State fair turkey legs have always been a weakness of mine; they make me want to go to the state fair just so I can get one. I love eating food off the bone. There is something primal about eating food that comes with a built-in handle.
Me, Ben, and a Turkey Leg at Walt Disney World
(There's something so Henry VIII about gnawing a turkey leg. I want to give orders to my royal subjects, while waving the drumstick like a baton. Luckily, I made it through thanksgiving without me shouting "off with their head!" at the table. So far, at least.)
I wanted to duplicate those state fair turkey legs on the rotisserie. When Shady Brook Farms invited me to participate in their Take On Turkey Challenge, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I played with this recipe for a while*, and I think I've nailed it. This recipe gives me a crispy, smoky turkey leg, tender to the bone, with a sweet, garlicky, herby glaze. Give it a try, and let me know what you think.
(Much to my surprise, my family was OK with eating a lot of turkey legs. And I mean, a LOT of turkey legs. Thanks, guys!)
Video: Rotisserie Turkey Legs, Brined and Honey Garlic Basted
Video: Rotisserie Turkey Legs [YouTube.com]
Rotisserie Turkey Legs, Brined and Honey Garlic Basted
- Total Time: 4 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 drumsticks 1x
Description
Rotisserie Turkey Legs
Ingredients
- 6 Turkey Drumsticks
Brine
- 3 quarts water
- ½ cup table salt
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Baste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (Optional - I forgot this in the video!)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Brine the drumsticks: Put the brine ingredients in a container large enough to hold the drumsticks, and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the drumsticks, cover, and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours.
- Prepare the honey baste and herb brush: Put all the baste ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute in the microwave, or until you can smell the garlic and the butter is melted. Make the herb brush by tying together the sprigs of herbs at the base of the stem to make a brush.
- Skewer the drumsticks on the rotisserie spit: Skewer the drumsticks on the spit and spit forks. Run the spit through the narrowest part of the meat, in the middle of the bone, and secure the knob of the drumstick on the spit fork. Add a second drumstick with the bone end pointing in the other direction to the same fork, the same way, with the spit through the narrow part of the meat, fork through the thick part of the drumstick. Repeat, putting two drumsticks on each spit fork. (See pictures below). Wrap the bone end of each drumstick with a small square of aluminum foil to keep it from burning. Let the skewer sit at room temperature while you prepare the grill.
- Set the grill up for Indirect Medium-High Heat (400°F): Prepare the grill for cooking on indirect high heat (see details here). For my Weber kettle, I light a chimney starter full of charcoal, wait for it to be covered with ash, then pour it in two equal piles on the sides of the grill, and put the drip pan in the middle, between the piles. (The Weber Chimney Starter
holds 5 quarts of charcoal, exactly the right size for this recipe.) - Rotisserie grill the turkey legs for 40 minutes: Put the spit on the grill, start the rotisserie, and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Using the herb brush, baste the drumsticks heavily. Cook, covered, for another five minutes. Baste the drumsticks again, and cook for a final five minutes. Remove the spit from the grill, remove the drumsticks from the spit, and let the drumsticks rest for ten minutes before serving.
holds 5 quarts of charcoal, exactly the right size for this recipe.)Notes
I have four forks for my spit, so theoretically I can cook up to eight legs at a time. That would be a tight fit on my kettle grill, but I think it would fit. On my monster gas grill? No problem. Add a hunk of smoking wood to the coals! I forgot to do that for the video, but a fist-sized chunk of hickory, oak, cherry or apple wood gives an extra layer of smoky goodness to the legs.
Tools
Grill with Rotisserie attachment (I used a Weber kettle with the Rotisserie attachment; the kettle is here
and the rotisserie attachment is here
) Aluminum foil drip pan (9"x12", or whatever fits your grill) Aluminum foil (to wrap the bone end of the drumsticks) Herb brush (3-4 sprigs of herbs, like thyme, rosemary, marjoram and/or oregano tied together, or substitute a regular basting brush)
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Rotisserie
- Cuisine: American
Notes:
*I have four forks for my spit, so theoretically I can cook up to eight legs at a time. That would be a tight fit on my kettle grill, but I think it would fit. On my monster gas grill? No problem.
*Add a hunk of smoking wood to the coals! I forgot to do that for the video, but a fist-sized chunk of hickory, oak, cherry or apple wood gives an extra layer of smoky goodness to the legs.
What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
Rotisserie Turkey Legs video recipe for the contest
Rotisserie Turkey Breast, Dry Brined
Rotisserie Chicken Legs, Churrascaria Style
Click here for my other rotisserie recipes.
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Ted says
Does anyone know where to buy extra forks for the rotisserie? I called Weber and they're charging $27 for each fork. Good grief...
Mike V says
Check with the guys over at http://onegrill.com - they sell generic forks that will fit on any spit.
Sarah B says
I know this is an old post, but this is our favorite turkey leg recipe. It is so excellent. We have been using it for years. But we didn't have a grill rotisserie so we always made it in the oven. However, this year we got a grill rotisserie attachment for our Weber (I looked at your recommendation in this recipe and went for that one) and we tried it out for the first time tonight using the turkey legs. It was so delicious. Thank you for writing and posting a great recipe, instructions and photos.
Mike V says
You're welcome! I'm thrilled to hear this recipe is a regular at your house.
Sandra Vargas Navarro says
You're amazing... Thank you so much !!!! ;))
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Sure! Heat the oven to 450°F, put the turkey legs on a rack in a roasting pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350°F, brush the legs with the honey baste, and bake until the legs reach an internal temperature of 175°F, about ten to fifteen more minutes, brushing with the honey baste every five to ten minutes.
Sandra Vargas Navarro says
Omg I've been looking for this recipe, I was just wandering, have you tried to put them in the oven instead? Or do you have a idea how I can make them in the oven? I really want to make this for thanksgiving instead the whole turkey? .
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Thank you, glad you liked it!
Allie says
The baste is simply amazing. Never before have I wanted to lick the bowl for this kind of sauce. Honey, worcestershire, and garlic is a fantastic combination!! I will definitely be using this recipe again!
Pam says
Ren Faire, here I come!