Success! I got up at 4am and ate a quick breakfast. After dressing in full camo and loading up my gear, I headed into the woods. I set up my decoys under a roost tree and waited. As the sun came up, a gobbler started calling from the roost and flew down. After using my box call a few times, the hook was set. The big tom moved into range, and the shot took him down. So, now what?
If you hang out with turkey hunters, you will find that there are several different ways to clean a wild turkey. How you choose to accomplish this task depends on your plans for the bird. Some methods for cleaning your bird are quick and easy, while others take more time. In this article, we will cover a few ways to clean and field dress your turkey so it is ready to cook for Sunday dinner.
When preparing your turkey for the pot, you can either skin it or pluck it. Because wild turkeys have such thin skin, many hunters prefer skinning their turkeys as it’s must faster than plucking the bird.
Whole Birds and Plucking
If you plan to roast, smoke, or deep fry your turkey you will likely want to keep it whole with the skin in-tact. One of the best parts of a turkey is the crispy skin and the fat that renders from it, so I prefer to keep the skin on. I generally smoke my birds, but all three methods are delicious.
If you want to keep your bird whole with the skin on, you will need to pluck the feathers. Be aware that plucking the feathers is done before the bird is gutted. This is the first way I learned to clean a bird, and it is always a bit of a pain. No matter how careful I am, I always seem to get feathers everywhere. Plucking the feathers will hold moisture in the bird for the cooking process. There is nothing worse than a dry bird.
If you plan to keep any souvenirs such as the beard, tail fan, or tines you should remove them first before you start plucking feathers. I grew up being told that you should always dunk birds in boiling water before plucking the feathers. This will partially cook the bird which makes it tougher and can create an environment for bacteria. We now know that 140F water is ideal for dunking your turkey. Now that the feathers are saturated for a few minutes, you can remove all of the feathers by hand. You can then remove the guts and continue preparing your whole bird.
The easiest way to process a bird is to pull the skin back and cut out the important pieces of meat from the carcass. You will be cooking your meat without skin, but this is still delicious when prepared the right way. This method requires no plucking or gutting. Flip your bird breast side up and look for the breastbone. Often there is a bald spot there from their roost rubbing off the feathers.
Make a small vertical incision in the skin and continue the cut down between the legs. Pull the skin back as far as you can towards each side. From here you can cut the turkey breasts off of the bone by running your knife along the breastbone and then go after the leg and thigh meat separately. I find this to be easier than keeping everything attached. However, you can pull the skin down the back and over the legs to keep the parts attached. You will just be without that tasty skin. When finished just make an incision to remove the innards if you keep everything attached.
Be aware that different states have different regulations for cleaning and transporting turkeys. Always look up and follow your local regulation.
I used to cook my turkeys whole and intact with a hollow cavity. Sometimes I left the cavity empty and sometimes I filled it with aromatics. Either way I tried the meat always seemed to cook unevenly. Then I learned about spatchcocking or butterflying a turkey. This is the process of removing the backbone so the bird will lay flat.
When you lay your turkey out flat, the meat will cook more evenly. It also tends to cook more quickly, and it stays juicy and tender. To remove the spine, you will need either thick kitchen shears or a hefty knife. Lay the bird breast side down and feel for the sides of the spine. Start on one side and cut along the spine snapping through the rib bones as you go. Once you complete once side, then repeat the process on the other. Once the backbone is removed, press down on both sides of the bird to flatten it out. You should hear some rib bones break. Then just flip over your bird and you are ready to prep it for cooking. Be sure to adjust your cooking time using a recipe for a spatchcocked turkey.
Whether you want to cook your bird in separate quarters or you want to break it down after it is cooked, you should know how to quarter a bird. Typically, your first two quarters are the breasts with the wings attached. Cut closely along one side of the breastbone to pull the breast meat back. Then cut inside of the wing on the clavicle. Cut through the joint and remove the breast and wing in one piece. Then repeat the process for the other side.
Your last two quarters are the leg and thigh connected. Cut down through the thigh where it connects to the back. Grab the thigh and pull up until you feel the joint pop. Then cut through the tendons and ligaments to free up your thigh and leg quarters. Quarters are easier to cook properly as they will be done at different times and temperatures.
We dont really eat the skin, but will taking it off before cooking dry the turkey out?
How to Clean a Turkey the EASY WAY!
FAQ
Can you take skin off turkey before cooking?
Do you eat turkey skin?
What happens if you don’t rinse a turkey?
Is Turkey skin crispy?
Results: The turkey was a lovely golden color, with shiny, glistening skin. The skin was phenomenally delicious but not exactly crispy. It was more chewy than crispy — which I enjoyed very much — with a few legit crispy spots on the drumsticks. The skin on the underside of the thighs and wings was soft.
What are the health benefits of ground turkey?
Ground turkey has multiple benefits. It is a good source of minerals, and B vitamins, rich in proteins, low in fat and it is lower in calories than common turkey.
Does a fresh Turkey have a better skin than a frozen turkey?
A fresh turkey will have a better skin than a frozen turkey. * Thaw the turkey in the refrigerator. Thawing the turkey in the refrigerator will help to prevent the skin from becoming soggy. * Pat the turkey dry with paper towels before cooking. This will help to remove any excess moisture from the skin.
Should Turkey skin be drier before roasting?
The drier the skin, the better; some cooks will make sure to leave the skin uncovered for several hours before roasting their Thanksgiving turkey to air-dry the skin after first blotting it dry. Less water on the surface of the skin means more opportunity for the moisture of the skin to dry out in the oven, resulting in crispier skin.