Turkey ·
I've never liked turkey because I often find it quite dry, but this recipe will give you juicy, tender turkey legs that you can make at home in a smoker or in the oven. Perfect holiday recipe that everyone will enjoy.
Category
Lunch
Servings
4
Prep time
15 minutes
Cook time
2 hours
I've never liked turkey because I often find it quite dry, but this recipe will give you juicy, tender turkey legs that you can make at home in a smoker or in the oven. Perfect holiday recipe (Thanksgviing or Christmas) that everyone will enjoy. It does take a little bit of prep and cook time but it's a recipe that's worth it!
Ingredients
- 6 turkey drumsticks
- 2 litres (2.11 Qrt) water
- 60g fine sea salt
- rind of 1 orange
- 12 whole allspice (pimento)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 115g (⅓ cup) orange marmalade
-
juice of 1 orange
- 25ml Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
-
pinch sea salt
Glaze
Directions
Step 1: Brine the turkey
Combine the water, salt, orange rind, allspice and honey in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve salt.
- Add turkey drumsticks and weigh down with a plate to ensure they are completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Step 2: Smoke the turkey
Preheat a smoker to 120°C (250°F).
- Drain the turkey drumsticks from the brine and pat dry with paper towel.
- Place drumsticks directly on the smoker grills for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 62°C (143°F).
- Transfer the drumstic
Step 3: Make the glaze
Combine the marmalade, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, honey, dijon and salt in a medium saucepan.
- Place over high heat, stirring until the mixture is well combined and comes to a boil.
- Continue boiling until the glaze has reduced by half and becomes sticky, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Step 4: Glaze the drumsticks
Return the drumsticks, still on the tray, to the smoker. Brush on half of the glaze and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- Brush the remaining glaze on and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove from the smoker and serve!
Recipe notes
Origins
Smoking turkey drumsticks is not a new concept, in fact it is a well known Disneyland food item…but we feel that coming in Thanksgiving and Christmas, that this should be the adopted method for enjoying your turkey this year.
Cook support
The smoking time may differ depending on the size of the drumsticks. We used a size 30 turkey for this timing.
Cook method
If you don’t have a smoker you can slow cook the turkey drumsticks in an oven using the same temperature guide above, or use a smoker box in a lidded BBQ on low indirect heat.
Sourcing
You can source turkey drumsticks through your butcher or local fresh poultry shop and sometimes they are available in supermarkets.
Substitutions
This recipe and technique can be utilised for chicken drumsticks instead of turkey.
Storage
The drumsticks can be stored in their glaze in an airtight container refrigerated for several days.
Serving ideas
These drumsticks can be served with your favourite side dishes, such as roast vegies, steamed greens and mash, pasta salad, Fattoush or my Green Crush Salad.
