Turkey Leg Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse the turkey legs and pat dry.
• Stand the turkey legs upright (as if the turkey were standing). Press a knife downward into the deep tissue, creating 2 or 3 long pockets. Press a piece of celery into each opening. Pull back the skin on the legs, rub with butter, and season with a little salt. Put the skin back into place, rub with more butter, and season lightly with salt. Lay the legs in a roasting pan.
• Roast uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the legs are golden brown and the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Add more water if needed while roasting, and baste occasionally with the juices or butter.

Steps:

• In a large bowl or jumbo resealable plastic bag, combine the buttermilk, 1 tablespoon each of the paprika, garlic powder and onion powder, 1 teaspoon of the cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Add the turkey drumsticks and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat a tabletop deep-fryer or fill a large, wide pot with 3 inches of oil; heat the oil to 365 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking pan with paper towels and place a wire rack on top.
• In a large paper grocery bag, combine the flour with the remaining 1 tablespoon paprika, garlic powder and onion powder and 1 teaspoon cayenne, as well as 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Pat the turkey legs dry and add them to the bag. Fold the top of the bag to seal; shake vigorously to coat the turkey in the seasoned flour.
• Remove the turkey legs from the flour and shake off the excess. Fry the turkey in batches, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown, crispy and cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat, avoiding bone, should register at least 165 degrees F), about 16 minutes. Transfer the fried turkey to the prepared baking pan and keep warm in the oven while frying the remaining drumsticks. Return the oil to 365 degrees F between batches.

Steps:

• Several hours before planning on barbecuing, loosen the skin on the turkey legs by running your fingers under it as far as possible without tearing the skin.
• Combine the Worcestershire sauce and the oil. Coat your fingers with the mixture and rub really well into the turkey legs, getting as much as you can under the skin. Sprinkle the Dry Rub over the skin, liberally rubbing into the turkey legs and under the skin. Place the legs in plastic bags and refrigerate.
• Prepare the smoker for barbecuing, bringing the temperature to 200 to 220 degrees F. Remove the turkey legs from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• Re-warm the mop mixture over low heat.
• Transfer the turkey legs to the smoker. Cook until the legs are very tender and the juices run clear, about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Mop the legs at 45-minute intervals in a wood-burning pit, or as appropriate for your style of smoker. Serve the legs hot, to be eaten with your fingers, with a side of barbecue sauce.
• Mix ingredients together in a small bowl.
• Combine the mop ingredients in a small saucepan and warm the mixture over low heat.

Steps:

• In a large bowl pour in all of the Turkey Broth/Stock (Could also be Chicken Stock) and marinate the uncooked Turkey Legs overnight, or at least 3 hours, in the refrigerator.
• After 3-8 hours in the refrigerator, take a large roasting pan with a wire rack, remove the refrigerated legs from the bowl of broth---use tongs and place directly on the roasting rack/pan. Sprinkle generous amount of salt, black pepper, and onion powder on each leg. Spread foil across the top of the roasting pan to keep the legs covered while roasting in a pre-heated 350F oven.
• Meanwhile, melt a stick of butter in a saucepan---until it's liquified.
• 8 legs usually take about 1hour and 45 minutes to fully cook. The legs need to be turned/flipped with tongs, basted (brushed with the melted butter) and then re-seasoned with just the onion powder and black pepper--- every 20 minutes during roasting.
• Turkey legs are usually done after insterting a meat thermometer that registers 175F in the thickest part of the leg, however, they do keep cooking even after they're removed from the oven.
• The cooked turkey pan juices and drippings are usually used to flavor gravy and stuffing.