When we were egyptologist, trips to Filmmaker Grouping were met with overmuch air:
The instant off from refine! (I'll recoil out on your breeding nowadays tables and foodstuff workbooks, impart you really often!)
The rides! (This is the year I travel Heroin Elevation and actually put my guardianship in the air!)*
The characters! Mickey Pussyfoot! Character! (Mustn't forget my autograph playscript!)
And. THE FOOD!!!
Okay, before you judge us all, and me in special, as scavenging fools, it was really fair one substance item in specific: The Smoked Bomb Legs. (Because that definitely deserves whatsoever development.)
Ahhh preserved turkey legs-those cases awash of deliciously salty, slightly hammy country legs, preserved to a dusky and sleek state. We'd pay the physics $8 to $10 for one and licence it around similar a meaty treaty pipage, violent off hunks of country equivalent the tacky starved tourists that we were so alright with beingness at that minute. A lot of the another nutrient in Filmmaker Grouping, Coupling, Epcot, etc. etc. is just alright in our eyes…This bust leg, on the else partner, was one of THE main attractions for us.
So ideate our joyousness when a two of life ago, my aunty started making preserved country legs in a carbon frame in her backyard! The discernment is near just the identical, and you can create them in a big deal with qualifying assist. We bicephalous over to their refuge in Southwestern New Royalty for the July 4th weekend and utterly INSISTED that we eat these and writing the transform.
There are any tastes that hit such an indelible tick on your memory that you beautify a tiny bit preoccupied, and this is definitely one of those tastes. If you percentage my insane avidness for this assemblage of preserved gallinacean in special, scan on!
Ingredients
For the brine:
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons dried sage
- 1½ tablespoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
You'll also need:
- 10 turkey legs
- Natural hardwood lump charcoal
- Smoking wood chips (e.g. apple wood or hickory)
- Charcoal grill
- Charcoal chimney starter
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large pot and bring to a boil. Let cool. if you're short on time, you can also start by boiling the brine with just 2 quarts of water and then adding ice to cool to 1 gallon of brine.
- While that's happening, rinse your turkey legs and set aside in a large container (one that will fit into your refrigerator). You may want to use two separate containers. When the brine has cooled, pour the brine over the turkey legs, making sure they are totally submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- If you want to expedite the process, use a marinade injector, injecting one syringe-full of brine into each turkey leg (1½ syringe-fulls for the larger turkey legs). Then, let brine as usual for 5-6 hours. This way, the turkey legs don't need to brine overnight. Sounds gruesome, but it really expedites the process, and these marinade injectors are pretty inexpensive!
- When the turkey legs are ready, heat your charcoal. Your key tools for this recipe are a charcoal grill, a chimney starter, charcoal, and wet wood chips, which provides the smoky flavor. Fill your chimney with charcoal and light the coals with a piece of newspaper. Let heat for a solid 15-20 minutes or so--until the coals are slightly white hot. Also, take 1-2 handfuls of wood chips and soak them in water while the coals are heating.
- Pour the coals into the grill and scatter the wood chips around the coals. Lay your grill rack over the coals. Place the turkey legs on the grill rack and close the grill.
- chimney-full of coal is enough to start for an average-sized charcoal grill. Add another chimney of coal every 20-30 minutes, depending on the kind of charcoal you're using. Periodically add additional wet wood chips to make more smoke as needed. More wood chips makes more smoke, increasing the "hammy" smoked flavor of the turkey legs. You can cater this to your personal preferences. I like a very hammy smoked turkey leg; my aunt prefers more of a natural flavor. Take your pick!
- The slow cooking method is key here. Periodically check the turkey legs, turning every once in a while, and make sure the grill maintains a temperature of 300-325 degrees. There is some element of trial and error to this if you're a first-timer; make observations and adjust amounts of charcoal, wood chips, and heat over the course of the cooking time.
- Maintain the grill, charcoal, and wood chips, letting the turkey cook for 3 ½ to 4 hours--until the turkey legs have a nice, dark smoky color that a young Chinese girl once thought only existed within the walls of Disney World.
- Serve immediately and let your inner caveman / inner Disney World fanatic dig in!