Don’t know how to grill turkey legs? Well you’ve hit the jackpot, because we are here to show you how to grill turkey legs with moist, flavorful meat and crispy skin.
Turkey legs are a classic favorite, but their large size can make them prone to drying out when cooking. Marinating is an easy way to infuse turkey legs with flavor and moisture for irresistible results every time. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how to marinate turkey legs for optimal juiciness, share foolproof marinade recipes, and give tips for cooking marinated turkey legs to perfection.
Why Marinate Turkey Legs?
Marinating turkey legs provides several key benefits:
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Infuses flavor – Marinades allow you to impart flavors like herbs spices citrus, garlic etc. without stuffing or complicated techniques. This gives you delicious, flavored turkey with little effort.
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Keeps turkey moist – Acidic marinade ingredients like wine, vinegar, yogurt or citrus juice tenderize tough muscle fibers. This makes the turkey more tender and helps it retain moisture during cooking
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Enhances browning – Salt and acid in the marinade improve browning by reacting with proteins on the turkey skin. Better browning equals better flavor.
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Tenderizes meat – Salt and acid soften connective tissue in turkey legs, leaving you with tender, juicy meat.
How Long to Marinate Turkey Legs
For best results, marinate turkey legs for 12-24 hours. This gives the marinade time to penetrate deep into the thick meat. You can get away with 2-4 hours in a pinch, but the flavor and moisture benefits will be less noticeable.
Simple Marinade Recipes
Turkey legs pair well with simple oil and acid marinades. Here are some easy go-to recipes:
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Herb marinade – Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, chopped rosemary, thyme, sage, minced garlic, salt and pepper.
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Wine marinade – Whisk red wine, olive oil, minced garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper.
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Yogurt marinade – Whisk Greek yogurt, lime juice, cumin, coriander, paprika, minced garlic and salt.
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Citrus soy marinade – Whisk orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, minced garlic, honey and red pepper flakes.
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Mediterranean marinade – Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic and salt.
How to Marinate Turkey Legs
Marinating turkey legs takes just a few easy steps:
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Make your desired marinade and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
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Rinse turkey legs and pat extremely dry with paper towels. With a sharp knife, poke deep slits all over the legs to help the marinade penetrate.
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Place legs in a Ziploc bag or baking dish. Pour marinade over legs until all surfaces are coated.
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Seal and refrigerate 12-24 hours, flipping legs halfway through to marinate evenly.
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Cook marinated turkey legs until done. Roast, grill, bake or air fry to desired doneness, temperature and browning.
Cooking Marinated Turkey Legs
There are several great cooking methods for marinated turkey legs:
Grilling – Cook over medium-high indirect heat for 20-25 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165°F, flipping occasionally. Move over direct heat at end to crisp skin.
Roasting – Roast at 375°F on a baking sheet for 45-50 minutes until internal temperature hits 165°F.
Air frying – Air fry at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway, until 165°F internal temperature.
Braising – Brown legs then braise in marinade liquid and veggies until very tender.
Deep frying – Fry in 350°F oil for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
No matter how you cook them, marinated turkey legs should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. The extended marinating time helps them cook faster than plain turkey legs.
Serving Suggestions
Marinated turkey legs pair nicely with a variety of sides:
- Mashed or roasted potatoes
- Rice pilaf or stuffing
- Roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts, carrots or squash
- Fresh salad or slaw
- Biscuits, rolls or cornbread
They also work well in sandwiches, tacos, nachos, pizza and more!
Turkey Leg Marinating Tips
Follow these tips for the best marinated turkey legs:
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Marinate for a minimum of 12 hours for optimal flavor and moisture. 24 hours is ideal.
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Poke turkey all over with a sharp knife before marinating to maximize marinade penetration.
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Keep legs fully submerged in marinade during marinating. Flip halfway for even coverage.
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Pat legs very dry after marinating to promote good browning during cooking.
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Discard used marinade or boil it to sanitize if using to baste.
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Cook to an internal temperature of 165°F. Marinating reduces cooking time.
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Add browning agents like soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce for better browning.
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Use low sodium marinades if making gravy from drippings.
With the right marinade and technique, you can have succulent, juicy turkey legs bursting with flavor. Marinating turkey legs is easy and gives them a major boost in taste and moisture. Whip up a marinade today for mouthwatering turkey legs tomorrow!
