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Gobble… gobble! Nope, it’s not Thanksgiving. It’s turkey season! Yesterday, our middle son bagged a big 24 pound gobbler, his first bird- we are so proud!

It is common for hunters to remove the breast meat from a wild turkey and turn the legs/wings into dog food or toss it to the coyotes. Before you get worked up about it, understand that wild turkey is TOUGH and the legs have an insane amount of tendons that make de-boning a frustrating pain in the neck. It really can be more of a hassle then it is worth.

[ultimate-recipe-jump]

Since my recent attempt at canning chicken was such a success, we decided canning this turkey would be a great route.

After Mike and William cleaned the bird, I remembered how difficult it would be to de-bone the legs/thighs/wings (they wouldn’t fit in a canning jar whole) but it was so much meat, I hated to let it go to waste. (It ended up being nearly 4 pounds of meat!)

What about pressure cooking the legs and wings? It was one of those “DUH! Why haven’t we done this before?” moments.

Figured it was worth a shot so I found a recipe and loaded up the pressure canner (yes, I’m one of the few who does not own an electric pressure cooker).

Let me tell you… this turkey wasn’t good. It was AMAZING. Honestly some of the best tasting meat I have had! (Don’t take that the wrong way ;)) It is so easy to throw together and makes a delicious gravy while it cooks.

After it is done cooking, the meat is so tender it literally falls off the bone. This makes removing the tendons a piece of cake. Serve with potatoes and the gravy- talk about comfort food!

Never again will we toss the leg meat of wild fowl- pressure cooking is the way to go! Next time I may replace some of the water with some white wine or chicken broth!

This recipe includes directions for both electric and stove-top pressure cookers/canners.

Good luck and safe hunting to everyone!

Pressure Cooked Wild Turkey

Don't toss those wild turkey legs! This easy recipe will turn tough, tendon-filled turkey legs and wings into a tender and delicious meal! Stove top and electric pressure cooker instructions included.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Main Dish

Servings 10

Ingredients

  

• 4 tablespoons butter 1/2 stick
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1/4 cup flour of choice
• 6 cloves garlic whole (2 tablespoons)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 3 cups water
• wild turkey legs/thighs/wings

Instructions

 

• Add all ingredients except meat to pressure cooker/canner. Mix together. *If you are using an electric pressure cooker (InstaPot etc), you may need to omit the flour and add it after cooking- be sure to check your manual*
• Add meat. Legs may have to be removed from the thigh to make them fit.
• Bring pressure canner up to 15 pounds of pressure and cook for 90 minutes. If using a pressure canner, do not start the timer until it is up to pressure.
• After time is up, let it naturally release and come down to 0 before opening the canner.
• Remove bones and tendons from the meat. Serve with gravy over potatoes/rice/quinoa if desired.

Notes

If using an electric pressure canner, be sure to check your user manual to see if you can add thickening agents during cooking. Some require you to wait and thicken the gravy after cooking.

Thank you for stopping by the homestead!

Until next time,
Melissa

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