Got my Turkey, Now what?

[SCcoyotehunter]

I just fileted out the breast on the two turkeys that I killed this week. I soaked in cold water for a few hours and then wiped down with olive oil and seasoned and then slow smoked on the smoker. It was tasty but tough as leather.

I have a few questions on how to prepare a bird once you got home with it.

Should I :
Filet the breast out or pluck the bird and cook it whole?

Is there anything I should do differently when preparing to cook the bird?

What is the best way to remove all the feathers if you are going to cook the bird whole?

What is your favorite way of doing things?

[KySongDog]

Now a days I usually breast out the turkey, salt and pepper, lightly brown in a skillet, then cover with mushroom soup, cover the skillet and slow simmer until nice and tender.  Just don't overcook the meat.

Before advancing age and laziness set in, I used to skin the turkey whole, and oven cook in a sealed cooking bag (get them from your grocery) to keep from drying the bird out.  Plucking is way too much work for me but gives the best result me thinks.

[msmith]

My wife is the cook and she insists on plucking them, so I obige. We boil water in pot big enough to dip most of the bird in. We dip it and hold it in the hot water for about 15 seconds then start pulling. You'll know if it wasn't in the water long enough, but you don't want it to start cooking. Once all of the feathers are off, we then use a torch or newspaper on fire and singe the hairs off. The wife, when ready to cook it, wraps it in bacon, stuffs it, and puts it in a cooking bag, then roasts it. They come out very juicy. I figger after all the time spent scouting, buying stuff, patterning the scattergun, getting up early to hunt, travel to and from the hunt, etc., what's another 30 minutes to scald and pluck. It makes the wife happy and the turkey very delicious.

Note; although, when doing them this way, they turn out tender and juicy, wild turkeys still have a "dry" flavor. I still prefer a wild turkey to a tame one. The dark meat is still not fit to eat, but is great to save and grind up with left over white meat to make wild turkey salad for sandwitches.

[alscalls]

I skin mine then my wife bakes it in a baking bag to make up for not having skin.
what we do not eat she cans it Kinda like cold pack deer meat. Very juicy and tender every time. 

[HaMeR]

I breast mine out & soak them in salt water in the fridge for about 24 hours. Then I finish pulling out the pin feathers & make slits where the stray shot punched into the breast. Diane will then crock pot one at a time with veggies.    The left overs from the breasts make great cold turkey samiches with mustard in my lunch. 

I also take the legs & shred the meat. We cook this in either cream chicken soup or BBQ sauce for samiches.

[LORDDAL]

I skin mine then my wife bakes it in a baking bag to make up for not having skin.
what we do not eat she cans it Kinda like cold pack deer meat. Very juicy and tender every time. 

yeah what he said skin em here as well though we usually dont have the left overs to can

[Bills Custom Calls]

Can't say never shot one 

[SCcoyotehunter]

Thanks guys, keep'em coming!

[FinsnFur]

wraps it in bacon, stuffs it, and puts it in a cooking bag, then roasts it.

Mannnnnnnn that sounds reeeeeeeal good. That one kinda stuck out to me.