Find Your Ideal Seasoning
After drying your wet brined turkey legs, you need to season them. A dry rub is your best choice if you want turkey legs with crispy skin. You can make a dry rub by mixing salt, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and other spices of your choice. Alternatively, you can buy a pre-made dry rub. Before applying your dry rub, coat the legs with oil or butter. The oil or butter coating will help the dry rub adhere to the skin.
A wet rub will contain many of the same seasonings as a dry rub but includes oil, vinegar or another liquid base. After applying your wet or dry rub, put the turkey legs in the fridge for at least an hour so they can absorb the seasonings.
Before Your Turkey Legs Hit the Grill
Before putting your turkey legs on the grill, you need to prep them. Properly prepping your turkey legs will help reduce the risk of the meat drying out on the grill. It will also flavor the legs and ensure that every bite is savory and moist. Below are the steps needed to prep your turkey legs before grilling.
Wet brining your turkey legs involves submerging the drumsticks in saltwater and placing them in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.
Brining will soften the turkey meat, ensuring it takes less time to grill. It will also infuse the turkey legs with extra moisture to prevent the meat from drying out while it grills. Lastly, brining allows the salt to penetrate deep into the turkey for more flavor.
If you don’t have the facilities to perform a wet brine, you can dry brine your turkey legs. Dry brining involves evenly coating your turkey legs with salt and refrigerating them for 12 to 24 hours before grilling. Wet brining delivers the moistest turkey legs while dry brining guarantees the most flavorful meat and crispy skin. Learn more about how to wet or dry brine turkey here.
After wet brining your turkey, take it out of the saltwater bath and dry it with paper towels. If you dry brined the drumsticks, wash off the brining salt before drying the legs.
Oven Baked Turkey Legs | Easy Baked Turkey Legs | Ray Mack’s Kitchen & Grill
FAQ
What do you marinate turkey with?
In a blender, combine garlic, oil, orange juice, vinegar, salt, lemon juice, oregano, cumin, coriander, onion, chipotle peppers and yellow pepper paste. Process until everything is well mixed. Spread marinade on the inside and outside of turkey. Place orange slices over turkey and sprinkle with sage.
What herbs are good in turkey legs?
Key Ingredients in Roasted Turkey Legs
Woody herbs: A combination of rosemary and thyme leaves bring lots of cozy flavor. Seasonings: Garlic powder and a little brown sugar along with Dijon mustard round out the flavor of the compound butter.
How to prepare turkey drumsticks?
- Put drumsticks in a large bowl with enough water to cover. Stir salt into water to dissolve. …
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Pour broth into a roasting pan. …
- Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Should I brine my turkey legs?
The key for juicy turkey legs is brining overnight in a salt and sugar water mixture. Because turkey can sometimes be very dry, brining helps to retain moisture in both white meat and dark meat.
Do you use soy sauce on turkey legs?
An oven roasted, flavorful and juicy herb roasted turkey legs for days when a whole turkey is just too much food or you are cooking for a smaller party. The dark soy is used to give the turkey a bit of colour and a bit of sodium. If you do not have it, you can use regular soy sauce.
How do you marinate turkey legs?
Score the turkey legs about 3 times on each side. Rub the oil all over the turkey legs, then sprinkle the seasoning all over the legs and massage very well, making sure you reach every part. Refrigerate and leave to marinate for at least one hour. (If you have the time).
How do you marinate turkey legs in jerk?
To marinate turkey legs in jerk, combine oil, thyme, brown sugar, allspice, lime juice, garlic, chile peppers, ginger, scallions, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Coat the turkey legs in the resulting jerk marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
How do you marinate a Turkey?
Garlic: Add a generous amount of freshly minced garlic to accentuate the flavor of the turkey. Spices: I add salt, pepper, smoked paprika and sweet paprika to finish off the marinade. Be sure to rub the marinade all over the entire bird, including under the skin.
What can I use instead of turkey legs?
Turkey Legs – I like to use the turkey drum for this recipe, but you can definitely use the thigh or breast as well. You can also substitute chicken in place of the turkey legs as well but you will need to adjust the cooking time and cook it for less time. Light soy sauce – I use light or low sodium soy sauce for this recipe.
Can I use turkey breast instead of turkey legs?
Yes, if you prefer, you can use turkey breast instead of legs. However, do not follow this oven-roasted turkey legs recipe as the timings and methods are different. Also, Turkey breasts are a little more prone to drying out than turkey legs, so they need special attention.