Turkey leg recipe

[HCAO]

Anyone have a recipe for turkey legs?  I want to make some similar to what you get at the county fairs.  I assume they are brined.

[Habanero Smoker]

There are a few threads on turkey legs. Usually the Disney or Fair type of turkey legs add a cure to their brine to get the ham like flavor. Here is a link to one of those threads:

Turkey Legs

The link that is within the post works with IE 8.

[HCAO]

it's brined and waiting to be smoked tomorrow.  i didn't cure it.   do you think i should do it skin on or off?  skin off might get dry, but skin on might not let enough smoke to penetrate.  how long do you think i should smoke it?  i was thinking of 3 or 4 hours of smoke, then keep it in there until it starts to get tender.  i don't want it falling off the bone like ribs.

[Habanero Smoker]

You will get enough smoke penetration through the skin, but I would only go with no more then two hours of smoke. One issue you may have is that the skin may be a little on the tough side; but that is also a characteristic of Disney or Fair Style Turkey legs. Smoke they at 225°F - 250°F, or higher if the smoker can get higher. You can also take them out early, around 155°F - 160°F and finish them on the grill or in a 375°F oven until they reach 165°F. That will improve the skin texture.

Without the cure, you will not get the ham-like flavor but they still should be good, and there are a lot of brines you can choose from. Pat them dry prior to placing them in the smoker, and if you have time and the space air dry them uncovered in the refrigerator overnight (8 - 12 hour; but even 4 hours of drying time would be useful). That helps to develop the pellicle, which improves the smoke flavor, reduces moisture in the skin, and helps retain moisture in the meat.

I don't know how much of a load you have, but keep the vent 3/4 to fully open. Poultry with skin has a high moisture content, and you want that moisture to escape the cabinet as quickly as possible.

Also let us know how they turn out.

[HCAO]

Turned out great!  2 hours of apple smoke.  Total time in about 6 hours.   I'll be making this again!  Thanks Habanero for the tips!

[Habanero Smoker]

Wow!! Those are some huge turkey legs. They look great.

[classicrockgriller]

Agree with Habs! Hugh Turkey legs that look just delicious!

Nice job and thanks for some good pics.

I bought 6 (not as big as yours) turkey legs and 6 turkey wings CHEAP,

that now I know what needs to happen to them.

[Tenpoint5]

Them is some good looking legs there HCAO

[HCAO]

Thanks guys.  This is the recipe i followed mostly.  Only thing i left out was sage.  Didn't have any handy.  The legs were super cheap, 99 cents/lbs.  Thanks to my wife for bringing them home.  She knew i've been looking for turkey legs for a while.

http://www.divinedinnerparty.com/smoked-turkey-legs-recipe.html

[HCAO]

I'm going to make some turkey legs for the SoCal SmokeOut.  Going to try to cure them this time.   How much MTQ should I put in per gallon of brine?

[Gizmo]

Wow, those birds must have been on some super special feed to get that big.  What store did they come from?  Major Market always carry them but not that big.

[Habanero Smoker]

Morton recommends using 1 cup of TQ for every 4 cups of water. So for a gallon you are looking at 4 cups. Do not use any additional salt, you can add additional sugar and other flavors; but keep in mind TQ is already has about 20% sugar. I don't like using TQ in a wet cure because of the amount that is needed. For each cup there is approximately 3/4 cups of pickling salt. That is a lot of salt. If you have cure #1 (pink salt), that is better to use and you can adjust your own amount of salt.

Or since you will be fully cooking the legs you can use some TQ for color and maybe some added flavor in your favorite brine, just reduce the salt by 3/4 cups (if using pickling salt) for every cup of TQ you use. For example, use 1.5 cups of TQ per gallon; that will add about 1.25 cups of pickling salt - more then enough salt for a brine, and the nitrites may give the turkey some additional flavor. Or you may not have to make a gallon of brine to brine your legs, you may only need 2 quarts or so.

[HCAO]

HS, the MTQ will be for color and flavor like you said.   The legs will be fully cooked.  Is pickling salt the same as kosher salt?  I've been mostly using kosher salt in my brines.  I'll probably do 1 cup TQ for the gallon and see how that works out.   Thanks for the good info.

Gizmo, I got the legs from the local Albertsons.  That's the only place I knew of that sells them.  They have it all the time and the prices range from $1-1.50/lb.  Pretty cheap.

[Habanero Smoker]

I don't use TQ as a wet cure, so I can't tell you how much flavor you will get, but you will be well within safe levels.

Pickling and kosher are both pure salts, but pickling (also called canning salt) has a finer grain like common table salt, therefore there is more pickling salt by weight then kosher in a cup. It is generally easy to find in most major supermarkets. The grain in kosher salts vary by manufacturer, so depending on the manufacturer one cup of pickling salt may be 2 - 4 ounces more then the kosher salt you are using.

Below is a comparison (from Curing & Brining:
1 cup pickling salt or table salt (all brands) = 10 oz. = 285 grams
1 cup Morton Kosher Salt = 8 oz. = 225 grams
1 cup Diamond Crystal Salt = 5.5 oz. = 155 grams

Just a side note; pickling salt is just as pure as kosher, and since it has smaller crystals it dissolves much easier and faster in cold water. Kosher salt because of its larger crystals are better for applying directly to the meat's surface.

[steve-o]

Those look so good, guess I am gonna be driving around lookin for turkey legs today.