Jake's Jake Recipe

By Ian Burrow

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An Eastern Jake lays a few yards from the decoy “Ol’ Henrietta.”

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What’s your favorite way to cook this?”

I asked my brother in law, Jake, as I began to cut out the breast from my turkey. To date, my only exposure to turkey meat had been via Thanksgiving dinners and lunch sandwiches. This was my first turkey harvest and I was surprised to discover how tender the meat was - and how much meat there was. My turkey was a little over 17lbs total. Just one breast and tenderloin was plenty, with a lunch of leftovers, for dinner for my wife and me.

I’ll admit the presentation falls a little short here but the flavor, and just how tender the final product was, won’t disappoint even the most picky eaters - even those picky eaters that are wary of wild game dishes.

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The Components

My brother in law, Jake, and I posing with my first turkey. He made the whole hunt possible and shared this recipe with me.

1 x Turkey Breast and Tenderloin

2 x cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 x Egg

12oz of Milk

5oz of Bread Crumbs

6oz of Olive Oil

3 oz of Sriracha

1 Tablespoon of Steak Seasoning

1/2 Teaspoon of Garlic

1/2 Teaspoon of Onion Powder

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By the Numbers

1. Prepare the Meat

   1. Brine

   2. Look for two large tendons, one in the breast and one in the tenderloin, and make sure to cut those out

   3. Slice the meat into strips (I ended up slicing about 2-3” x 5-6” strips, but it’s dealer’s choice, they just need to be manageable and able to fit in your pan and oven dish

2. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F

3. Mix the soup, garlic powder, garlic, and milk in a bowl

4. Bread and Brown the Meat

   1. Oil your pan

   2. Dip a strip of meat into a whisked egg, then dip it in a dish full of the bread crumps and steak seasoning, until the meat is coated

   3. Place the strip - gently to avoid popping oil - into the pan and brown it

5. Place the breaded turkey strips into an oven-safe dish, pour the soup mixture over the meat, cover, and bake for one hour.

6. Let sit for five minutes, garnish with Sriracha and serve with your favorite sides

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The final product served over cheesy green beans, garnished with Sriracha sauce.

Like turkey hunting? Check out Hunt UNGUIDED: Turkey Bow Hunt in North Carolina