By Cory Graham

 I’d been down the Brazos River by canoe west of Fort Worth a handful of times or more. It is a perfect three day camping trip that meanders through the Palo Pinto mountains. It took a few times and some age to learn not to go in the ridiculous hot summer. The last two times I went I took my daughter Hannah with me in the fall. The time before the last time I kept seeing ducks fly over and would point a fake shotgun in the air and blast. The last time we went was the last time I would be in Texas for my wife, son and youngest daughter were moving to Montana. Hannah was going to stay back with my parents and then come up to stay with us after a year. 

   This last time I brought my shotgun, an old 70’s-80’s Brazilian made single shot 12 guage with a fixed modified choke that takes 3 inch shells. I was going to get some ducks or at least a duck. If anything Hannah and I would get to have biscuits duck and gravy over the fire beside the river. Just Like John Graves did in his book about the Brazos ‘Goodbye to a River’. This would be my goodbye. I’d only read that book 46 times over the years.

   Turned out on day two the ducks were few and far away. While we floated down a dark and quiet stretch of river I saw a flock of 8 or 9 turkeys coming down an eroded edge and moving along the bank. I said to my daughter “look turkeys, I can shoot one, should I shoot one?!”. She said yes and ducked because I was at the stern. BOOM! my shotgun broke apart. I was holding the fore end in my left hand the stock in my right. The only thing keeping them attached was the sling. I put the pieces down in the canoe and looked to see a turkey flapping in the river. 

Hannah rowed the canoe to the turkey and I grabbed it by the neck pulling it into the canoe. The turkey started flapping in wild death throws and making Hannah scream. I told her to row to shore. It was quite the freak out for her and I. Since we had one more night I quickly took the breasts and legs and stored them in the bottom of the ice chest. 

I’m in Montana now and Hannah’s in Texas. I miss her everyday. Soon if the Lord is willing her and I will go down one of these Montana rivers in the old canoe.

I made three recipes. One breast I sliced into cutlets for schnitzel. The other breast I stuffed it with something I can’t remember at the moment, tied it up and roasted for Thanksgiving. The third which turned out the best was wild turkey cassoulet. I used both legs in that recipe.

Wild Turkey Cassoulet

Serves:

6–8 people

Ingredients

Beans & Broth

• 1 lb dried white beans (Tarbes, Great Northern, or Cannellini)
• 1 onion, halved
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups chicken stock

Meats

• 8 oz salt pork
• 4 Turkey legs 
• 1 lb andouille sausage
• 4 slices of bacon

Aromatics & Seasoning

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or 1 cup canned)
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 sprig parsley
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• Salt, to taste
• ½ cup of Chardonnay

Method

1. Prepare the beans:
   • Soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain.
   • In a large pot, cover beans with fresh water. Add halved onion, carrots, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. Simmer gently 1 hour, until beans are tender but not mushy. Discard vegetables and bay leaves. Reserve beans and cooking liquid separately.
2. Brown the meats:
   • In a heavy Dutch oven, render the salt pork until golden and the fat is released. Remove and set aside.
   • Brown pork shoulder chunks sausage pieces and bacon in the fat until well-seared. Remove.
   • Finally, briefly crisp the turkey legs just to warm and caramelize the skin.
3. Build the flavor base:
   • In the same pot, add chopped onion and garlic. Cook until translucent.
   • Stir in chopped tomato and thyme. Let reduce to a thick paste (about 10 minutes).
   • Add Chardonnay 
4. Assemble the cassoulet:
   • Preheat oven to 300°F
   • Layer beans, pork, sausage,and turkey legs in the Dutch oven. Scatter in the salt pork.
   • Pour reserved bean liquid and stock over until just covered.
   • Tuck in parsley sprig. Cover with lid.
5. Slow bake:
   • Place in oven, uncovered, for 2½–3 hours. Check occasionally—if the top dries, press down gently with the back of a spoon to submerge beans, adding more liquid if necessary.