Preparing Your Fall Turkey for Your Thanksgiving Table
Fall turkey hunting season is in full swing. So, this Thanksgiving, why not impress your family and friends by serving wild turkey that you hunted and prepared yourself?
If you’re lucky enough to have bagged a tom or hen during the fall season, you may be wondering how to prepare it for your Thanksgiving feast. Here’s everything you need to know about properly cleaning and turning that wild turkey into a delicious holiday meal.
Cleaning and Plucking Your Fall Turkey
If you’re planning to roast a turkey for your Thanksgiving feast, you’ll need to pluck the feathers first. Plucking is actually quite easy, but it’s time-consuming. With a little practice, you’ll be able to pluck your turkey like a pro!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A turkey (of course!)
- A large bowl or sink
- Water (for rinsing off the turkey)
- A few towels (for drying the turkey)
- A sharp knife (for cutting the skin around the neck)
- Plenty of patience!
First things first: Before you start plucking, you’ll need to clean your turkey. Rinse it off with some cool water, then pat it dry with a towel. Once your turkey is clean, it’s time to start plucking! Begin by cutting the skin around the neck of the turkey. This will help loosen the feathers and make plucking easier.
Then, simply start plucking the feathers out, working your way from the neck down. You may find it helpful to use your fingers to loosen the feathers before you pluck them out. If you come across any stubborn feathers that just won’t budge, don’t be afraid to use a sharp knife to cut them out. Just be careful not to cut yourself!
Once all of the feathers have been removed, give your turkey one last rinse and pat it dry with a towel. And that’s it! Your turkey is now ready to be prepped for cooking.
Prepping and Cooking
Now that your turkey is clean and plucked, it’s time to get it ready for cooking! There are many different ways to cook a turkey, so feel free to get creative.
Before we do, though, there are some steps to take first. Wild turkey is notoriously lean meat and prone to drying. Brining your bird is a great way to help combat this while infusing some additional flavor into the meat.
A good brine will help keep the meat moist and flavorful. To make a brine, simply dissolve 1 cup of salt in 1 gallon of water. Submerge your turkey in the mixture and let it soak overnight or for at least 12 hours.
Topical Flavorings
If you want to take the flavor bomb even further, then dry rubs are your friend. Once you’ve removed the turkey from the brine, give it a good pat down with some paper towels. Then, it’s time to get rubbing! A dry rub is a mixture of spices that you’ll apply to the outside of the turkey.
There are endless variations, but we recommend using a mix of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and sage. Apply the rub generously all over the turkey, making sure to get under the skin as well as on top.
Want to give your turkey a classic light flavor boost? Try basting it with some butter or olive oil before cooking. You can also stuff the cavity of the turkey with herbs and aromatics, such as rosemary or garlic.
Injection Marinade
Whether you’re roasting, grilling, or smoking your turkey, one thing’s for sure: marinades are key to infusing flavor. And when it comes to marinating a wild turkey, injection marinades are king.
An injection marinade is simply a marinade that’s injected directly into the meat of the turkey using a syringe. This helps to ensure that the marinade penetrates deep into the meat, infusing it with flavor.
When creating an injection marinade, be sure to use a sharp knife to make small slits all over the turkey. This will help the marinade seep in and do its job!
Some great injection marinade flavors to try include:
- Apple cider and sage
- Orange juice and thyme
- Lemon juice and rosemary
- Butter and garlic
Once you’ve chosen your marinade, simply inject it into the turkey meat using a syringe. Be sure to evenly distribute the marinade, making sure to get some into each slit you made earlier.
Roasting
Alright, now that we’ve put some flavor on our fall harvest, we are ready to get it cooking. One of the most popular methods is roasting. To roast a turkey, simply place it breast-side up on a roasting rack inside of a roasting pan. Put it in a preheated oven. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your turkey and whether it is stuffed or not.
However, as a rule of thumb, cook your turkey at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes per pound plus an additional 15 minutes. So, for example, if you have a 10-pound turkey, you would cook it for 2 hours and 45 minutes (165 minutes total).
Let it rest! Once your turkey is cooked through, remove it from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a moister and more flavorful final product.
Smoking
Smoking is a great way to infuse flavor into your wild turkey while also giving it a beautiful mahogany hue. To smoke a turkey, you’ll need to set up your smoker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Then, place the turkey on the smoking rack inside the smoker and cook it at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes per pound.
Once your turkey is cooked through, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a moister and more flavorful final product.
No matter which cooking method you choose, remember to baste your turkey periodically with its own juices or a mixture of butter and water. This will help to keep it moist and add flavor.
Deep Frying
Another popular cooking method is deep frying. This may sound daunting, but it’s actually quite easy! To deep fry a turkey, simply heat up some oil in a large pot or turkey fryer. Then, carefully lower the turkey into the hot oil and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes per pound.
Deep frying is a quick and easy way to cook a turkey, but it does require some extra safety precautions. Be sure to follow all instructions that come with your turkey fryer, and never leave the turkey unattended while it’s cooking.
Whichever cooking method you choose, be sure to cook your turkey until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This will ensure that the turkey is cooked all the way through and safe to eat.
Carving Your Turkey
Once your turkey is cooked, it’s time to carve and serve! Start by removing the turkey from the cooking pan and placing it on a cutting board or serving platter. Then, use a sharp knife to carve the meat away from the bones.
If you want, you can slice the turkey into pieces or serve it whole. Once it’s carved, simply arrange it on a platter and serve it up with all the usual traditional Thanksgiving dishes.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means now is the perfect time to start thinking about how you’re going to prepare your holiday feast. By following these simple tips, you can be sure that your wild fall turkey will be the star of your Thanksgiving feast! Give them a try and enjoy the fruits (or should we say meat?) of your hunting labor!
