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SMOKED TURKEY LEGS by Duger
Almost like at Disney World only better.

Servings: 3 to 6

Servings: 3-6
Ingredients
  • 3 to 6 turkey legs
  • ½ gallon of water
  • ½ cup Morton Tender Quick® curing salt (my local Cub carries it)
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons liquid smoke if you are using an oven or grill, skip if using a smoker
  • 1 Tablespoon pickling spices
  • 6 med bay leaves
  • ¾ teaspoon Pepper corns
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons of your favorite dry rub or paprika
  • 1 to 3 large resealable plastic bag (two legs to a bag)
Steps
  1. CURING
  2. Mix Morton Tender Quick curing salt, brown sugar Maple Syrup and liquid smoke into ½ gallon of water and stir until curing salt and brown sugar are dissolved.
  3. Divide the pickling spice, pepper corns and bay leaves in the plastic bags if more than one bag.
  4. Place 2 to 3  turkey legs into a large, resealable plastic bag, add the curing liquid and seal the bag.
  5. Place bag in bowl or pan to catch any liquid (if the bag springs a leak), then place into the refrigerator for 24 hours. (6 Jene-o legs fit nice in a 9 x 13 cake pan)
  6. COOKING
  7. When ready to cook, preheat oven, grill or smoker to somewhere between 225 to 250 degrees.
  8. Remove legs from curing liquid and rinse off in cold water, making sure to remove all the pickling spices.
  9. Pat legs dry with a paper towel.
  10. Coat legs with olive oil, then lightly coat them with rub or paprika. This is more for crisping the skin and adding color. The cure has already added all that delicious flavor.
  11. Smoke in smoker or roast in oven for about 3 hours, or when the temperature of the legs reads 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, turning 3 to 4 times. It might seem as if we are overcooking the legs, but turkey legs have a lot of connective tissue, which needs to be broken down with high heat. The cure will help keep the legs juicy.
  12. At 160 degrees, turn heat up to around 350--400 degrees to crisp the skin. This should take about 15 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure the skin does not burn.
  13. Pull legs out and wrap each in foil for easy serving.
Notes
  • After cooking if you look at a drumstick, on the short side of the drumstick (inner side) you see an extra 'bump' at the joint. If you cut that, you can pull out most all the ligaments in the drumstick!  You may have to grip it with some vice grips, but this is where all those are attached.  If you select the drumstick for eating, loosen it at the bone and yank on it, your drum will be ligament-free!  They are not attached to the bone individually, they are attached at that point as a group.
 

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