Today I’ll continue to build my case for why you should never ditch the legs from your wild turkeys. Last week I convinced you by sharing this dynamite dinner recipe for wild turkey fajita burgers that use leg meat, but now let’s consider a lunchtime option: cold wild turkey salad sandwiches.
Ingredients (serves 4)
2 male wild turkey legs (thighs and drumsticks)
2 cups of mayonnaise
1 small diced red onion
2 diced celery stalks
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup diced grapes
1 large tomato
Romaine lettuce
1 cup vegetable or peanut oil
1 12-ounce dark beer
8 slices of bread or 4 hamburger buns
1 block of your favorite cheese
Putting It All Together
Braising is one of the best ways to prepare meat for sandwiches—sliced, pulled or, in this case, chopped. Add oil to a cast-iron Dutch oven and heat to medium-high. Brown each side of the wild turkey leg meat (should take only a minute per side). Your oven should already be pre-heated to 200-250 degrees (use a higher temp if you have less time to spare). Add beer to the Dutch oven. Cover and cook for 3-5 hours; lower and slower is always better. Remove meat and let cool.
Bring the meat to a cutting board while it’s still warm. Pull it off the bones and remove all undesirables (tendons, etc.). Use a chef’s knife or cleaver to chop the delicious dark meat into the consistency of your liking.
Mix the meat with all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Put the bowl in the fridge to let all the elements mingle for an hour or so.
Pile your fresh wild turkey salad liberally onto fresh bread. Top with sliced tomato and lettuce. Pair it with some sliced cheese on the side. Bring it to work in a brown paper bag and make all the big kids jealous in the lunchroom.