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Wild Game Cuisine

Golden Feast

Celebrate NWTF’s golden anniversary with a wild meal befitting of America’s greatest game bird.

Jeremiah Doughty •April 13, 20234 min read

The NWTF is celebrating its 50-year history, a golden anniversary, and with every celebration, one must have amazing foods and cold drinks.

I wanted to take you from coast to coast on a golden culinary journey since the NWTF spans every state in the U.S.

We’ll start in the state where the NWTF headquarters resides, featuring an amazing Golden Fried Turkey Sandwich in a tangy Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce. Mustard-style BBQ is exclusive to South Carolina, and many would argue it’s the state’s unofficial BBQ sauce. This mustard base sauce dates to the 1700s when German immigrants brought their love of mustard and pork to the states, which in turn resulted in a tangy and darn-right tasty BBQ sauce. I decided to take my stab at a homemade version of this masterpiece in sauce and paired it with golden fried turkey cutlets, slaw and homemade pickles. This easy meal did not disappoint and truly is meant for a golden celebration.

Heading to my home on the opposite end of the country, come with me to the Golden State, California. We are known as the Golden State for our sunshine, beaches and, of course, our Gold Rush. Back in the mid 1800s, thousands flocked to California in hopes of striking it rich. Many folks who happened to dig, dredge or pan gold became instantly wealthy ― and with that, expensive, yet simple, meals became popular. One of these dishes is called the Hangtown Fry.

The dish came to prominence in Placerville, California, then known as Hangtown. According to most accounts, the dish was invented when a prospector struck it rich and headed to the Cary House Hotel, where he demanded the most expensive dish the kitchen could provide. The most expensive ingredients available were eggs, which were delicate and carefully brought to town; bacon, shipped from the East Coast; and oysters, which had to be brought in from San Francisco on ice well over 100 miles away.

This “fancy” meal became known as the Hangtown Fry and is still served in many parts of central and northern California. When we hunt turkey in Placerville, we still get this breakfast, which is much cheaper these days.

In the original recipe, fried oysters were requested, but since we’re celebrating the NWTF, I decided to do my wild twist on it and use turkey oysters. The oysters on the turkey can be found on the back side of the bird just above the thighs. This small chunk of meat is the most tender and flavorful piece of any bird. I cut out a few from my California turkeys shot just miles from where this recipe originated, and I bring you the Hangtown Fry with turkey oysters.

No party is complete without a refreshing cold beverage, so keeping with our theme of the golden 50th, I bring you the Gold Rush, a delicious bourbon and honey cocktail with a splash of lemon, using California wildflower honey and a Carolina bourbon for a coast-to-coast concoction.

Now for a toast, to good food, good friends, cold drinks and 50 more years of conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage.

Gold Rush Cocktail

Photo Credit: Jeremiah Doughty.
Photo Credit: Jeremiah Doughty.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces bourbon
  • ¾ ounces fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ ounces honey syrup (Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup honey in small saucepan over medium heat until honey is dissolved. Cool before serving; syrup will keep in fridge for five days.)
  • Ice
  • Lemon twist

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients into shaker filled with ice.
  2. Shake until chilled, 10-15 seconds.
  3. Dip glass into honey and then raw sugar, add ice.
  4. Strain into ice filled glass.
  5. Add a lemon twist and sip.

Golden Fried Turkey Sandwich with Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce

Photo Credit: Jeremiah Doughty.
Photo Credit: Jeremiah Doughty.

Ingredients:

  • Mayo
  • Pickles

Fried turkey:

  • 1 pound turkey cutlets or breasts, sliced thin
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 3 tablespoons baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Slaw:

  • 2 cups slaw mix
  • ¼ cup BBQ sauce
  • ¼ cup mayo

Carolina BBQ Sauce:

  • 1 cup yellow mustard
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup cold water
  • 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1½ tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1½ teaspoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

BBQ Sauce:

  1. In a sauce pot, combine all ingredients minus soy and butter. Simmer on low for 20 minutes, stir often.
  2. Add butter, smoke and soy sauce, cook down for 10 minutes on low.
  3. Remove from heat and let mixture cool for 15 minutes or more.
  4. Your sauce is ready to be used or stored in the fridge for later use.

Slaw Mix:

Combine slaw, BBQ sauce and mayo in bowl and mix until fully coated, and set aside.

Fried Turkey:

  1. Preheat oil to 350-375 degrees.
  2. Take your turkey meat and pound it between two pieces of parchment paper until ¼-inch thickness.
  3. Get two bowls out; in one, combine all dry ingredients and mix; in the other, combine all wet ingredients.
  4. Starting with the wet, dip your turkey, followed by the dry and repeat, wet, dry. Shake off any excess flour and add to oil.
  5. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side or until crispy and cooked through; set aside to drain.
  6. Assemble your Sandwich. Take the bottom bun, add mayo and pickles, add your fried turkey followed by slaw and Carolina BBQ sauce.
  7. Serve with a side of golden fries and enjoy.

Hangtown Fry with Turkey Oysters

  • 2-4 turkey oysters (or ½-pound cubed breast meat)
  • 3 whole eggs
  • 4 strips bacon, cooked
  • 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
  • ¼ cup shredded cheddar

For Fry:

  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup dill pickle juice
  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup milk
  • Oil to fry

Instructions

Turkey Oysters

  1. Place turkey oysters in a zipper bag along with pickle juice, place bag in fridge and let marinate for at least 4 hours.
  2. Remove from fridge and discard pickle juice.
  3. In large bowl, add milk and eggs, whisk until combined, add turkey to mixture and coat.
  4. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
  5. Mix all dry ingredients, remove turkey from milk and egg mixture. Toss the turkey into mixture and coat. Add to oil and fry 3-4 minutes until cooked and crispy.
  6. Remove from oil and allow to drain.

For Scramble:

  1. In skillet, add butter or cooking spray.
  2. Crack eggs and whisk lightly to combine yolks and whites, season with pepper.
  3. Cook without scrambling until sides set, flip or turn egg to make an omelet.
  4. Top with oysters, bacon and cheddar cheese, serve immediately
Filed Under:
  • Field to Fork
  • Healthy Harvests
  • Hunting Heritage