Being born and raised in Texas means I’ve had plenty of turkey legs in my life. From backyard BBQs to the annual Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Carnival, it’s nearly impossible to come to Texas and not have an opportunity to try a juicy, smoked turkey leg hot off the BBQ pit. With everything being bigger in Texas, it’s only right for a Texan to make stuffed turkey legs…two ways.
The Brine
One thing that is crucial when preparing a bomb-ass turkey leg is the brine. What is a brine? Brine is a concentrated salt and water solution that gives the meat its flavor and juiciness. Brines can be as simple as just salt and water, or you can dress it up and make it real for your taste buds with additional ingredients such as sugar, spices, and herbs. So me being me, naturally I’m all about dressing up…start to finish with capital “D’s” for Damn Delicious.
For the best flavor, brine should be made in direct proportion to the amount of meat. That means no specific measurements because y’all know, I Don’t Cook for Kids! Now, to make the brine, you first want to get a large pot that allows enough space for the turkey legs to fit comfortably. Fill the pot with enough water to completely submerge the turkey legs. Next, remove the turkey legs from the water and set them aside…the water in the pot is now the amount of liquid you’ll need for the amount of meat you’ll be cooking (see what I did there?). The rest of the ingredients I eyeballed to create my brine. To get the flavor, I add the salt last because that is what increases the concentration of the flavors in the brine.
TIPS for Making the Brine (I used 6 Turkey Legs)…
- One, 32oz bag of light brown sugar
- Half of 750mL bottle of bourbon (probably should’ve used the whole thing)
- Freshly minced/chopped garlic & ginger…like a lot, a lot
Once you’re satisfied with the flavor profile, add 1 – 2 cups of kosher salt. Stir to make sure the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Add turkey legs to brine and refrigerate for at least 48 hours, but no longer than seven days. I marinated my turkey legs for seven whole days (shoutout to Toni Braxton).
Smoking the Legs
When you’re ready to fire up the grill, the best way to cook these turkey legs is slow, smoked, and with indirect heat. To do this soak a few handfuls of wood chips (I prefer hickory, mesquite, or applewood) in water for about 30 minutes, then drain the water from the chips. Prep a charcoal grill with the coals on one side of the grill then light it up. Let the fire blaze until the coals burn and they turn gray and ash. Add drained wood chips on top of hot coals and allow chips to catch and smoke to form. Once the grill gets smokey, place turkey legs on the opposite side of the coals with the meatiest end of the turkey leg facing the coals. Cover and let turkey legs smoke until they’re done. I usually take the legs off the grill once the skin peels back from the bottom leaving the bone exposed.
TIPS for Smoking on the Grill…
- Adjust grill vents so oxygen can continue to create smoke in the grill
- The grill should be continuously smoking. If the smoke cloud gets weak, add more wood chips on top of the coals.
Mexican Stuffed Turkey Legs
This Mexican Stuffed Turkey Leg is pretty straightforward. I used boxed Spanish rice, black beans (canned beans work just fine), diced tomatoes, diced red onion, avocado, chopped cilantro, and red pepper flakes.
On a plate, add a few spoonfuls of rice, and top with a few spoonfuls of black beans. Place the turkey leg on top of the rice and beans, score the meat to open up the turkey leg, and top with a few spoons of queso blanco (if you’re nasty)…then top with tomatoes, onion, avocado, cilantro, and pepper.
…mmmm, ¡que rico!
Shrimp Alfredo Stuffed Turkey Legs
The shrimp alfredo turkey leg involves cooking on the stove to make the sauce. A medium skillet will do, and if there is any leftover sauce you can enjoy it over pasta or a salmon fillet.
In a skillet over medium heat, melt enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan. Add shallot, and cook until soft and translucent, add garlic, cook until fragrant. Add bell peppers, cover skillet, cook stirring occasionally until peppers become soft and release juices. Pour in enough Marsala wine to almost cover the ingredients, increase heat, cook stirring occasionally until liquid almost reduces completely. Pour in heavy cream, scrape bits from the bottom of the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, add Parmesan a little at a time, constantly stirring until cheese is completely melted before adding more. Add more Parmesan to thicken the sauce. Add shrimp, cook until opaque, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
On a plate, score turkey leg, top with shrimp alfredo sauce, then garnish with scallions and red pepper.
STUFFED TURKEY LEGS
Ingredients
- For the brine
Water
Brown sugar
Onions, chopped
Ginger, minced or chopped
Garlic, smashed or chopped
Apple juice
Lemons, zest and juice
Worchestershire
Peppercorns
Rosemary
Thyme
Bourbon
Bay leaves
Kosher salt
- Mexican Stuffed Turkey Leg
Spanish rice
Black beans
Queso blanco
Tomatoes, diced
Red onion, diced
Avocado, diced
Cilantro, chopped
Red pepper flakes
- Shrimp Alfredo Stuffed Turkey Leg
Butter
1 1 shallot, thinly sliced or diced
1 garlic bulb, smashed and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
Marsala wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup shaved Parmesan
1/2 pound shrimp, cleaned and halved lengthwise
Salt and pepper, to taste
Scallions
Red pepper
Directions
- For the brine
- Fill the pot with enough water to completely submerge the turkey legs. Next, remove the turkey legs from the water and set them aside. The water in the pot is now the amount you’ll need for the amount of meat you’ll be cooking.
- The rest of the ingredients I eyeballed to create my brine. To get the flavor, I add the salt last because that is what increases the concentration of the flavors in the brine.
- Once you’re satisfied with the flavor, add 1 – 2 cups of kosher salt. Stir to make sure the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Add turkey legs to brine and refrigerate for at least 48 hours, but no longer than seven days.
- Smoking the turkey legs
- The best way to cook these turkey legs is slow, smoked, and with indirect heat. To do this soak a few handfuls of wood chips (I prefer hickory, mesquite, or applewood) in water for about 30 minutes, then drain the water from the chips.
- Prep a charcoal grill with the coals on one side of the grill then light it up. Let the fire blaze until the coals burn and they turn gray and ash. Add drained wood chips on top of hot coals and allow chips to catch and smoke to form.
- Once the grill gets smokey, place turkey legs on the opposite side of the coals with the meatiest end of the turkey leg facing the coals. Cover and let turkey legs smoke until they’re done. I usually take the legs off the grill once the skin peels back from the bottom leaving the bone exposed.
- Mexican Stuffed Turkey Leg
- On a plate, add a few spoonfuls of rice, and top with a few spoonfuls of black beans. Place the turkey leg on top of the rice and beans, score the meat to open up the turkey leg, and top with a few spoons of queso blanco, then top with tomatoes, onion, avocado, cilantro, and pepper.
- Shrimp Alfredo Stuffed Turkey Leg
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan. Add shallot, and cook until soft and translucent, add garlic, cook until fragrant. Add bell peppers, cover skillet, cook stirring occasionally until peppers become soft.
- Add enough Marsala wine to almost cover the ingredients, increase heat, and cook stirring occasionally until liquid is almost completely reduced. Add heavy cream, stir scraping bits from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, add Parmesan a little at a time, constantly stirring until cheese is completely melted before adding more. Add more Parmesan to thicken the sauce.
- Add shrimp, cook until opaque, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- On a plate, score turkey leg, top with shrimp alfredo sauce, then garnish with scallions and red pepper.
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