I am a first time turkey hunter, What is the best and easiest way to clean a turkey?

[Rebeldave]

I am a first time turkey hunter, What is the best and easiest way to clean a turkey?

[pv.13262]

I have learned that the best way to clean a turkey is to pluck it and cut the head, wings, and les off. Cut the breastmeat off the rib cage. cut the leg off from the thighs. the best way to cook it is to deep fry it.

[pineywoods]

The easiest way is to simply breast out the bird by cutting the skin down the middle of the breast and peeling it back, then filet off each breast side.
The best way, to me, is to pluck the bird to be cooked whole. The secret to plucking is to scald the whole bird before plucking and the way I do it is to cut off the last two joints of the wings, the scaley part of the legs (feet) and the tail first. Also be sure to cut off the beard. I fill a five gallon bucket with very hot (not boiling) water and scald the bird for ten to fifteen seconds. Don't over do it or the skin will tear. After plucking, cut around the anus and pull out all the fun stuff, reaching up inside to get the heart and kidneys and use your fingers to scrape the lungs from the ribs and backbone. Clean out the crop from the throat end. I use a cleaver to whack the neck close to the body.

[pineywoods]

By the way, the way I like to cook mine is in a roasting pan with the contents of a can of beer and tightly sealed with foil. Follow normal cooking guide for time. Uncover for the last thirty minutes. It'll make a dog break his chain.