Goat Cheese and Dried Cherry Stuffed Wild Turkey
A pounded-flat turkey breast rolled around goat cheese and dried cherries, tied with twine and cooked over the grate.
- calories
- 390
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 43
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 3, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Grill grate
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Wild turkey breast | 1 lb | the tapered end of the breast, which is too thin to cut into steaks |
|---|---|---|
| Salt, pepper, and garlic seasoning blend | 2 tsp | |
| Goat cheese | 4 oz | let it come up to air temperature or it will not spread |
| Dried cherries | 1/3 cup | chop them so the roll rolls tight |
| Chives | 2 tbsp | dried works and travels better than fresh |
| Butcher's twine | 3 ft |
Method
- At home or on a camp table, lay the breast flat and cut lengthwise about a third of the way up, stopping short of the far edge. Fold it open. Repeat on the thicker half until the whole thing is one flat sheet.
- Pound it to an even quarter inch. A flat rock in a bag works if you forgot the mallet.
- Season both sides, then spread the goat cheese over one face, leaving a bare inch along the far edge. Scatter the cherries and chives.
- Roll it up from the near edge and tie at four or five points along the roll. Snug, not strangled.
- Set the grate over coals that have burned down to grey. Cook the roll about 25 minutes, turning every five, until the center hits 165°F.
- Rest it five minutes on foil, cut the twine off, then slice into rounds.
The narrow end of a turkey breast is a problem when you are cutting steaks: the slices get thin, and thin slices are dry before the thick ones are done. Rolling that end solves it. A pounded, rolled, tied breast is one uniform cylinder, and a cylinder cooks evenly over coals.
Goat cheese and dried cherries carry the whole thing because wild turkey is lean and has no fat of its own to work with. The cheese melts into the seam and keeps the inside from drying out; the cherries push back against the salt. Both are cooler food, not pack food, so this is a first- or second-night meal off the tailgate. Tie it at home and the camp work is coals and a thermometer.
Packing
Portion the goat cheese into a small screw-top jar and the cherries and chives into one bag at home. The breast rides sealed and frozen flat at the bottom of the cooler; it thaws to cutting temperature by day one.
Variations
- Dried cranberries and a spoon of brown sugar in place of the cherries.
- Wrap the tied roll in bacon before it hits the grate. It bastes itself and holds the seam shut.
https://realtree.com/recipe/timber-2-table/goat-cheese-and-dried-cherry-stuffed-wild-turkey