Mesquite Roast Wild Turkey Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan; place apples in turkey cavity. Place potatoes, carrots and onions around turkey. Pour water over vegetables. Combine seasoned salt, salt and pepper; rub over turkey. Combine remaining ingredients; spoon over the turkey. , Cover and bake until a thermometer reads 170°, 3-1/2 hours, basting occasionally if desired. Turkey may be uncovered for the last 30 minutes for additional browning if desired.

Steps:

• For the turkey: The day before serving, pat the turkey dry using paper towels. Remove the neck. Place the turkey on a large, clean cloth and rub both the inside and outside generously with salt. Place the turkey and the neck in a container that fits comfortably and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight to allow the skin to dry out.
• Remove the turkey at least 2 hours prior to roasting to take the chill off it. Position the oven rack on the lowest rung and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the oranges, 1 onion, cinnamon stick and thyme in the body cavity of the turkey. Fold the wings and tuck the tips underneath the bird.
• For the butter sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the maple syrup, mezcal and cloves. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until fully incorporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Place the remaining quartered onions in the bottom of a roasting pan to act as a rack. Add the turkey neck, along with the sage. Drizzle the onions and neck with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set the turkey on top of the onions. Soak a double layer of cheesecloth big enough to cover the bird in the butter sauce, then drape it over the breast and legs of the turkey. Pour any remaining butter sauce over the turkey. Add the stock to the bottom of the pan.
• Roast for 45 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue roasting until the skin is golden brown and the turkey juices run clear when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh and breast registers 160 degrees F, another 10 to 15 minutes per pound (at least 1 hour and 40 minutes and up to 3 hours).
• Allow the turkey to rest at least 30 minutes before removing the cheesecloth and carving.

Steps:

• Mix brine ingredients into water and stir until salt is completely dissolved. Place rinsed turkey into brine mixture in a food-safe container (roasting bags are good) with enough brine mixture to cover completely when bag is cinched. Refrigerate bird in brine mixture for about 12 hours.
• Drain bird and pat dry. Meanwhile, soak mesquite chips in enough water to cover for approximately 30 minutes. Drain chips and place in small handfuls onto foil and make pouches with little holes pricked in the foil with a fork.
• Prepare grill for indirect heat using a drip pan. Place liquid of your choice into drip pan (water or low carb beer is good). Rub turkey breast with softened butter on the outside and season with salt and pepper (add garlic if you like). Oil grill screen and put a pouch of mesquite chips directly on the coals.
• Place turkey over the drip pan and cover grill. Grill for several hours, turning turkey as needed, and adding a pouch of chips and a few new coals about every 30-45 minutes to maintain a steady heat. Cook until meat in the deepest part of the breast reads 170°F (you will need an instant read thermometer for this). Allow bird to sit for 15-30 minutes, undisturbed, before carving to maintain juiciness.

Steps:

• After bagging a wild turkey, I wet pick, clean, and freeze it whole with the giblets and neck tucked inside the carcass in a separate bag. Since wild turkeys are built a little differently than the vacuum-packed, store-bought variety, it takes a little extra work to fit one in a Dutch oven. I separate the hindquarters from the rest of the turkey, and then split them down the backbone. At this point I take a fillet knife and disjoint each leg from the backbone, getting as much meat off the backbone as I can. I cook the leg in one piece, but you can disjoint at the thigh if you choose. To remove the ribs from the front half of the bird, cut along each side of the backbone and work your knife along the outside of the ribs down each side to where they attach to the breast bone and grasping the neck pull backward. Save the two back pieces.After getting your bird cut up, put the giblets, neck, and back pieces to boil in a pot with 2 quarts water and season to taste. Dice up a medium onion and add to the broth. I like to add a couple of bay leaves and a pinch each of sage, oregano, and thyme. Wipe the turkey drumsticks and the breast with olive oil and season with cracked pepper or seasonings of your choice. I start 8-10 charcoal briquets in my Weber® grill. When they are ready, I scoot them to one side of the grill and place 2-3 chunks of mesquite wood on them. Once the mesquite starts smoking, I lay the breast and drumsticks on the opposite side of the grill. The intent is to flavor the meat and not cook it with direct heat. Let it smoke for no more than 15-20 minutes or it will dry out.Transfer the turkey to a deep 14-inch Dutch oven with a rack in the bottom. Take 2 cups of the broth from the pot the giblets are boiling in for a cooking liquid. Roast for 1 1/2-2 hours with 6-8 briquets underneath the Dutch and 16-18 on the lid. Make dressing and gravy with the broth. Add dressing to the turkey pieces about 50 minutes before serving.Spiced with More Tall Tales - Fish and Fowl

Steps:

• Mix the dressing and wine.
• Pour into a 1 gallon size zip-lock bag.
• Add the turkey breast and marinate overnight, turning at least once.
• Drain off the marinade & discard.
• Sprinkle turkey breast with the seasonings.
• Place in oven roasting bag.
• Melt the butter in the olive oil and add to the turkey breast.
• Place the roasting bag & turkey breast in a 9"x5" loaf pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Steps:

• 1. In a gallon zip-lock bag, add salt, sugar, peppercorns, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Add turkey breast and enough water to cover. Zip bag closed and shake 3 - 4 times to mix. Place in refrigerator and brine overnight. Next a.m., remove turkey from brine, rinse turkey well. Discard brine. Sprinkle turkey with mesquite seasoning and place in crockpot. Cover turkey with Italian dressing. Cook on low about 5-6 hours or until tender. Remove turkey from crockpot and cool. Slice turkey.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl combine all rub ingredients. Remove giblets from turkey, rinse turkey in cold water and pat dry. Place turkey on a large tray. Massage rub mixture into turkey until generously coated inside and out. Cover the turkey and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight. The next day, place 8 cups of wood chips in water to soak for 1 hour. Prepare the glaze by placing all of the ingredients into a small saucepan set over low heat. Remove turkey from refrigerator (Optional: stuff the cavity with sliced oranges and lemons). Tie the legs with butcher twine to hold the bird together as compact as possible. Set it aside and allow to come to room temperature. Prepare smoke pouches by mixing 2 cups of the wet drained wood chips with one cup of the dry on a large piece of foil. Wrap loosely into a package. Using a fork, pierce the package all over to allow smoke to escape. Repeat these steps to make 3 more smoke pouches (4 pouches in total). Prepare barbeque for indirect cooking and smoking by removing the grate over one burner and turn only it onto high heat. Place a drip pan over the cool elements, but under the grates. Place a smoke pouch on direct heat. Wait for smoke to form and adjust barbeque temperature to reach 220°F (105°C). Place the turkey over the drip pan and no heat. Close the barbeque lid and smoke for 20 to 30 minutes per pound, changing the smoke pouch when smoke dissipates. In the last hour of cooking, baste the turkey with sauce at least 2 times. Remove turkey from the barbeque when a digital thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the bird reads 165°F (74°C). Cover turkey loosely with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Carve and serve with extra peach glaze.