DISCLAIMER! I’m not going to give you my whole life story before sharing the recipe so don’t worry! In the paragraph below I’ll share a short background of my love for turkey legs so feel free to skip if you want the recipe!
One of my absolute favorite things when going to Disneyland when I was little was the food! My favorite place by Disneyland in Orlando was Epcot and in the United States of America they sold smoked turkey legs! I remember smelling them from two countries over and starting to beg my parents to take us so we could get one. It’s safe to say my love for all things food started at a very young age! So if you’re craving one of these, this recipe is for you!
Ingredients
- Coarse Sea Salt
- Brown Sugar
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Liquid Smoke – Mesquite
- Allspice
- Bay Leaves
- Black Peppercorns
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Cardamom
- Marjoram
- Water
- Large Turkey Leg
- 2 Large Gallon Plastic Ziplock Bags
- Aluminum Foil
- Baking/Cooking Sheet with Rack
Steps
- Make the wet portion of the brine – place turkey leg in one plastic gallon bag with 2 cups of boiling water, 1 cup of coarse sea salt, 1 cup of brown sugar, 3-4 splashes of apple cider vinegar, and 3-4 splashes of liquid smoke.
- Add dry ingredients to brine – add 3-4 dashes of each dry ingredient to the brine, I wish I had more exact measurements but the truth is I honestly just eyeball it based on the different recipes I researched.
- Marinate the turkey leg – make sure the brine is evenly distributed in the bag and it is zip-locked tight. Place first bag inside second gallon ziplock bag to ensure no leaks, allow turkey leg to brine in refrigerator for 24-36 hours.
- Prep the turkey leg before cooking – remove the turkey leg from brine and discard the brine. In order to protect the turkey leg’s skin in the early cooking process wrap the turkey leg in aluminum foil before placing on a baking sheet with a rack
- Cook turkey leg – the turkey leg can be cooked in a convection oven or standard conventional oven at 200C or 400F. Cook the turkey leg for 1.5-2 hours with the aluminum foil on checking doneness with a meat thermometer. Once thermometer shows appropriate cooked temperature remove aluminum foil and continue to cook for an additional 15-30 minutes or until skin is at desired crispness.
- Rest turkey leg after cooking – once the turkey leg is completely done cooking lightly rewrap leg in aluminum foil and rest for 15-30 minutes depending on size
- Enjoy delicious smoked turkey leg!
TaurusMoonLover 