Recipe: Peanut Butter & Jellyhead Wild Turkey Sliders
by Josh Dahlke | @thehungerofficial

Tossing meat on a metal grate over hot coals is as American as apple pie or a bucket of beer. Grilling might be your go-to cooking method for many a cut of meat, but failure is almost certain for those who try to grill wild turkey breasts.

Grilling wild game is a challenging pursuit. Five degrees of heat can mean the difference between succulent meat and something more closely resembling jerky. This slider recipe makes it a lot easier to get the desired result when you get the urge to thaw out a gobbler breast and fire up your grill. And even if you still manage to screw it up, the peanut butter and jelly will still make it go down without much regret.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4-6)

1 wild turkey breast
Pepper jelly
Peanut butter
Pepper jack cheese
Small Hawaiian buns
Pineapple juice
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. minced rosemary
1/2 tbsp. ground coriander
1/2 tbsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mince garlic and rosemary.
2. Manicure turkey meat to achieve smooth texture. Remove tendons and any other undesirable parts.
3. Cut turkey meat into small steaks (approx. 4-6 inches wide)
4. Pound out steaks with a meat tenderizer until 1/2-inch thick.
5. Combine garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, coriander, and turkey meat in pineapple juice bath.
6. Mix thoroughly with hands and set aside to marinate for 2-4 hours.
7. Remove turkey meat from marinade and cook over hot charcoal grill for approx. 1 minute per side.

Melt pepper jack cheese onto sliders at end of grilling cycle.

Plate sliders on Hawaiian buns. Top with peanut butter and pepper jelly.

These grilled wild turkey sliders pair well with homemade French fries. Here’s a bonus recipe for the fries:

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4-6)

3 large Russet potatoes
Peanut oil
Salt
Smoked paprika

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Slice raw potatoes lengthwise into fries of desired thickness.
2. Soak sliced potatoes in water overnight to reduce starchiness. (This step isn’t crucial.)
3. Place potatoes in 350-degree oven until visibly dry (approx. 10 minutes).
4. Fry potatoes in hot peanut oil until golden in color.
5. Remove fries from oil and set aside.
6. Re-fry fries until golden brown and crispy.
7. Optional: Coat fries with salt and smoked paprika.

Recipe: Smoky Apple Wild Turkey Breakfast Sausage
by Josh Dahlke | @thehungerofficial

One of the best parts about spring turkey camp is regrouping with your compadres after a morning hunt to share stories and bust a gut about sunrise shenanigans. This ritual is best conducted over a hearty breakfast.

Successful turkey hunters often forget that you can run your gobbler through a grinder. Lean, flavor-rich wild turkey meat—mixed with fatty pork and the right blend of seasonings—makes for primo sausage.

This breakfast sausage recipe will become a permanent fixture in your wild turkey cookbook. Combine it with my bonus recipe for French crepes, and drown the whole show in maple syrup to induce a big round of applause in turkey camp.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 8-12)
2 pounds cubed wild turkey breast
1 pound cubed pork trim/fat
1 diced large apple
1 diced medium white onion
1 tbsp. smoked Kosher salt
1 tbsp. fresh minced sage
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cube turkey and pork.
2. Mix dry seasonings.
3. Mince fresh sage and add to dry seasoning blend.
4. Dice onion and apple. Brown in lightly oiled skillet. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
5. Assemble meat grinder. Put metal grinder components into freezer at least 1 hour before grinding; this makes for less mess and easier grinding.
6. Grind cubed turkey and pork together.
7. Add onion, apple, and seasoning blend to ground pork and turkey. Mix thoroughly by hand.
8. Run seasoned meat through grinder again. Catch finished sausage in a Ziploc bag.
9. Cool sausage in fridge overnight.
10. Form sausage into patties and cook in lightly oiled skillet over medium heat.

This wild turkey breakfast sausage goes great with fresh crepes and maple syrup. Here’s a bonus recipe for crepes:

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 6-9)
4 eggs
1/2 stick melted butter
1 cup flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup coffee liqueur
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Sift flour to remove chunks.
2. Whisk together eggs, butter, milk, and coffee liqueur.
3. Slowly whisk in sifted flour until mixture becomes consistency of heavy cream.
4. Add sugar and salt and whisk for even distribution.
5. Heat lightly oiled skillet to medium. Ladle crepe batter into pan, making sure to keep it very thin.
6. Flip crepe after approx. 20 seconds. Cook opposite side for another 15-20 seconds.
7. Remove from heat and serve with wild turkey breakfast sausage and maple syrup.