Turkey Leg tailgate

[bigbill]

I am going to a football game this weekend, and wanted to bring something from the Bradley for the tailgate party I'll be attending.  A friend suggested turkey legs, and I've seen a few recipes on the site.

I have a couple of questions though, that I'm hoping the experts here can help me with:
1)  Is it necessary to brine turkey legs?  Some recipes do and some don't, just wondering what the general consensus is.  Most say to do it for a short time (4-6 hours).
2)  Can turkey legs be FTC'd?  I would really like to get the legs done about 3-4 hours before they will be eaten and was hoping I could throw them in the cooler and they would still be hot when I open up the foil.  Would FTC'ing do anything negative?
3)  Any ideas on getting the skin to not be rubbery?  There will be a small grill at the tailgate, would it be a good idea to pull the legs out of the foil and throw them on the grill for a few minutes?

Anything anyone can contribute to is greatly appreciated!!

[Habanero Smoker]

FLB does a lot of legs. I'm sure he will be alone.

I smoke/cook my turkey legs to an internal temperature of 160°F.

Because it is dark meat I find that brining is not necessary but it does improve the moistness. The brining times you mentioned are about right.

FTC'ing turkey legs will make the skin more rubbery or leathery. If you finish early it would be better to reheat them.

Finishing them on the grill will improve the skin texture, but I would not wrap them in foil. Wrapping them in foil and they heating will not help the skin to crisp.

Some things that I do to improve the skin texture, rub skin with an oil, and very lightly dust with cornstarch prior to applying the rub. Remove them from the smoker and finish them on the grill or oven.

[beefmann]

flb does great legs

[Smokin Soon]

Hab's, ya just gotta try turkey legs in the Big Easy! I like to give them a 6 hour brine in a Morton TQ and DBS mix with a little maple granulated sugar, arrange in the basket, throw in the smoker until the skin chages color a bit and into the Big Easy for a fine finish and crisping! Turkey legs are probably the only things I think are better with a brine. Gotta have that Disney Park flavor one way or another! Not to salty, gives a pink color that will throw some of your friends off a bit, but they will love the taste. I have done them with hickory and maple and both are great.

[Habanero Smoker]

Smokin Soon;

Occasionally I will either wet or dry brine my turkey legs. I rarely use a cure, I'm just one of those strange people that doesn't like poultry tasting like bacon or ham.

[FLBentRider]

It has been a whie since I've done Turkey legs.

This thread has some info - http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=7514.0