By Blake Carter and Drew Greene
Hello Effingham County! If you are like me, Thanksgiving is one of your favorite times of year. It is the one time a year where you can stuff your face, and your stomach beyond capacity and no one bats an eye.
Football is at its peak and it is one of the most beautiful times of year. Here in Georgia it is the only time of year to hunt the smart, ever-elusive Eastern Wild Turkey. Starting your preparation now can help you get a jump on one or two big gobblers come spring.
The Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey
As turkey makes or breaks Thanksgiving, it is no secret that being in charge of preparing the turkey is a stressful job met with high stakes. Whether you are smoking, frying, spatchcocking, or using one of the many other cooking methods for your turkey, here are some tips and recipes to help alleviate some of that stress.
First things first, all turkey MUST be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. You should measure doneness with a food thermometer, on multiple of the thickest parts of the turkey including innermost breast, thigh, and wing.
Foodborne illnesses are more common than you may think with an estimated 48 million cases a year. One of the easiest ways for you to prevent them is by cooking all meat to its safe internal temperature.
Another bad thing you can do is wash your turkey. Washing your meat is extremely dangerous. Washing your meat does not clean it at all, and in fact spreads bacteria around your kitchen and onto other foods. Any surface-borne bacteria will be killed during the cooking process. If your turkey is frozen, thaw it in the fridge, in its original wrapper, in a container large enough to catch any drips.
The USDA recommends 24 hours of thawing for every four to five pounds of weight. A 15-lb. turkey should be moved from the freezer to the refrigerator three days before cooking.
This allows the turkey to thaw evenly while keeping it out of the temperature danger zone which is anywhere between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Since turkey is so large, different parts of it will thaw at different rates. This means that it is imperative that no part is allowed to reach the temperature danger zone, and the best way to control this is by thawing it in the fridge. Also, make sure to keep all surfaces and utensils used to prepare the turkey for cooking clean before and after preparing the turkey to help prevent further spread of bacteria.
Before cooking, allow the bird to sit out for an hour allowing it to come to room temperature to allow more even cooking. The USDA does not recommend stuffing your turkey although if you do, ensure that it is stuffed loosely and that the center of the stuffing, along with the turkey, reaches at least 165 degrees internally.
Now when it comes to cooking a turkey, there are so many ways to do it. Whether you smoke it, fry it, or any of the many other ways to do it, I would recommend brining your turkey every time.
Brining is when you soak your meat in a salt water mixture Brining is best done overnight, the day before you plan on cooking the meat. Brining allows for great flavor infusion and moisture retention, so make sure to add any flavor you want to your brine. Brining also acts as a great way to tenderize the meat helping with those tougher cuts.
Here are some of my favorite recipes for cooking turkey.
Smoked
https://howtobbqright.com/2020/11/25/bbq-smoked-turkey-recipe/
Fried
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/deep-fried-turkey-recipe-1952235
Roasted
https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11883/roasted-thanksgiving-turkey/
Prepare for Turkey Season Early
In Georgia, we don’t have a fall turkey season like most other states. This is due to population restoration efforts started in 1973 when there were only an estimated 17,000 wild birds – thus eliminating the fall season. This means we must allocate all of our effort into hunting that gobbler in spring.
Although we may not be able to hunt that gobbler in the fall, there are things we can do in the fall to help better prepare us for spring. Scouting is the name of the game in turkey hunting and starting now will help you find the best spot to sit come opening day. Doing some scouting during the fall will help you develop a better pattern for the spring, but be sure not to stick around too long after sunrise and spook any turkeys off your property.
In the mornings listen for turkeys to come off of their roosting spots and search for scraps in the dirt, tracks, scat, and feathers along tree lines and roads. In the evenings you can find where birds are roosting by just sitting and waiting for them to roost, listening for the flap of their feathers and the soft clucks and purrs they give off.
If you find out where a few gobblers are roosting, you have a pretty good chance of sitting near their opening morning and harvesting one early.
You can also ensure your gear and your calling are up to standard. Pattern your shotgun and make sure all of your gear is in good shape and still fits after that Thanksgiving feast. Practice your calling as well to ensure when it's time to get in the woods you’ll sound just like that irresistible hen.
One last thing to do, if you’re hunting private land, is to get a food plot started. Food plots are usually associated with fall time deer hunting, but they can be extremely effective for turkeys in the spring, too. A low carpet food plot made with something like clover provides a great area for hens to eat an abundance of vegetation along with the insects and bugs it attracts. Food plots allow a great place for a hen to nest. Inevitably this will attract those big gobblers into your food plot as well providing the perfect dance floor for them to strut their stuff.
Joke of the Week: What is a turkey’s favorite dessert? Peach gobbler!
If you have any questions, suggestions, or want further information, please give me a call at 912-754-8040, or stop by the Effingham County Extension Office, 601 N. Laurel Street, Springfield.
Blake Carter is an ANR Agent for UGA Extension. Drew Greene is a work-based learning student from Effingham County High School.
