Wild Turkey Breasts, Drumsticks/thighs and some Lake Michigan Salmon

[WI Smoker77]

My first try at smoking wild turkey. A lot of hunters discard the legs/thighs due to the tough nature of the meat. Such a waste I decided to try to smoke them along with the breasts.
I made up a brine and injected the pieces first, then left in the brine (no pic in brine, sorry) for 12 hours.

I then rubbed them with a homemade rub, made of light brown sugar, kosher salt and spices from mix I have. Garlic, paprika, cayenne (lightly) and a few other
Heated my homemade smoker up to 185 degrees, threw on some apple wood chips and proceeded to smoke for around three hours. I used temp probes in both breasts and
one leg/thigh combo. I smoked until the temps were 153 degrees and held it there for around 10 min. I did this because of reading it would keep the wild turkey more moist and still be sufficient to eliminate any bacteria issues. It appeared it would be safe for pasteurization using the table.

They turned out very well in my opinion. Still fairly tender and very moist.
On my masterbuilt smoker I smoked some salmon pieces I had brined at the same time for 6 hours. I smoked these around 225 degrees for around 2 hours.

I was fortunate enough to have a small gathering at the house to enjoy the bounty. While making some maple syrup at the same time!!

Everyone commented they enjoyed both. Thanks for reading.

 

[DRKsmoking]

Looks great, so the wild turkey was not tough. Because of the brine you used, or process of the cook and time.
Thanks in advance
David

 

[WI Smoker77]

Maybe my 'fairly tender' is a bit too generous. It wasn't tender like a store bought one, but not as tough as most of the turkey legs I have tried others have made. I think that injecting them and brining them did the most to keep them 'more tender' than typical. And I think cooking them to 153 degrees kept them more moist, thus maybe seeming more tender.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Looks good to me! Nice job!

Ryan

 

[DRKsmoking]

Thanks that ius what i was wondering. So it is the whole thing. that would help with a tougher piece of meat. Brining, and temps and length of cook
David

 

[WI Smoker77]

Thanks that ius what i was wondering. So it is the whole thing. that would help with a tougher piece of meat. Brining, and temps and length of cook
David

I would presume so. I hope some of the more 'experienced' long time meat smokers will chime in with some answers. Far more experienced than myself a lot are and understand a lot of the processes better than myself. Thanks for asking.

 

[WI Smoker77]

Looks good to me! Nice job!

Ryan

Thank you Ryan. I'm just glad they turned out well. Now I know not to discard the legs/thighs for sure.

 

[mike243]

Soup for me with the legs/thighs , the breast gets breaded and fried like chicken after being cut across grain. Season opens here in a little over a week

 

[JLeonard]

Looks good. My brother is taking my 13yo son turkey hunting (youth season here in MS) this weekend. I told him if he kills one I'll find a way to cook it. And did I read homemade maple syrup?
Jim

 

[WI Smoker77]

Looks good. My brother is taking my 13yo son turkey hunting (youth season here in MS) this weekend. I told him if he kills one I'll find a way to cook it. And did I read homemade maple syrup?
Jim

Yes sir Syrup season around here now. Been tough cooking though, had 60 degree days last week so the run shut down for a bit, and now trees trying to bud early. Maybe a short season for me. Only a hobby for me.