Quick Question?

[Tim Fishell]

Anybody know where I can find a detailed how to on how to process a turkey?  I got my first one and have no idea what I am doing.  

Thanks,
Tim

[SL]

congrats-
I just skin the birds.
Fillet the breast off the bone and make fajitas!
Not much for meat on the rest of the bird. Least not on the rio's around here. I never have butterballed(plucked) one, but I hear some people do.
SL

[adeeden]

Tim, I'm sure someone has another technique but I usually just clip the wings off, then skin mine, then make a slit under the breast to remove the important stuff. The only downside is if you oven bake it skinned it can dry out easily, but the turkey cooking bags solve that problem.

[Tim Fishell]

SL, thanks that is what I was going to do.  I just found a really good how to on You Tube so we'll see how it goes.

[frassettor]

Do you have pics? A story??? Somethin?   Congrats

[Tim Fishell]

I do but sorry I am not allowed to post here.  All I can say is that today was the last day of my season so I did not take my bird with a bow.  I tried for 2 weeks and even missed one with my recurve but I just could not pull it all together with my bow.

[4runr]

Ain't no shame in that Tim. It's hard enough killin em with a scatter gun let alone a bow.

All I do is take the breast off them, the rest of the meat isn't worth the skining. In my opinion.

[bowdude]

If you do want the rest of the meat, drop the legs and thighs in a slow cooker with water.  Peel from the bone and freeze in soup size bags or whatever else you would make out of it.

[Ranger Rick]

Tim congrats make sure and bring pics mon. so I can see them

[Tim Fishell]

Got 'er done boys.  Much easier than I thought it would be.  Just plucked the breast feathers and cut the breasts off.  That worked great.  Thanks for all the congrats.

Rick I will for sure have pics tomorrow at work.  See you in the morning!!      

[Brute killer]

I guy I worked with brought some in that was slabbed up and fried like a (chicken fried) steak. Or was it turkey fried steak.  :confused:  
Anyhoo, it was Grrrrreat!  

[L82HUNT]

To get the brest out of a turkey there is no reason to pull a single feather.  Get a decent fillet knife.

1. While on your knees with birds feet between them.  Go to the top of the brest and feel for the breast bone. Turn knife so blade facing you, put tip of blade in bird and go up a few inches past brest.

2. While on your knees place birds head between legs, put your knife back in the slot you just cut.  Go down careful to not cut meat just cutting skin, go down past were brest ends to center of legs.

3.  After you have gone down you will be able to then cut the skin (feathers still attached) away from the breast meat. Pull skin back while cutting it away from meat.

This way is a very quick and much less feathery way to breast out ducks geese or turkey.  All these birds feathers will stay on the skin while you cut it away from the brest meat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_QsTmX7_fs&feature=related

[Tim Fishell]

For all who may be interested in the how to I found for doing this click on the link below.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhlVmE6duiQ

[BobW]

Good for you Tim.  I still too need the higher odds with a bang stick, but some day an arrow from my bow will take one.

As some have said, the legs and thighs make an excellent soup.  I use a slow cooker to make a turkey posole (hominy corn) soup that is just excellent.

Enjoy, and congrads!

[COOCH]

Breast it out get some cajun injecter maranade (creole butter is my favorite on turkey)season it liberally w/a dry rub. Toss it on a hot grill  and enjoy. It cooks much faster than chicken I would recommend you get a can of your favorite beverage and babysit the grill.Invite some friends and you will be there new hero.

[swampjoe]

Happened to me too a couple of weeks back Tim, but I wasn't smart enough to go to a computer and ask for help.  Biggest bird I ever hunted was a grouse.  I can say with complete authority that cleaning grouse has pretty much nothing to do with cleaning turkeys.

So I plucked him dry - and my shoulders hurt for three days afterwards, lol.  And man, how about that cavity?  I'm gonna need five loaves of bread to stuff that sucker!  Good times, turkeys are fun .....