Wild Turkey & Wine

Cutting the breast meat into strips and chicken frying the pieces is a time-honored way to enjoy your wild turkey harvest. But give this stuffed wild turkey breast recipe a try and enjoy a different and delightful meal.

Recipes and Spirits for Your Table

Article and photos by TAMRA M. BOLTON

Editor’s Note—This is the first in a series of articles featuring game recipes and wine/spirits pairings and recommendations. In the coming months, wild boar, exotics, venison, dove, quail and duck, and Texas game fish will be highlighted. We hope you enjoy this new addition to our regular magazine features.

Wild turkey is often referred to as one of the most challenging and wily game birds a hunter will face. It is also considered one of the tastiest. Because wild turkey meat differs from its more docile barnyard counterpart, a variety of techniques are required to get the best results in the kitchen or on the grill.

Knowing how to prepare delicious dishes using not only the turkey breast, but the legs and thighs also, will have your friends asking for your recipes instead of ignoring those sometimes tougher parts of their bird or giving them away.

These recipes, along with pairing notes, will turn your next family dinner or gathering into a memorable event.

STUFFED WILD TURKEY BREAST WITH WILD BOAR AND CRANBERRY RICE Recipe courtesy of Pete Muller, NWTF

• 1 boneless wild turkey breast • 1 ½ cups uncooked rice • 3 cups water • ½ cup chopped onion • ½ cup chopped celery

• ½ pound wild boar sausage • 1 teaspoon salt • ½ teaspoon onion • 1 teaspoon parsley • ½ teaspoon pepper • ¼ teaspoon sage • ¾ - 1 cup dried cranberries • 5-6 strips bacon • 1 tablespoon oil

Place stuffed turkey breast back in cast iron skillet and cook uncovered in preheated oven or pellet smoker until internal temp reaches 165 degrees and bacon is nicely browned—about 45 minutes depending on your oven. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then slice and serve.

THE BOLTON BURGER This is my own variation on a popular recipe…with a Texas twist!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim turkey breast and pound to ½ inch to ¾ inch thickness. Set aside until ready to fill with rice stuffing.

Cook sausage over medium heat in a cast iron skillet, stirring occasionally, until browned and crumbly. Remove sausage from pan and add 1 tablespoon oil to already heated skillet. Add celery and onions to skillet and sauté until just tender. Once cooked, remove from pan.

Heat 3 cups water in 2-quart saucepan until boiling, and then add uncooked rice. Cook according to package directions. When done, combine rice, vegetables, sausage, and spices.

Cut six pieces of butcher’s twine, 15 inches long and place on cutting board, then lay 5-6 slices of bacon, close together, but not touching, on top of each piece of twine. Lay bacon lengthwise the same direction as the twine. Top this with flattened turkey breast and add 1-1 ½ cups of rice mixture. Roll up bacon and stuffed turkey breast and tie with butcher’s twine to keep bacon in place and stuffed breast together. Set aside remaining stuffing for serving with dinner. • Prep Time: 30-45 minutes for deboning and grinding turkey and making pecan butter • Total Cook Time: About one hour

You will need:

• Legs and thighs of one bird, about 2 pounds • 12-ounce package bacon • 8 brioche buns • 8 slices of cheddar jack cheese • Fresh mixed salad greens • Kosher salt and pepper • Vegetable oil – 2 to 3 teaspoons • Peach jam/syrup and/or blackberry jelly/syrup • 1 cup Texas pecans

Recipe for Texas Pecan Butter:

Place 1 cup pecan halves or pieces on a cookie sheet. Lightly toast 3-5 minutes in a preheated oven 375 degrees. Watch closely to prevent scorching. Let cool to just warm, and then pulse

While it takes a little longer to prepare than a ground beef burger, this version of an American favorite will tantalize your tastebuds.

pecans in food processor, using a spatula to push down the build-up on the sides of the processor. Add the oil a teaspoon at a time and continue processing until it reaches the desired creaminess. (It should be thin enough to spread on burger, but not runny.) Set aside.

Recipe for Ground Turkey Burger:

Debone turkey legs and thighs; cut meat into 1-inch cubes. Place meat and grinder components into the freezer to chill for 20 to 30 minutes.

Grind meat twice at a medium grind, finer if preferred. Form into patties using about a quarter-pound of meat for each patty. Making a thumb-print indentation in the middle of each patty will help them cook more evenly and hold their shape.

