of harvest or kill him.

I never soak my turkey breasts. I rinse them thoroughly to get off dirt, feathers, down, and any blood from stray pellets. After I've cleaned it, they get vacuum sealed and put in the freezer so my wife, Paula Dean Jr., can make homemade turkey pot pies. They are to DIE for!!!!

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Stupid question, but I seem to remember something about soaking it in buttermilk, I think it was supposed to make it more tender. Anybody know what I may be thinking of? I could well have the wrong meat.

Quote from: Sir-diealot on April 07, 2020, 11:52:24 PM
Stupid question, but I seem to remember something about soaking it in buttermilk, I think it was supposed to make it more tender. Anybody know what I may be thinking of? I could well have the wrong meat.

yeah when you are about to fry them up. let them sit in buttermilk.