How to Freeze Wild Turkey (5 Steps Guide)

On a Sunday morning, your friend invited you to a hunting event and you hunted a couple of wild turkeys. Now, you have field dressed them and took back to your house. After returning home, you are planning to store them in the freezer.

For freezing the wild turkey, you will need to prepare it and packet the meat properly. Otherwise, in the future, the meat won’t be eatable. That’s why the freezing should be done properly.

In this article, we have shared the necessary steps that you will need to follow for freezing a wild turkey. Let’s grab a knife and prepare the wild turkey together.

Steps for Freezing a Wild Turkey

You can freeze a whole turkey or you can cut it into pieces to store them in smaller packets. According to the hunters, it’s better to store it in pieces. Here we have shared the steps that will help you to prepare your wild turkey properly for freezing.

Step 1: Pluck and Clean Turkey

First, you will need to take out the feathers, and skin of the turkey. Take the feathers out. After that, you will need to pill out the skin of it. To do so, first, cut off the wings at the elbow joint. Now, cut off the neck. Now, pull the skin from the tail end toward the head and the skin will come off.

After that, clean the turkey with cold water properly. Rinse the inside and outside of it.

Step 2: Cut Turkey into Pieces for Packaging

After cleaning the turkey, now you will need to cut the turkey into pieces. It will help you to store the meat in an efficient way. Separate the leg and breast pieces, wings, and the other portions of the turkey.

Step 3: Dry the Turkey Meat 

Before packaging the meat, you will need to dry it to remove the excess moisture. If you don’t remove the extra moisture then it can cause freezer burn. And as a result, when you will cook it, you won’t get proper flavor and texture from the meat.

Use a paper towel and tap the turkey.

Step 4: Wrap the Turkey Pieces

Now, the meat or the pieces are ready for wrapping up. Put them inside the plastic wrap or you can use heavy-duty aluminum foil for packing the meat. After packing, make sure you wrap it tightly.

We will suggest that you should use a food vacuum sealer, it will help to remove all of the air from the plastic wrap. By doing this, the mean will be frozen in the best way as well as it will reduce the chances of freezer burn. 

On an important note, if you are willing to freeze the heart and liver of the turkey, then pack it in a different wrapper.

Step 5: Store the Packages in the Freezer

By now we have prepared the wild turkey for freezing. One last work you will need to do is, to take a marker to provide a label and date to identify the packages in the future.

Lastly, place the bags inside the freezer and freeze them for up to 12 months. Also, don’t forget to place the bag of the liver and heart on the ice.

Bonus Step

If you are willing to store a whole turkey then you will need to use two large freezer bags. So, take a large freezer bag and put the whole turkey inside of it. Next, cover it with another freezer bag, vacuum it, wrap it tightly, and place it inside the freezer.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (FAQs)

How long can I freeze a wild turkey?

There is no time barrier for freezing a wild turkey. But if you want to have the best meat then you should not freeze it for more than 1 year.

What temperature should keep for freezing a turkey for immediate use?

If you want to freeze the turkey for a short time, then set the temperature of your freezer to 4 degrees Celsius or less.

Can I freeze a turkey right after butchering?

No, you can’t. You will need to wait till the body temperature decreases. If you forcefully freeze it, it will lose its texture and quality.

Conclusion

To conclude, always be after hunting a wild turkey, they must be field dressed. And for cleaning, always use a paper towel. Using water can contaminate the meat. Store them in the ice box and then get back from the field to your home. Follow the aforementioned steps and start freezing the delicious wild turkey meat.