Best Dressed Bird

WOW! You got em now what do ya do with em? Well you field dress em. Just like any animal taken in the field turkeys should be field-dressed as soon as possible, especially if its a warm day. Lay Mr. Tom on his back and pluck the feathers from beneath the bottom of his breastbone. Make a cut horizontally just beneath the lower point of the breastbone. Reach into the body cavity and remove the innards. Have you ever field dressed a squirrel? Well get ready because a turkey smells worse! Rinse the cavity with cool water and you are ready to take him home. After I get em home its time to skin em. Yep I said skin em! Its pretty simple, you just pull the skin, feathers and all off much like skinning a deer. The only time I don't skin my bird is if he is scheduled to show up at dinner stuffed. Plucking is a real pain but it's the best way to prepare him for a stuffed turkey dinner. Hang the bird up and carefully pluck the breast, side, and back and leg feathers. This will take some time so be patient. When you cook a bird with his pajamas still on the skin will hold in the juices and that is what keeps the meat moist. You will have to use tweezers to remove some of the small pinfeathers. After plucking or skinning, remove the head, wings and lower legs leaving the drumsticks still on the bird. Cut or pull away the crop, the thin pouch on the upper breast. Wash the bird in cold water. Oh yea also look for shot pellets and remove them. At this point I turn em over to my wife and she does the cooking. It's not a macho thing, it's just that I can't boil water without burning it, but I can shoot the pot.

Good Luck!

Robert Willis

AZOD