# Wild Turkey Breast



## jerryobaby (Aug 29, 2015)

I'm planning a meal with two friends who hunt. They are each contributing a wild turkey breast to the cause. I'm planning to use the method suggested by Hank Shaw in his blog "Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook", however, when I received the frozen breasts and thawed them I noticed that one of the guys had cubed his breast into 1-2" pieces. I currently have everything brining and am fairly confident I can handle the one whole breast but would like recommendations on what to do with the one that's cubed. My initial thought is to try to stuff it into some sort of mesh bag (fibrous, non-plastic potato sack?) and just proceed as if it were whole. Any suggestions / recommendations??


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## jerryobaby (Aug 29, 2015)

Aaaaand I somehow managed to double-post this... Sorry...


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## kc5tpy (Aug 29, 2015)

Hello.  Welcome.  I see this is your first post.  Please take some time and swing over to Roll Call and introduce yourself so that we may give you a proper "Hello".  All info you can provide us with such as smoker type, location and so on will help us answer any questions you may have, and pictures help a bunch.  As for your question: 

OFF the wall and thinking out of the box: two different meals.  For the cubes:  Smoked turkey chilli.  In an aluminium disposable tray smoke the cubes.  HOT fire!  You may need a little oil.  BIG smoke!  Doesn't matter if white smoke; it won't be in there that long.  Get the flavor in.  Half cook it and then do your thing for chilli.  On the smoker or on the stove.  I don't know where you are and what you consider "chilli".  That doesn't matter.  So long as it is what you like.  I think it would work.

Option 2 would be to grind it or very finely chop it and use it in a stuffing in a chicken.  Just my ideas.  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## jerryobaby (Aug 29, 2015)

Roll Call complete!
That is exactly the kind of ideas I'm looking for! It doesn't look like the "mesh bag" idea is going to work out... all the potato and onion bags we have laying around are made from some sort of plastic. Hate to risk melting it and ruining a pile of meat. I'm REALLY liking the chili idea.


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## kc5tpy (Aug 29, 2015)

Hi Jerry.  The chilli idea sounds good to me!  Off the top of my head but now I may have to buy some turkey and give it a try.  Wild bird should be better though!  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## mowin (Aug 29, 2015)

I did a cubed WT breast yrs ago when I was much younger. I cold smoked the cubes for about a hr, may have been a little longer. Then made a cheese sauce and cooked the cubes in that sauce and served it over linguine. It was in late fall and much cooler then now.  Came out great...


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## jerryobaby (Aug 30, 2015)

Oooooo... Cheese sauce sounds good, too! We made breakfast and have lots of leftover white gravy... Oh, the possibilities...


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## jerryobaby (Aug 30, 2015)

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The whole breast is trussed on the left and the cubed pieces in a doubled stainless tray on the right. Everything was brined overnight and the cubed pieces tossed with a dry rub. They've been smoking with pecan on the Traeger for about an hour.


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## jerryobaby (Aug 30, 2015)

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We decided to go with the leftover breakfast gravy for the cubed breast pieces.  The whole breast is painted with prickly pear syrup because that's what was in the pantry.


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## mowin (Aug 30, 2015)

Looks good.  Soooo, how did everything taste??


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## b-one (Aug 30, 2015)

Those chunks could make a nice pot pie!


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## jerryobaby (Aug 30, 2015)

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Oh... MY! The trussed and smoked breast was fantastic!! But as awesome as it was, the cubed breast in the smoked gravy stole the show! It was indescribably delicious! You are correct, b-one... It would have made an amazing pot pie! My only criticism would be to, next time, cut back on the brine time for the cubed pieces. An hour or so would be plenty. It was on the edge of being too salty. The whole breast was perfectly brined, though.


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## b-one (Aug 30, 2015)

It all looks tasty nice smoke!


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## jerryobaby (Aug 30, 2015)

Thank you all for suggestions! They definitely got me thinking outside my box. The "Smoked Gravy" will become legend! It was THAT good! It was also a way to use what we had. The breast had been cubed because my friend's son breast-shot the turkey and it would have been unusable otherwise. The gravy just happened to be leftover from breakfast. Up until that point we were leaning toward the chili idea. Freakin' DELICIOUS!!


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## mowin (Aug 30, 2015)

Glad everything turned out great.  Fall turkey season is right around the corner.


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## kc5tpy (Aug 30, 2015)

Hi Jerry.  Looks GREAT!  ALL is possible.  Rip the box up!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






   I caught that "prickly pear syrup".  FINE idea!  I haven't tasted prickly pear anything in almost 30 yrs..  Syrup I never tried but jelly was some good stuff.  OLD memories.  Glad it all work out so well.  One for your recipe book!  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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