Wild Game Blog

It’s becoming a Spring Time McGannon family tradition- to venture into the forests in search of the cunning wild turkeys of Northern California. After our success last year going three for three I thought we might be up for a correction year. I tried to explain to my oldest boy, Taylor (12) that we shouldn’t expect to have this type of track record every year. I told him that many of our friends didn’t even see a bird when they went hunting after many years of pursuing these elusive birds. I tried to explain to him that hunting isn’t about bagging a bird or buck every time out. Just being out in the wild together and enjoying each other’s company and sharing those experiences was more important than filling our tags.

After running around all day Saturday (opening day) with Little League obligations we headed for the hills. Arriving at our location around 10.30 PM, we quickly set up camp in the back of the truck. 5.00 AM arrived very soon and we were packing our gear and loaded up on our mountain bikes for a two mile ride into the darkness. Once at our area we spent the morning chasing the gobbles and yelps of a fair number of turkeys. Unfortunately we weren’t able to connect. So around 9.30 AM we decided to head up to the top of a ridge line and see if we could get a frustrated gobbler to disclose his location.

About a mile or so up the hill I got a response to my call. He was about 400 yards away so we quickly moved forward to get to within a good calling range. As we came over the top I got another answer to a series of chirps and they were very close. I had Taylor move in front of me to get by a group of bushes. As I looked up at him I noticed he was frozen in his tracks while looking down the hill. He whispered to me that they were staring right at him. He remained still as they scampered off and we let them settle down for a while then moved up the hill to the top and in the direction they were walking. I set up my decoys on the top and had Taylor sit under a tree about 30 yards up the hill. We guessed the turkeys would be on the side hill below the decoys and I went to the opposite side of the hill and started calling. The position was critical because instead of me sitting next to this fidgety 12-year-old kid attracting attention to his movements they were focused on the calls I was making on the other side of the hill. I got a hen to answer to my calls, which attracted the attention of the big tom. Then once this big tom saw my decoy Jake he went nuts. He started to puff up and strut, coming directly at the decoys ready to kick some ass. Instead of an ass kicking he felt the blast coming out of Taylor’s 20 Gauge. After he nailed the big guy (which we named T-Rex) we walked up to look at him and I looked down the hill and saw five Jakes standing there looking at their fallen warrior. So, I grabbed Taylor’s gun and rolled one of them. Two for Two not bad after a three for three showing last year! (On public land no less). Good job California with your turkey program!

Taylor’s big guy weighted in at around 22 lbs., with a ten inch beard AND a leg band from the California Fish and Game. We’ll be looking forward to getting the facts about this large Rio Grande from Northern California!

OK WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS BIG TURKEY?

WILD TURKEY Blanquette with Wild Mushrooms

Boning Out a Wild Turkey

1. Properly clean and dry your Wild Turkey.
2. Place on a stable cutting board with the head facing away from you.
3. Grab the legs, with a slight amount of pressure spread them away from the opening that was used to remove the innards.
4. Using a very sharp boning knife, starting from the tailbone, make a cut up towards the leg bone.
5. When you get to the leg bone cut through the leg joint and lift the rest of the meat from the carcass. This will remove the famous oyster (a prized, flavorful piece of meat located just above the hip of the animal).
6. Do the same for the other side.
7. To remove the breasts, place your knife right next to the breast bone and make a cut all the way down to the rib cage. Keep your knife as close to the breastbone as possible.
8. Do the same on the other side of the breastbone.
9. Gently pull the meat away from the bones while cutting as close to the ribs as possible.
10. Continue until the entire breast is removed from the carcass.
11. Repeat for the other side.
12. Trim all the fat from the carcass and chop into small pieces, to be used to make a wonderful Wild Turkey stock.
13. You’re now ready to cook or freeze your Wild Turkey!

THIS TECHNIQUE CAN BE APPLIED TO ALL BIRDS!

WILD TURKEY BLANQUETTE*

2–3 lbs. Wild Turkey, breast meat cut into 1-inch cubes**

**Brined in 2 cups of lemon garlic and sage brine from the recipe in “The Answer to a Moist Tender TURKEY” overnight
1/2 cup flour
2 oz. olive oil

1 1/2 cups celery, cut diagonally
1 1/2 cups onions, cut into med. dice
1/2 tsp. freshly minced garlic
1 qt. diced fresh wild mushrooms, such as shiitake, crimini. Chanterelle, porcini, morels etc. Dried mushroom can also be used after being rehydrated
2 oz. brandy
2 cups chardonnay or other good quality dry wine
3 to 4 cups of stock (or water) see recipe in “WILD GAME COOKING SEMINARS By Chef John McGannon get attention @ ISE Show in San Mateo, CA “

1 Bay leaf
2 cups heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste

garnish – scallions, parsley, sweet peas, etc.

** Blanquette- the French term for a “white sauced” items that is braised in the sauce. Generally done with white fleshed meats and or fish.

Remove the turkey from the brine and dry with a paper towel. Toss in a bowl with the flour and shake excess flour off. Heat the olive oil in a heavy gauge braising pot and place the meat in the pot. Seal them in the hot oil until lightly golden, (do not brown) remove and continue until all the meat is seared. Do this in small batches. When finished reserve on the side.

In the same pot add the garlic, lightly sauté to develop the perfume. Add the rest of the vegetables, except the mushrooms and sauté for a minute. Flame with the brandy and add the wine. Simmer for a minute to reduce the wine then add the stock and mix until smooth. This will ensure that you don’t have any lumps. Bring to a boil and remove the scum from the sauce on a continual basis. Turn the fire down and add the meat, simmer for appr. 15 minutes, or until the turkey is just barely done. You will need to check as the cooking process progresses. The most important thing is not to allow the sauce to boil at a rapid rate, the slower the better. This will yield a very tender moist final product.

When the turkey is done, remove from the heat. In a separate sauté pan sauté the mushroom in a little butter and add to the sauce. Add the cream and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. When ready to serve add the turkey and just bring to serving hot. You don’t want to continue to boil the sauce, as it will make the turkey tough. Adjust the seasoning and add the final garnish.

**** This, as with all other compound flavored items will actually be better the next day. This cooking technique can be applied to any white meat item, chicken, pheasant, chukkar, quail, pork or rabbit. If you choose to do the preparations the day before, it’s best if you leave the final two stages, for the day it will be served. Instead of adding mushrooms use this as a base for creating your own combination of garnishes – mustard with dried fruit – sun-dried tomatoes with fresh garden herbs – curry and snow peas – green chiles and cilantro, basil or mint

Served with rice or noodles and some fresh crusty bread….ENJOY

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 5th, 2007 at 1:05 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.