Have you ever eaten turkey necks? Cooked in a crock pot? Well I hadn’t either until last Sunday.
Perusing down the meat section at Walmart, a discounted meat package caught my eye. Always looking for a bargain, I picked up the turkey necks and sized them up.
There’d be just enough for everyone in my community to have at least one. And at a bargain price, compared to the surrounding chicken and beef.
Yes, I’ve been planning the menus, cooking, and grocery shopping for my Houston consecrated sisters for the past month. I’ve been trying out new recipes, calling my mom for cooking tips, and figuring out how to manage the kitchen on a limited budget and with the odds and ends from the pantry shelves.
I thought that perhaps turkey necks were similar to chicken legs…and if I seasoned them and stuck them in a Crockpot, I’d have a delicious, simple meal prepared in no time. Add some white rice and a side salad, and we’d have dinner.
Let’s just say I’ll never live it down.
First of all, they’re a lot harder to eat than you might expect. Most of us ended up picking them up and chewing on them to try and get the meat from between the vertebrae. Carrying on a conversation became slightly awkward, then very amusing.
Secondly, if you’re ever serving turkey necks, don’t tell the people what they’re eating. Let’s just say everyone loses their appetite really quickly, and you’ll be left with a lot of leftover turkey necks. Most likely, if they didn’t go over well the first time, re-heating them won’t be a successful option.
Thirdly, if you do serve turkey necks, make sure you have a lot of salad on the side. For some reason, it went a lot faster than ever before, especially with Maritza.
And if you ever have a plethora of leftover turkey necks and you’re looking for a turkey soup recipe, talk to Kate, and maybe she can save your life and cooking reputation like she did for me.
Personally, I thought they tasted alright. But no, I’ll probably never try cooking turkey necks in a Crockpot again.
Sometimes you just have to give your best and learn from your experiences. Then let God take care of the rest.
