Why You Should Consider Wild Game Turkey for the Holidays

The holidays are around the corner and when thinking about what the centerpiece of your feast will be, why not consider a wild game turkey? They’re healthier than their mass-produced counterparts, have more tender dark meat, and it’s as local as you can get. Here, Sarah Bowmar, a well-known influencer in the fitness and archery industry, shares her wild turkey tips just in time for the holiday season!

A Personal Journey from Vegan to Wild Game

You may be surprised to learn that Sarah Bowmar used to be a strict vegan. It wasn’t until she met her husband, Josh Bowmar, that she ever considered eating me. Sarah was very much against the meat-packing industry and wanted to avoid the harmful and sometimes unnecessary ingredients. Josh, who has always taken an educational approach to hunting, conservation, and its sustainability, helped reframe meat in her mind and offered wild game as an option for her. Turkey season was around the corner, and Sarah learned to shoot a bow in two weeks. When Josh took her on her first trip, Sarah shot a turkey, and it was the first meat she had eaten in years.

Since then, she and Josh haven’t bought meat from the store. As such, she’s picked up a few tips on learning how to cook with wild game and avoid pitfalls when it comes to working with this type of meat. 

Benefits of Wild Game Turkey

Consumers are becoming more conscious about the food we put into our bodies and how it affects our planet. As such, the fact that commercially raised poultry has a significant impact on the environment and human health is a concern. The Science of The Total Environment reports, “Since intensive poultry farming deals with flocks of several thousand up to several hundred thousand birds gathered in one or several buildings and in close proximity, it can be a significant physical, chemical and microbial source of contamination for the surrounding environment.” Concerns have also arisen over what is put in the turkeys’ food before they are processed and how the meat is treated or preserved with antibiotics.

On the other hand, with sustainable hunting and a conservation-based approach, hunters only take what is needed and follow ethical guidelines to ensure the long-term health of a game population. Because they are hunting from the land in areas where turkeys are naturally, they assist with the population density and have peace of mind knowing their meat is a natural and sustainable food source raised without hormones or special feed. This also results in higher protein and lower fat content.

Many also consider it more humane. A common misconception is that hunters don’t love animals, but that is false. Hunters hold so much respect for wild game; Sarah states that when hunting, “You get to communicate with the animals and interact with them in ways you don’t get to otherwise.”

Prepping Wild Turkey for Cooking

The problem most have with wild game meat is its “gamey” flavor. And for those used to grocery store beef or chicken, it may take some getting used to. Sarah recommends gutting and deboning right away in order to have the best-tasting meat. This is key to preventing as much smell as you can from the animal after it is deceased. Also, remove as many of the tendons and yellow fat as you can. If you need tips on how to field dress an animal, there are countless YouTube videos like this one from Bone Collector on how to do so. 

Cooking Wild Turkey to Perfection

Wild turkeys can travel up to five miles a day, so their legs are leaner — which can translate into tough, dry meat. You can combat this with special cooking techniques, and Sarah opts to do the legs and breasts in a crock pot. The meat is extremely tender and literally falls off the leg bones. All you need is water, sea salt, and your turkey meat. In a crockpot, add thawed legs and breasts, add ¼ of sea salt, your seasonings of choice, and cover with water. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. 

Sarah shares some additional ways to add moisture back into your meat, including the following.

1. You can brine it and soak the meat overnight in 1 tablespoon of salt per quart of cold water or 1 cup of vinegar per quart of cold water. 

2. Let your turkey rest in your favorite marinade for one to two days, and you can add ingredients like red wine, garlic, onion, rosemary, or thyme. 

3. Or you can soak it in buttermilk overnight which can also reduce the gamey flavor. 

These tips and more ways to cook with turkey can be found in Sarah’s e-cookbook, “Wild Game Wild Gains,” which gives tips and tricks on cooking and preparing wild game.

With these tips, the upcoming holidays may be a great time to consider healthier, less processed forms of protein, starting with wild game turkey. Happy holiday cooking!