Smoked Turkey Legs

Cooking tutorial

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 smoked turkey legs (about 3 to 4 lbs total)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, for a little heat)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 to 4 carrots, cut into chunks
• 3 to 4 potatoes, cut into chunks

Instructions

1. 1

   Step 1: Pat those turkey legs dry with paper towels and set them to the side. You want them nice and dry so they brown up good.

2. 2

   Step 2: Heat your butter in a big heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it's hot and foaming.

3. 3

   Step 3: Working in batches, brown those turkey legs on all sides — about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Don't crowd the pot or they'll steam instead of brown. Set them aside on a plate.

4. 4

   Step 4: In that same pot, add your sliced onions and cook them until they're soft and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Then add your minced garlic and cook for another minute until it smells real good.

5. 5

   Step 5: Pour in your chicken broth and water, scraping up all those brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot — that's flavor right there.

6. 6

   Step 6: Stir in the brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, black pepper, seasoned salt, cayenne if you're using it, and those bay leaves.

7. 7

   Step 7: Place those turkey legs back in the pot, making sure they're mostly covered by the liquid. Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover that pot, and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.

8. 8

   Step 8: After 45 minutes, add your carrots and potatoes right into the pot. Cover it back up and simmer for another 30 to 35 minutes until the vegetables are tender and that meat is falling off the bone.

9. 9

   Step 9: Taste your broth and add more salt and pepper if it needs it. Pull out those bay leaves.

10. 10

    Step 10: Serve those turkey legs with all that good broth and those vegetables piled right up on the plate. You can spoon that broth over everything.

Pro Tips

• ★If you're using smoked turkey legs from the grocery store deli, they're already cooked, so you're really just warming them through and making them tender in that braising liquid — don't overcook them or they'll fall apart before you even get them on the plate.
• ★Make this the day before if you can — the flavors get even better sitting overnight, and the meat gets more tender. Just reheat it gently on the stove the next day, and you'll have yourself a real special meal.