Creek-Side Roasted Whole Wild Turkey
You're going to need some stones for this one.The roasted turkey is iconic. With golden crisp skin and any style of side, you've instantly created an experience that is memorable. But, the team at HighTail always like to take it one step further, one step toward adventure and the wild outdoors. This recipe is designed to produce a memory that will last longer than that time your Grandma dropped the cranberries on the dogs head.Your hunt is the topic of conversation at the table. Remember it in detail, take the time to express the fine details of the experience as you share the incredible bird together. But this time, instead of sitting around a large table with the football game on in the background, you're going to be in the wild, near the spot you got your bird, beside a river or creek with the trees towering over you.You're going to build a fire pit, with an oven on top, made out of rocks and stones found in the wilderness. It's not rocket-science, you know how to do it, it's in your bones... a gift from your ancient ancestors. It's not meant to be perfect, it's not meant to take a short amount of time. It's meant to bring people together, to share the wilderness and taste the adventure.Some key ingredients needed here are olive oil or butter for basting, whichever you find easiest to pack (we would recommend the oil). Nevertheless, the other ingredients are up to you, we are going to recommend that you fill the cavity with sage, cut-oranges, parsley, thyme, quartered onion, carrots, celery stalk, and rosemary. Buckle in, you're in for a memory.
Equipment
- 1 Large Roasting Pan
- 1 Bush Knife
- 1 Pack of Waterproof Matches
- 1 Newspaper
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Wild Turkey (Cleaned with Innards and Neck Removed)
- 2 Pounds Baby Carrots
- 6-8 Potatoes (sliced into quarters)
- 2 Apples
- 6-8 Oranges
- 2 Cups Clean Water
- 2 Onions (sliced into quarters)
- 1 Tsp Pepper
- 1 Tsp Salt
Instructions
Build your Outdoor Oven
- Using fist size (or larger) stones, build a rectangular firepit about the height of a basketball, wide enough to put your roasting pan inside sideways, and long enough to access and continuously build the fire up
- Find 2 large flat stones roughly the same size (about the thickness of a baseball that is large enough to cover the back half of your firepit)
- Place 1 of the large flat stones over the backside of your fire pit
- Using fist size (or larger) stones, build up the sides and back of your oven, on top of the flat stone you've just placed (high enough and wide enough to place your roasting pan and turkey inside)
- Place the remaining large flat stone on the top of the walls of the oven you've just created
- Find a large flat stone to use for the door of your oven, large enough to cover the front opening of your oven
- Gather small sticks, and start a small fire underneath the oven, using your matches and newspaper
- Gather a large pile of large sticks and pile these near your fire (you're going to need them to keep the oven hot for the next several hours)
- Using the large sticks, build up the fire to get your oven nice and hot while you prepare the Turkey
Prepare your Wild Turkey for Roasting
- Put the turkey inside the roasting pan
- Place some sliced apples in the turkey
- Pile the onions, potatoes and carrots around the Turkey
- Immerse the vegetables in water
- Squeeze several oranges over the top of the Turkey to immerse the skin in juice
- Rub the pepper and salt over the Turkey
Roast your Turkey
- Place your roasting pan inside your field oven, and cover with the roasting pan lid
- Place your oven door stone across the opening of the oven
- Roast your Turkey inside the oven for 3.5 to 4 hours
- Baste ever hour or so
- Serve and enjoy the taste of your adventure
