Braised Wild Turkey
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Braised Wild Turkey
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| Servings |
| 2lb |
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Ingredients
- 2lbs Wild turkey meat — Skinned leg, thigh, boneless skinless breast, or any combo.
- 1/4Cup Rub — Your favorite rub, but something salt based like Cavenders Greek, Slap Ya Mama, or a BBQ rub.
- 1cup chopped onion
- 1/2cup chopped carrot
- 1/2cup chopped celery
- 1/4cup olive oil
- Some braising liquid – stock, beer, apple juice or ? Enough for 1″ depth.
- 1tbsp cornstarch
- 1tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Trim meat and coat with olive oil. Apply rub liberally.
- Vacuum seal or wrap in cellophane and refrigerate overnight in something that will hold leaks.
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Unwrap and place directly on the bottom of a greased roasting pan (no rack or grate). Use a pan that is not too big for the amount of meat or you’ll need way too much braising liquid.
- Drizzle a little more olive oil over meat and add mirepoix (onion/celery/carrot).
- Place in oven, uncovered. Turn occasionally until evenly browned (45 minutes or so).
- Add braising liquid to about 1 inch depth. No need to be precise, but two things you should NOT do: completely cover the meat, or run out of liquid while cooking.
- Lower oven to 300°F. Cover pan tightly with a lid or aluminum foil.
- After 2 hours check every half hour for consistency, and to see there is at least half an inch of liquid left (add more if needed). When it is fork tender, it’s done. 4 hours should be plenty.
- Set the meat aside covered in foil.
- Strain the braising liquid. If there’s much visible fat (there won’t be with wild turkey), ladle it off.
- Mix cornstarch well with a like amount of cold water to make a slurry.
- Thicken the braising liquid into a gravy by whisking in the cornstarch slurry. Then simmer a couple of minutes to reduce. Season to taste.
- For drumsticks, use a fork to pull the meat from all those fussy bones.
- Return meat to oven covered, to bring it back up to serving temp if needed. The gravy can be served spooned over carved slices, on the side, or added/tossed with shredded meat.
- Best served right away. It refrigerates and freezes fine, but if reheating without sauce use a moist method and maybe add some water or stock. It can be a bit dry.
Recipe Notes
Alternative: After browning in the oven (step 6), move the whole show to a slow-cooker/crockpot. Other possible ingredients: tomato paste, minced garlic, fresh ground black pepper.