Fried Turkey Wings

If you don't know by now, I'm obsessed with turkey hunting. But the time invested in trying to kill one starts to add up quickly, and despite the size of the bird, the “hours per ounce cost” starts looking pretty steep.

Needless to say, every usable bit of every turkey I kill gets saved, including the wings. Plucking the wings is kind of a pain, but you don't need to be too exact to get a decent amount of meat off these things. I pluck all the feathers I can by hand and cut the skin off where I can't pull feathers.

Unlike their caged, domestic counterparts, wild turkeys fly, which makes their wings much tougher. You absolutely have to tenderize the muscles before frying them. We do this by simply braising them. Once braised, we double dredge and deep fry them. They come out of the fryer like super-sized chicken wings, which is pretty awesome.

Fried Turkey Wings

Cook time: 3 hours

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

4-8 turkey wings, flats detached from drumettes, skin on

2-3 bay leaves

1 tbsp whole black peppercorn

2 eggs

¾ cup milk

Flour

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F

Season wings generously with salt and allow to sit in the fridge for an hour or so. Place wings in dutch oven with bay leaves and peppercorn, and cover with water or stock. Cover with lid and place in the middle of the oven for ~3 hours. The flats will get tender quicker than the drumettes. You want them tender but not falling off the bone.

Strain wings and allow to cool.

Combine egg and milk and whisk with fork until blended to form your egg wash. Dredge wings in flour, then into the egg wash, then back into the flour. Repeat until all wings are coated. Deep fry at 350F until golden brown. The wings are fully cooked, so you just want to cook long enough to cook the flour.

Allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate or wire rack. Serve with hot sauce.

---