How do you clean your turkey???

[dan]

I used to pluck them and roast whole. But they did not turn out very good most of the time. Now I skin the front 1/2 and remove the breasts and chuck the carcass... Works a lot better, and the meat cooks a lot easier. Who wants to eat the nasty legs from a wild turkey anyway?

How about you???

[Tadmdad]

Good Question Dan....guess it depends on how there going to be cooked.

Have smoked and deep fried in the past...then I pluck

Like you said...breast and chuck is easiest, roast, casserole, etc.

If there not going to be cooked right away, my family looks forward to having a wild turkey and a domestic turkey for Thanksgiving every year, then I just field dress, wrap and freeze with the feathers still on, I've found out that they don't get freezer burned when you leave the feathers on.

[lungbuster]

Fillet the breasts out and toss the rest.

[huntinfool14]

Fillet the breasts out and toss the rest.

X2

[PLB]

Fillet the breasts out and toss the rest.

X2

X3! I pluck around the breast area and carve that meat out. The rest is coyote bait

[Ack]

I take the breast meat only and jerky it up........yummmm!

[Dewey]

Wow........I am really surprised by how many just keep the breast meat.
I never shot a turkey so I am not experienced but just wondering if the rest of the turkey really is that bad to eat?
Seems like an awful lot of wasted meat. I like to eat every edible bit of anything I shoot. Am I wrong about this? Just wondering!

[dan]

Wow........I am really surprised by how many just keep the breast meat.
I never shot a turkey so I am not experienced but just wondering if the rest of the turkey really is that bad to eat?
Seems like an awful lot of wasted meat. I like to eat every edible bit of anything I shoot. Am I wrong about this? Just wondering!

I felt the same way till a guy showed me the light... On a wild turkey there pretty much only is Breast meat. The legs are really tough and stringy and not enjoyable to eat. There ain't much of anything on the back. You get almost all the good meat out of the breasts. There is hardly anything left after you remove the breasts.

[PLB]

Wow........I am really surprised by how many just keep the breast meat.
I never shot a turkey so I am not experienced but just wondering if the rest of the turkey really is that bad to eat?
Seems like an awful lot of wasted meat. I like to eat every edible bit of anything I shoot. Am I wrong about this? Just wondering!

I felt the same way till a guy showed me the light... On a wild turkey there pretty much only is Breast meat. The legs are really tough and stringy and not enjoyable to eat. There ain't much of anything on the back. You get almost all the good meat out of the breasts. There is hardly anything left after you remove the breasts.

Yep!!

[kenn1320]

We do turkey and geese the same way, just breast em out. We dont pluck any feathers, just slice the skin enough to get your fingers in there, peel that skin back and run your knife right down the center of the breast. The breast bone is kinda dished shape, so just lift on the meat and cut it away. I typically make jerky out of my turkeys, good stuff!

[Uncle Lou]

I normally skin them whole and freeze. I finally did pluck one last year, a bit more work but was glad I did.

However I cook it, or if I just cook the breast, afterwards I usually boil the carcass and pick the meat clean, even the legs. I think there is enough meat on the carcass to salvage and I really enjoy the meat.

Once picked clean my wife makes different dishes, turkey gumbo and turkey enchilladas to name 2. My brother once brought up about 12+ legs and my wife made barbque out of them. It was delicious.

[Haus86]

I only keep the breasts, the rest gets tossed.

[chad]

I'm a fan of the breast too! and toss the rest

[magicman54494]

Last year Goober deep fryed my jake. I only kept the breast meat from my tom. I made turkey salad out of it for sandwiches during rifle hunting. I hope I can do the same this year.

[muddy]

Used to smoke them whole after plucking, it was worth it as I'm a dark meat fan. Now I just breast them out and give them away. I prefer butterballs.