Turkey Legs!

[BethV]

I don't know why I had not thought of smoking turkey legs before, but I picked some up at the store and smoked them yesterday. Easy peasy! And oh so good! They cook very fast also.

 

[FastEddie]

Those look good!
I'm gonna save my turkey appetite for Thanksgiving.
Wow, that's coming up fast.

 

[Mannydog]

Those look terrific! Love turkey legs! What time & temp(s) did you use for them? Heavy smoke early on then crank it up to get them crisp?

 

[BethV]

Those look terrific! Love turkey legs! What time & temp(s) did you use for them? Heavy smoke early on then crank it up to get them crisp?

I brined them 24 hours in the fridge. Cooked at 225 for about 2.5 hours (until temp was 165F). Took them off and let rest (not necessary) for 15 minutes. I did not eat them last night so I reheated them today at 350F for 30 minutes to crisp them up.

 

[Mastertech59]

The turkey legs are on the growing to do list.

 

[Blues1]

Nice job Beth!

 

[Buttah Butts]

They look great Beth!!

 

[rmeugene]

So I put a couple 2lb turkey legs on the RT-700 at 2:30 this afternoon at 225. Around 6 they hit 155 and then dropped into the high 140’s. It is now almost 9 and they are almost back to 155. The probes are dead on...I double checked with my thermapen. All I can think is I am going to end up with dried up lumps.

 

[BethV]

Wow, I don't know what happened there. That just does not make sense. Now my legs that I made were 1 pound each. Your's sound like that are double that size. Is the juice running out of your legs when probed clear? If so, I would pull one and try it. Any pink meat or pink juice is not good. They are also on so long.

If you have not already, pull them and put them in the oven at 350F to crisp up the skin. That will finish them off.

 

[rmeugene]

Wow, I don't know what happened there. That just does not make sense. Now my legs that I made were 1 pound each. Your's sound like that are double that size. Is the juice running out of your legs when probed clear? If so, I would pull one and try it. Any pink meat or pink juice is not good. They are also on so long.

If you have not already, pull them and put them in the oven at 350F to crisp up the skin. That will finish them off.

Thanks, it was a real dilemma for me. I really couldn’t check the meat per se as the brine I used had Prague Powder #1 in it which gives the meat a pinkish tint. One leg ended up hitting 160 just after 9ish and the other just after 10ish. The skin was tough but the meat was good on the one I tried. I am thinking of trying smaller legs next time. Although I have 4 more in the freezer from the butcher. I asked specifically for “Tom” legs as I wanted bigger legs but maybe that was a mistake.

 

[BethV]

Thanks, it was a real dilemma for me. I really couldn’t check the meat per se as the brine I used had Prague Powder #1 in it which gives the meat a pinkish tint. One leg ended up hitting 160 just after 9ish and the other just after 10ish. The skin was tough but the meat was good on the one I tried. I am thinking of trying smaller legs next time. Although I have 4 more in the freezer from the butcher. I asked specifically for “Tom” legs as I wanted bigger legs but maybe that was a mistake.

It would make sense that it would take longer with that size turkey leg. I don't think it was a mistake to ask for larger legs at all. You just have to figure out how to cook them. That's part of this whole learning experience if you are unfamiliar with smoking as I was. I've only been doing this since March and now I am getting way more comfortable with trusting my instincts with my cooks. I don't pay too much attention to temperatures anymore other than poultry.

If it were me, I would do a little more research and find a different recipe. I'm happy to send you the one I used. It required a wet brine for 24 hours and also used Prague powder. But I would have liked a bit more salt/savory in the ones I made even though they were really good. I will definitely make them again and I will alter the recipe to make the meat more savory.

I really do think it's a good idea to crisp them up in the oven after they come off the smoker. It's another way to make sure you are hitting that 160/165 temperature.

Another idea would have been to have wrapped them in foil tightly once you realized the temperature was not moving. It would not do anything for the skin but possibly they would stay moist and cook faster. And then you could crisp them up in the oven for 30 minutes.

 

[BretM]

Opinions vary, but to me a brine should be no more than water, salt and sugar if the meat will then be dry rubbed. Curious as to why you would use Prague powder for this application? Seems like the goal is to add moisture rather than actually "cure" the meat as if you were doing corned beef, bacon, or as a precaution for storage with jerky.

Personally, I would do a dry salt brine overnight in the fridge with possibly an injection of broth and butter before going on the smoker.

 

[BethV]

Opinions vary, but to me a brine should be no more than water, salt and sugar if the meat will then be dry rubbed. Curious as to why you would use Prague powder for this application? Seems like the goal is to add moisture rather than actually "cure" the meat as if you were doing corned beef, bacon, or as a precaution for storage with jerky.

Personally, I would do a dry salt brine overnight in the fridge with possibly an injection of broth and butter before going on the smoker.

The recipe I used was a copycat of the Disneyland Smoked Turkey Legs. It adds a lot of flavor to the meat. Similar to the turkey legs people walk around and eat at carnivals and fairs. The recipe I used is nothing like what one would do with a regular turkey. It has a completely different flavor.

I'm sure what you're talking about would work well also. Just a completely different flavor outcome.

 

[rmeugene]

I used the recipe from the amazingribs website which is just salt, brown sugar and the Prague powder.

 

[BretM]

The recipe I used was a copycat of the Disneyland Smoked Turkey Legs. It adds a lot of flavor to the meat. Similar to the turkey legs people walk around and eat at carnivals and fairs. The recipe I used is nothing like what one would do with a regular turkey. It has a completely different flavor.

I'm sure what you're talking about would work well also. Just a completely different flavor outcome.

Yes, that is more of a corning method which gives what I would call more of a "hammy" vibe. To each their own.

I've experimented a lot with brines, and have come to favor the dry method.

 

[rmeugene]

Yes, that is more of a corning method which gives what I would call more of a "hammy" vibe. To each their own.

I've experimented a lot with brines, and have come to favor the dry method.

I have 4 more legs to experiment on so if you have a recipe that you really enjoyed feel free to direct me to it!

 

[BretM]

I have 4 more legs to experiment on so if you have a recipe that you really enjoyed feel free to direct me to it!

To clarify, I've never dry brined turkey legs, but I have done whole turkeys using J. Kenji López-Alt's method here https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/11/the-food-lab-step-by-step-guide-smoking-turkey.html

most of my brining has been with pork and chicken...I prefer chicken to turkey in the poultry world.