Grilled Lemon Herb Wild Turkey

This is a simple recipe for Grilled Lemon Herb Wild Turkey that can be made with wild caught turkey or store bought.

As you probably know Chuck is something of a hunter, well so is his father (I’m sure this is a surprise). A few weeks ago (maybe months now- the house put me behind on posting) Poppa Chuck got himself a turkey, and was sweet enough to give us a breast. Turkey is a great protein because it’s so lean and has a mild flavor that lends itself well to many recipes, including this one.

There’s a little drawback to wild turkey that you don’t get with its store bought counterpart however. It’s tough. You see, unlike domesticated turkeys who have a small pen to wander about, plenty of food to eat, and rarely if ever have to use those breast muscles to flap their wings, wild turkeys have very well used muscles, and that it what makes them tough. It doesn’t however affect how delicious they are.

Keeping the moisture in the breast will help to reduce the toughness. I like to let the breast marinade for about 24 to 48 hours before cooking it and baste it regularly while cooking to keep it moist. Meat tenderizer is another good option, just be careful not to use too much. If you are really worried about the toughness you can always cook the turkey in the Crockpot with broth or water in addition to your spices.

For this grilled lemon herb wild turkey recipe feel free to use either store bought or wild turkey, either will work fine. For a store bought turkey however, there is no need to marinade it beyond 12 hours, 30 minutes will work quite nicely as well.

Grilled Lemon Herb Wild Turkey

1 large boneless wild turkey breast
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup dry white wine
Pinch of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic (minced)

Combine all ingredients but the turkey in a zip lock bag or sealable container and mix well.
Place the turkey in the bag and toss to coat with the mixture. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to at most 2 days, making sure to toss regularly.
Once marinated, remove from the bag and place on a medium –high preheated and greased grill. Cook for 10 minutes per side basting regularly. Juices will run clear when the meat is poked with a fork or knife in the middle.
Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving.