ROUSES.COM
17
THANKSGIVING
T
he time has come, dear people, to
reconsider the turkey neck. And
while that might be one of the most
unusual sentences I have ever begun a story
with, the sentiment remains sincere.
According to famed Louisiana chef, historian
and author John Folse,
the flavor of turkey
neck mimics beef, veal, pork and chicken.
And these necks have been smoked, fried,
boiled, smothered, stewed and gumbo’ed
for ages around south Louisiana — and
beyond — they’ve
never quite received their
proper bona fides from the stewards of our
contemporary foodie culture.
See despite its adherents — and its wide
availability in both the meat and seafood
departments at Rouses — the fact remains:
It’s neck. N-E-C-K.
This image problem is turkey neck’s Achilles
heel, says Brian Landry, Executive Chef at
Borgne in downtown New Orleans. He,
too, is a fan, having recently added turkey
neck to the restaurant’s menu — braised in
crawfish boil then rolled in rice flour, fried
and finally tossed in pepper jelly — but not
without mild trepidation at first.
“When we started talking turkey neck, I
wasn’t sure,” he said. “I fish, so when I think
‘neck,’ I think chicken necks as bait in a crab
trap. (So) the hardest part is convincing
people to order them.”
Donny Rouse, managing partner of the
chain, said no convincing is needed when it
comes to turkey necks, especially Borgne’s.
“They’re delicious. You can pick them up
and eat them with your hands,” he says.
“The meat is falling off the bone.”
His cousin-in-law, Billy Royster, is a fan
of all things turkey neck. “They’re the filet
mignon of poultry.”
For more testimony, we turn to Deborah
Cotton, who writes under the moniker of Big
Red at the NewOrleans GoodGood cultural
blog. She describes a recent convalescence in
a New Orleans hospital, when her friend
Jefferey Trepagnier, a former deejay for Old
School Radio106.7, brought her a plate of
his (apparently legendary) smothered turkey
necks with mac ‘n cheese and sweet potatoes.
Writes Big Red:
“It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.
Meat just collapsing off the bone with one
touch, rich brown gravy with soft melting
onions. That meal has been engraved in my
mind ever since.
Billy Royster’s
Smothered Turkey Necks
“The turkey neck is the Filet
Mignon of poultry.”
—Billy
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
8
whole turkey necks
Rouses salt and black pepper
Tony Chachere’s
½
cup bacon drippings or Rouses vegetable oil
2
cups onions, sliced
1
cup celery, diced
1
cup bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup garlic, minced
¼
cup flour
1½ quarts beef stock
2
tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1
cup green onions, sliced thin
¼
cup green onion stems, sliced, for garnish
HOW TO PREP
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut turkey necks into 2-inch pieces and season
with salt, pepper and Tony Chachere’s. In a large
black iron pot, heat bacon drippings (or oil) over
medium-high heat, add turkey necks, and cook until
they are brown on all sides. With a slotted spoon,
remove necks and transfer to a bowl or plate (leave
dripping in the pot).
Place onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic in the
pot (the Trinity and the Pope), and sauté for 3
to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted.
Add flour, stirring constantly so it blends into the
vegetables. Mix in stock and Worcestershire sauce,
and bring to a rolling boil. Add turkey necks and
green onions, cover pot, and transfer to the oven.
Bake for to 2 hours or until necks are tender. Top
with green onions, and werve with rice, mashed
potatoes or potato salad.
“I’m sure that when I die and my life flashes
before me like in the movies, that plate of
turkey necks is one of the pictures I’ll see
prior to arriving at the Pearly Gates — it
was that good.”
Got it? Good. Go get ya’ some.
Chef Brian Landry’s
Turkey Necks
(small batch)
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
4
whole turkey necks
2
cups yellow onion, diced
1
stalk celery, diced
1
carrot, diced
3
cloves garlic, minced
1
stem fresh rosemary
1
sprig fresh thyme
2
cups dry red wine
1½ quarts chicken stock
Salt and pepper
½
cup crab boil seasoning
3
cups rice flour
1
cup pepper jelly
vegetable oil for frying
HOW TO PREP
Cut turkey necks into 4-inch pieces, season liberally
with both salt and pepper and sear on all sides in a
large cast iron pot with a lid.
Remove the necks from the pot, and add the onions,
celery, carrots, and garlic. Sweat until caramelized.
Deglaze with red wine, and add the rosemary,
thyme, and chicken stock.
Return the necks to the pot making sure the liquid
covers 75% of the necks (add a little water if
necessary). Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce the
heat to low, cover with the lid, and cook for 2 hours
or until fork tender.
Remove from heat. Place the turkey
necks in a food safe container. Strain
the vegetables from the cooking
liquid, and pour the cooking liquid
over the turkey necks. Refrigerate
overnight.
Remove the necks from the container
making sure to scrape off the chilled
cooking liquid. Liberally season with
the crab boil seasoning, roll in rice
flour, and fry in 350-degree vegetable
oil for approximately 35 minutes until
heated through.
Remove the necks from the frying
oil and reserve over absorbent paper
towels. Season with salt. Place the
turkey necks on a serving plate, and
pour the pepper jelly over the necks.
Eat with your hands.
(Serves 4)
