Buttermilk Marinated Wild Turkey With Peppery Milk Gravy Recipes

BUTTERMILK-BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine water, salt, parsley, coriander, peppercorns, mustard seeds, garlic powder, and bay leaves in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Boil until salt has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Stir in buttermilk.
• Rinse turkey in cold water. Place in a brining bag and pour buttermilk brine over the top. Refrigerate for 24 hours, turning occasionally.
• Discard the brine and rinse turkey thoroughly in cold water. Pat turkey dry with paper towels and place breast side-up in a roasting pan. Rub butter over all of the skin and let turkey sit for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cook turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 3 hours.

BUTTERMILK-BRINED ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Two to three days before you plan to cook, spatchcock the turkey: Put the turkey on a stable cutting board, breast-side down, and use heavy-duty kitchen shears to snip along both sides of the backbone to release it. You can start from the tail or neck end, whichever you prefer; just keep the blades of the scissors as close to the spine as possible. It helps to work incrementally, snipping a little on one side, then a little on the other, rather than completing one side entirely and then doing the second side without the advantage of the opposing pressure.
• After removing the backbone, remove wingtips, neck and giblets, setting them all aside for stock and gravy.
• Turn turkey over so breast faces up. Splay out its legs and press hard on breastbone until you hear the cartilage pop and the bird lies completely flat.
• Place a 2-gallon resealable bag in a large bowl, stock pot or sink. Pour buttermilk and salt in bag and stir to dissolve salt. Place turkey in bag and seal carefully, expelling out air. Double-bag the turkey as needed to prevent leakage, then squish the inner bag to distribute buttermilk all around the turkey. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for 48 hours. Turn the bag every 12 hours so that every part of the turkey gets marinated.
• Three hours before you plan to start cooking, remove the turkey from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive, discarding buttermilk. Set the turkey on a rimmed baking sheet and bring it to room temperature.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Transfer turkey, breast-side up, to another rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack or parchment paper. Tuck thighs inward.
• Place baking sheet on the prepared oven rack and roast the turkey, occasionally rotating the pan 180 degrees, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 150 degrees and the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees, about 80 to 100 minutes, depending on size. (You may want to tent the breast or other hot spots with aluminum foil, if darkening too quickly.)
• Transfer turkey to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

BUTTERMILK-MARINATED WILD TURKEY WITH PEPPERY MILK GRAVY

Steps:

• To make the turkey, wash and dry it and sprinkle with salt and pepper inside and out. Place in a large, deep roasting pan, pour the buttermilk over the top and marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning several times.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the turkey from the marinade. Drain and discard the marinade. Put the turkey in a shallow roasting pan.
• In a small bowl, combine the onion, celery, paprika, bread and 1/2 cup of sherry. Stuff the turkey with this mixture. Dip a clean cloth into the melted butter and rub the entire exterior of the turkey with it.
• Place the turkey in the oven and roast, basting with pan drippings and the remaining 1/2 cup of sherry every 15 to 20 minutes, until the juices run clear when the thigh is deeply pierced; it should cook about 20 minutes per pound. Remove the turkey and discard the stuffing. (It is not meant to be eaten.) Let the turkey sit.
• To make the gravy, pour out all but about a 1/4 cup of the drippings from the turkey pan. Over a burner set on low, add the flour to the pan and stir, making a smooth paste. Pour in 1/4 cup of milk and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble.
• Remove from the heat and very gradually stir in the remaining milk. Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Carve the turkey and serve immediately with the gravy.