Old Timber Outdoors
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Ground wild turkey

Ground Wild Turkey Sage Gravy over Biscuits

Ground wild turkey browned with sage and black pepper, simmered into a thick milk gravy in cast iron and spooned over warm split biscuits.

Serves
4
Hands-on
30 min
Total
35 min
Skill
Easy

Cooks on: Stovetop or campfire · Breakfast

Ingredients

  • 1 lbGround wild turkey
  • 3 tbspButter
  • ¼ cupFlour
  • 2½ cupsMilk
  • ½Onions, finely diced
  • 1 tspSalt, plus more to taste
  • 1 tspBlack pepper, coarsely ground
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1½ tsp dried rubbed sage
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 pinch ground nutmeg (about ⅛ tsp)
  • 8 store-bought or bakery biscuits, split
  • 1 large sheet foil

You'll need

  • Large skillet, ideally cast iron
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Stovetop or Campfire with grate or coals

Contains

Dairy, Gluten. Biscuits vary; many contain milk, egg or soy. Check the label.

Method

  1. Wrap the split biscuits in the foil and set them on the back of the stove or at the edge of the coals to warm while you make the gravy, turning the packet now and then.
  2. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat (or over hot coals) until it shimmers. Add the ground turkey, press it flat, and leave it alone 3 minutes so the bottom browns; lean wild turkey has little fat, so this browning is where the flavor comes from.
  3. Add the onion, sage and red pepper flakes and keep cooking, breaking the meat into small crumbles, until no pink remains and an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F in the meat, 5 to 7 minutes more.
  4. Lower the heat to medium. Add the butter and let it melt into the meat. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir 2 minutes so it cooks and coats the meat.
  5. Pour in the milk a little at a time, stirring and scraping the bottom. Add the salt, pepper and pinch of nutmeg and simmer gently, stirring often, until the gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon, 5 to 8 minutes.
  6. Taste and add salt until the gravy tastes fully seasoned; milk gravy usually needs more than you expect. Set 2 warm biscuit halves on each plate and spoon the hot gravy over them. Serve right away.

When it's done: 165°F

The federal chart lists ground poultry at 165°F, and Kansas State University Extension says to fully cook game birds to at least 165°F. Check the center of the thickest part of the mixture.

If it goes wrong

Gravy too thick
Stir in more milk a splash at a time.
Gravy thin
Simmer a few minutes longer; it thickens as it bubbles and again as it cools slightly.
Gravy scorching on the bottom over the fire
Move the skillet to cooler coals and keep stirring from the bottom.
Bland
Wild turkey is mild. Add salt and plenty of black pepper, and a little more sage.

Leftovers. Serve right away. Refrigerate leftover gravy within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F, thinning it with a splash of milk.