Season lightly with salt and pepper and place in fridge to keep chilled until ready to grill.

Cook bacon on a foil-covered baking sheet with sides in reduced heat oven, 275 degrees, for about 30 to 40 minutes until browned but still pliable. Drain on paper towels and set aside until ready to assemble burgers.

Cook burger patties on grill to internal temperature of at least 160 degrees.

To Assemble Your Bolton Burger:

Toast the brioche buns. Place turkey patty on bottom bun and spread Texas pecan butter on top of patty. Drizzle either warmed peach jam/syrup or warmed blackberry jelly/syrup over the pecan butter, then place slice of cheddar jack on top of patty. At this point you can place your burger under a broiler to melt the cheese if desired. Place bacon on top of cheese; follow with mixed greens and top bun. Have some extra peach and blackberry on the side to dip your burger in, if you like.

This recipe takes a little more time than a regular burger, but the end result and the smiles around the table make it worth your while!

WILD TURKEY KATSU

• One skinless, boneless wild turkey breast • Panko breadcrumbs • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten with 3 tablespoons of water • Kosher salt • 1 to 2 cups vegetable oil, depending on the size of your pan • Tonkatsu sauce, Dijon mustard, and steamed sushi rice for serving

Brine: To brine your turkey breast, fill a large bowl with 1 quart of warm water and 1/4 cup kosher salt. Stir to combine until most of the salt is dissolved. Allow mixture to cool. Add the turkey breast and let it sit in the mixture to brine for at least 15 minutes. Or you can also cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

No matter how you prepare it, wild turkey can delight your family and friends. The 2017 Llano Estacado Cinsaut and the LDC 2019 G * S * M both pair very well with the flavors in these wild turkey recipes. However, the best wine to pair with your meal is the wine you like best.

Step 1: Lightly pound the turkey breast to 1/2 inch thick and season with salt. Cut turkey into 2- to 3-inch portions. Put the flour, eggs and panko in three separate pie plates and season each one lightly with salt. Dredge one piece of turkey in the flour, tapping off the excess. Dip in the egg, allowing the excess to drip off, and then coat the turkey with the panko, pressing to help it adhere. Transfer the prepared turkey piece to a wax paper–lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining turkey.

Step 2: Add the oil to a large skillet and heat until shimmering. Add the turkey and fry over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden and crispy, 3 minutes per side. Be sure not to crowd your pieces while frying; it will make them less crispy and more apt to retain oil. Drain on paper towels.

Serve the turkey with Tonkatsu sauce, mustard and steamed rice. Tonkatsu sauce is a sweet, thick Japanese barbecue sauce. It’s available in the Asian section of most supermarkets.

Note: It is also delicious served with a Texas favorite, Fischer & Wieser’s Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce made in Fredericksburg.

WINE PAIRING FOR WILD TURKEY RECIPES

Pairing Texas wines with our native game is the perfect way to appreciate the best Texas has to offer. The featured wines for our wild turkey dishes are from Llano Estacado Winery and Lost Draw Cellars.

Llano Estacado, located on the High Plains near Lubbock, is one of the oldest wineries in Texas and produces some of the finest wines in the state. Lost Draw Cellars near Fredericksburg has been producing quality wines since 2012 and, like Llano, Lost Draw uses 100% Texas grown grapes.

While these pairing are recommendations from experienced certified sommeliers, there are no hard and fast rules, just suggestions. Most experts and wine aficionados will encourage you to drink what you like and be willing to experiment when tasting and pairing new wines and foods.

Wine doesn’t have to be pretentious…it is meant to be enjoyed. Cheers!

2017 LLANO ESTACADO CINSAUT

Texas High Plains

This pairing of Cinsaut and wild turkey allows the brightness of the fruit in this wine to play off the earthiness in the wild turkey, resulting in a fresh finish with red fruit and enhancing the savory turkey. It pairs well with the katsu, turkey burger, and the stuffed turkey breast.

It is a medium bodied red with aromas of red cherry, raspberry, ripe pomegranate, violets, and a smooth bright palate with hints of black tea and red fruits, making it a perfect before dinner sipping wine. Just be sure to save some for the main course!

LDC 2019 G * S * M Texas Hill Country

This delightful blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre grapes works well with all the wild turkey dishes, but especially the turkey burger. This light and tart wine plays off the burger’s accessories: the pecan, peach, and blackberry, and brings a delightful layer of flavor to this complex dish. For those who favor a red blend, this is a perfect fit.