Turkey necks are flavorful and meaty, as well as inexpensive. They are sold in the poultry section of your grocery store, or you can ask the butcher to order them for you. Rinse them and cut off any visible fat. Pat them dry with paper towels. Cut them in half. Cook them until the meat is falling off the bone. Use the meat in sandwiches, soups, stews, gravies or sauces.
Braised
Season turkey necks with salt and pepper. Braise them in a large pot in 2 or 3 tablespoons of hot oil. Add water or broth to cover, plus chopped onion, carrot, celery and a bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down. Simmer until the meat is falling off the bone. Cool the turkey necks and pull the meat off the bones. Both the cooking liquid and the turkey neck meat can be used to make many different dishes.
Casserole
Strain the liquid in which you cooked the turkey necks and use it to cook rice or noodles. Combine the rice or noodles with the turkey meat and your choice of vegetables, such as peas, onions, bell pepper, diced celery or diced fennel. Bake the mixture in a casserole dish until it is bubbling and beginning to brown on top.
Entrees
Substitute turkey necks for oxtail or beef shank in your favorite recipe for osso buco. Use turkey necks in cassoulet with beans and sausage, or in your favorite gumbo recipe with a brown roux, okra and sausage. Cook smoked turkey necks as you would ham hocks. Cook them with collard greens, spinach or chard. Flavor bean or split pea soup with the smoked turkey necks.
Snacks
Use the fat and the meat from braised turkey necks to make rillettes, which is a pate made of meat cooked in its own juices and fat with peppercorns, bay leaf and other aromatic seasonings. The meat is very finely chopped and served on crackers or toast. Eat it with mayonnaise and mustard in open-face sandwiches. Eat turkey neck rillettes with celery sticks or small, crisp inner leaves of romaine lettuce.
References
- Chef John Folse & Company: Smothered Turkey Necks in Onion Gravy
- "Food and Wine"; Pork Rillettes; Sam Filloramo and Oliver Strand
- Serious Eats; The Nasty Bits: Turkey Neck Gumbo; Chichi Wang; November 2009
- "The Seattle Times"; Turkey Four Ways; Melissa Clark; May 2011
- FoodNetwork.co.uk: Turkey Neck Soup
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