How to Cook Turkey Legs

Cooking those delicious fried or barbecued turkey legs is a speedy and simple alternative to cooking an entire turkey for your Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration. One of the best turkey legs I have ever had was at one of those church fairs. Grilled, roasted or made in a crock-pot, there are many ways of cooking up the delicious turkey legs. However, to make turkey legs delicious and succulent, you need to know how to brine them to perfection. This helps to seal in the juices and bring out the flavor of the meat. Before understanding how you can cook turkey legs, you first need to understand the different methods of cooking them along.

How to Cook Turkey Legs in Oven

Delicious Roasted Turkey Legs Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 turkey legs
• ½ cup salt
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
• A pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 cup of white wine
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 5-6 tablespoons dried sage leaves
• 5 tablespoons dried thyme leaves

How to Make

Preheat the oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit. In a resealable bag, pour in some salt and sugar and add some water. Now add the turkey legs to the bag and let it be completely soaked in the brine. Place the bag in a refrigerator for 3 hours. In a pan stir in the wine, brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and bring the mixture to a boil. Season with a tablespoon of the herbs.

Now remove the turkey legs from the refrigerator and pat dry. Fry the turkey legs in an iron skillet till all the sides are browned. Now place the turkey in the oven and cook uncovered for forty minutes. Remove and pour the sauce mixture over the legs making sure that the drumsticks are coated well. Cook the turkey legs for an additional forty five minutes. You can use this method to cook smoked turkey legs as well.

How to Cook Turkey Legs on the Grill

Barbecued Turkey Legs Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 turkey drumsticks
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon of chili sauce
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme

How to Make

To make this juicy, barbecued turkey legs, combine the minced garlic with the onion, vinegar and oil in a small pan. Add in the Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt and the herbs. Allow this sauce to cook for around fifteen minutes on low heat. Now in a roasting pan, place the turkey legs and pour in the prepared sauce. Cover and refrigerate for around four hours.

Now prepare the grill for the barbecue by spraying the rack with a nonstick spray. Place the turkey legs on the grill for around ten minutes or till the sides are browned. Basting with the sauce and turning it over at regular intervals will allow the juices to soak in and you will get tender juicy meat. So, how to make turkey drumsticks is quite easy, isn't it?

How to Cook Turkey Legs in a Crock-pot

Ingredients

• 4 turkey legs
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 teaspoons of seasoning salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, mixed chopped

How to Make

To cook turkey legs in a slow cooker, sprinkle the seasoning over the turkey legs and place it in the crock-pot and brush lightly with oil. Although cooking the turkey legs in a crock-pot does enable you to release the flavors and it makes the meat tender and juicy, it is important to keep in mind that it takes a long time. So leave the turkey drumsticks in the crock-pot for around ten to twelve hours till the meat is tender and juicy.

The first thing to keep in mind while cooking turkey legs, is that the cooking time will differ based on the thickness of the meat or the heat produced by the cooking device. With a bit of practice and some experiments at home, you will soon develop finesse in cooking turkey legs perfectly for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.