A couple of ways we like it:

1. Fried Strips or Nuggets - soak in buttermilk or pickle juice (try the pickle juice - its good!) for a day or so, dredge in seasoned flour, and drop in some hot grease.

2) Strips pounded thin with a meat mallet and pan fried like cube steak or spread cream cheese and jalapeno on them, roll them up, wrap in bacon, and grill.

3) Legs and thighs - boil in seasoned water, pull meat from bone and run through food processor, mix in mayo, celery, etc. for turkey salad.

Blum, are you slicing or cutting the breast prior to grilling or grilling it whole? If you're grilling it whole, how do you keep the skinny end from cooking more than the fat end? Every piece I've tried, the skinny end was dried out by the time the thick end reached 160 in the center.

Yelp, sorry it took so long to get back to you on this, i forgot about this thread. First, i brine mine overnight. This adds moisture and seasoning. Then i either inject it or let it soak for a few hours in my creole sauce. I put it on whole and leave the small end off the coals. I never check mine for temp, just tap it with my fingers until i know its done and its never been dry. Juices run out when you cut it.

This was pretty good!

Has anyone ever tried smoking the dark meat?

I cannot imagine it'd come close to anything resembling good. Most meats that are smoked have high fat contents and the slow cooking helps melt those fats away and leaves the meat moist and tender. A turkey leg and thigh is just about pure muscle with little or no fat. If you smoke a wild turkey leg, I bet you'll need the jaw muscles of an alligator to chew it.

Fried is my favorite but momma does make a mean wild turkey pot pie every now and again.