Video: How to Clean and Cook Wild Turkey Legs

I love eating wild turkeys, but I confess that for many years I discarded the legs and thighs because of all the tendons and bones. The leg and thigh meat was tough, too, at least it was when I cooked it in the same manner as the breast meat.

Well, I’ve learned in the last decade that wild turkey leg and thigh meat is delicious. Does it take a little more work to prepare? Yes. Is it worth the extra effort? Yes.

You can search YouTube for “how to cook wild turkey legs” and then spend hours watching videos. To save you a bit of time, I found a simple recipe for cleaning and cooking wild turkey legs and thighs. The 9-minute video is by Jonathan “Catman” Boehme of Catman Outdoors (below).

Below, Catman shows you how to clean the legs and thighs of a wild turkey, then explains how to turn them into tasty pulled-turkey BBQ for sandwiches. Pay close attention to how the meat literally falls away from the bone after the meat is cooked properly.

P.S.: Another way to cook wild turkey legs and thighs is to quickly braise them first, then finish cooking the meat slowly with another method. Click here for an in-depth explanation of braising, as well as an outstanding recipe for Wild Turkey Leg Poutine from Josh Dahlke. (Fast-forward to the 7:15 mark of Dahlke’s 29-minute video for tips on braising.)