Best Barbecued Turkey Legs Recipes

BARBECUED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• The day before, make a dry brine: Put 2 wire racks on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Mix together the sugar, chili powder, mustard powder, garlic powder, cayenne and 1/2 cup salt. Pat the turkey drumsticks dry. Put 2 drumsticks in a large shallow bowl and sprinkle generously with the dry brine, rubbing it into every nook and cranny. Transfer to one of the wire racks. Working in batches, sprinkle and rub the remaining drumsticks with the dry brine and transfer to the wire racks. Sprinkle the drumsticks on the racks with any remaining dry brine. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 8 hours and preferably up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the drumsticks, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through cooking, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer measures at least 200 degrees F, about 2 hours. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer the drumsticks to large re-sealable plastic bags. (The turkey can be made ahead up to this point and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
• Preheat a gas grill to medium-low or prepare a charcoal for medium-low indirect heat: bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for best results).
• Brush the grill grates with oil. Put the drumsticks on the grill (or indirect side if using charcoal) and cook, turning and basting with the barbecue sauce every 5 minutes, until the drumsticks are deep amber on the outside and heated through, about 15 minutes.
• Let cool for 5 minutes, then wrap the exposed bone-end of each drumstick with foil and serve while warm.

ROASTED BARBECUED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Place the turkey legs into a 4 quart pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Pour in just enough water to cover them. Sprinkle chicken bouillon granules over the water, and stir to dissolve a little. Place the lid on the cooker, and bring up to full pressure. Cook for about 5 minutes.
• While the turkey is cooking, preheat your oven's broiler. After the time is up on the turkey, remove from the heat. Run cold water over the top of the cooker to help release the pressure, and open the lid. Place the turkey legs on a broiling pan or roasting pan.
• Broil the turkey legs for 10 to 15 minutes, until the skin is brown and crispy. Brush the legs with barbeque sauce towards the end of cooking. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

OVEN-BARBECUED TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Mix first 5 ingredients until blended. Remove half the sauce; refrigerate until ready to serve with the cooked turkey.
• Season turkey with pepper; place in shallow pan.
• Bake 2 hours or until done (165°F), turning and brushing occasionally with remaining sauce for the last hour. Serve with the reserved sauce.