Beer-Can Wild Turkey

My husband turned 30 this week. He was his typical cool mellow self about it, no self-pity nor spontaneous purchasing of impractical motorized vehicles. He happens to be one of those people who only get better with age - I’m looking forward to meeting my debonair 64-year-old husband someday. I’m picturing Harrison Ford, but with Tom Brokaw’s graceful demeanor, wearing fly fishing waders.


Of course we threw a party. On the invite, I pulled a Letterman (no, not THAT kind of Letterman, ew) and made a top 10 list of reasons to come to the birthday party:

10. You like Kent and Kent likes you
9. You can DVR Grey's Anatomy
8. It's ok to be a little hungover at work on Friday morning
7. Kids are welcome - no need to hire a babysitter
6. We're eating his favorite foods - it's meat-tastic.
5. Door prizes for anyone who comes wearing something blaze orange or camo
4. Win fabulous prizes playing trivia - all about the birthday boy!
3. Yes, he knows about the party, so you can call him up and tell him how excited you are
2. You don't need to bring a darn thing - just your lovely self
1. Cake.

When you put a phrase like “meat-tastic” on a birthday invite, you gotta deliver, so the menu included barbecued ribs, jambalaya, and the piece de résistance – the beer-can wild turkey.

Wild turkey, much like venison and other game meats, is eschewed by some for tasting too “gamey” or having a dry, tough texture. Although some older animals may have tougher muscles to chew on, typically these problems arise from the cooking of the meat, not the meat itself. We like using the beer can method of cooking wild turkey because a) it keeps the meat moist and b) we get a few sophomoric giggles out of it. Maybe our guests were just being polite, but I didn’t hear a single one complain that our beer-can wild turkey was too "wild" for their taste. But then again, they were probably too busy laughing at our friend that came to the party dressed up as (ready for it?) a turkey. Hilarity.

We happen to have a beer-can holder specifically made for turkey. I know, impulse buy with extra Cabela’s points, but you can make this without the special holder. Just use the turkey legs to make a tripod of support along with the beer can, shift it around to get the weight distributed evenly and you’ll be fine – but be a good boy scout and line the bottom of the oven with foil, just in case. If you really want to impress your friends and influence people, you can do this all on the grill. Turkey costume optional.

Beer-Can Wild Turkey
This isn’t beer-can chicken – you’ll need the bigger 16 oz. beer cans for turkey.

One wild turkey, thawed
16 oz. can beer

Brine:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup black pepper

Rub:
1 Tbls brown sugar
1 Tbls paprika
1 Tbls Montreal Chicken seasoning

Mix up brine in a cooler large enough to hold turkey along with enough water to cover and soak bird in brine overnight.

When ready to cook, remove bird from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Move oven rack to lowest position, removing any other racks, and preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix up rub ingredients and rub into the skin of the bird.

Cover a heavy-duty roasting pan with foil. Open the beer and drink about 1/3 of it (don't use a full can with the bird). Push the can up the bottom end of the bird, about halfway. Set the bird upright on the pan, the can and the bird legs making a tripod. Insert meat thermometer into turkey breast. Carefully place upright bird into oven and roast until meat thermometer reads 175 degrees, remembering to test in several places of bird to ensure same minimum temp throughout. With a wild turkey, roasting will take between 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours.