Hi everyone, I have an interesting situation. On April 15, 2023, I took a wild turkey. Empty weight is about 11.8 pounds. It痴 a small Jake.
We are having it this Tuesday to commemorate a friend from Japan coming over to stay with us. We wanted to give our friend a truly American meal.
Anyway, I have not cooked a wild turkey in years. I知 trying to figure out the best way to cook this bird. I知 gonna be upfront, the legs are a lot thicker than the breast. I知 worried that if I cook the turkey the way I cook a store bought turkey, by the time the legs are done, the breast will be over cooked. I知 trying to figure out how to prevent this.

Could someone please help me out and/or give me a recipe I can use for a whole wild turkey this size?

If you want a picture of the whole processed bird, I can post it. I just need some time.

Jared

Ok, I think I was able to get a picture of the processed bird attached to this post.

Jared

I'm a tad late for ya but I don't cook a wild bird the same as a store bought. I normally fillet the breasts off and brine them then wrap in bacon and smoke them. As for the legs and thighs I will slow cook or pressure cook them then make bbq pulled turkey sandwiches.

I appreciate you getting back, even though it is late. We already had the turkey dinner a while ago.

I知 not blaming anybody for not getting back in time, but I actually had to do a lot of research, and I figured out the best way to take care of it.

I just brined it for 18 hours, and then cooked it whole until the thermometer said it was done. It was actually the best turkey I ever had.

Whenever I decide to cook a turkey whole I just cook it like a regular turkey. I always lay around 5 strips of bacon over to try and keep it from drying out to much.. But mostly like mentioned above I will breast it our..

Cooking a wild turkey can be a bit different due to the varying thickness of the meat. I like eat that with sour cream sause because it enought diet for me since I do https://betterme.world/articles/wall...day-challenge/ and have to be in shape .You could try brining it to keep the breast moist while the legs cook. A simple roast with herbs and butter should work well. Feel free to share a picture for more specific tips. Enjoy your truly American meal with your friend from Japan!

come' on try it!