16 Nebraskaland • March 2023
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
APRICOT-BOURBON WILD TURKEY
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Ingredients:
•
4 wild turkey thighs
•
Kosher salt, to taste
•
Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
•
2 tablespoons of olive oil
•
1 large onion, chopped
•
2 tablespoons of butter
•
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves or ¼ teaspoon dry
•
1 bay leaf
•
4 cloves of garlic, minced
•
¾ cup of bourbon or whisky
•
2 cups of barbecue sauce (preferably one that
tastes more tart than sweet)
•
¾ cup of apricot preserves
•
¼ cup of water
•
¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
•
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
•
1 tablespoon of coarse ground mustard
•
Freshly chopped green onion/chives for garnish
•
Freshly prepared mashed potatoes
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Pat wild
turkey thighs dry and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in an enameled cast iron
pot over medium-high heat. (Do not use bare cast iron
because the acidity in the sauce will take on a metallic
taste.) Brown thighs on both sides, transfer to a dish
and then set aside.
2. Lower heat to medium. Add chopped onion and
butter to the pot. Sweat until translucent and slightly
browned, stirring frequently. Then add thyme, bay
leaf and garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Turn off the
burner and carefully pour in bourbon, and then after,
turn the heat back on. Reduce until the alcohol is
nearly completely evaporated, scraping the bottom
of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add barbecue sauce,
apricot preserves, water, cayenne, Worcestershire and
mustard, and whisk to combine.
3. Return browned turkey thighs to the pot. Transfer
pot to the oven and bake at 300 degrees, covered, for 3
to 4 hours or until turkey becomes tender; flip thighs
halfway through and add chicken broth or water if
sauce reduces too much. Serve thighs over hot mashed
potatoes with chopped green onion for garnish.
IN THE FIELD
Tough wild turkey thighs become tender after slow cooking in an apricot and bourbon sauce. JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND
