6 Turkey Leg Tips for Recreating That State Fair Favorite
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While it's easy to be lured by the great taste of a 2-pound, smoked turkey leg, producing something equally delicious at home requires some planning. The first big issue is ensuring that both the exterior and the largest, innermost portions of the turkey leg are cooked evenly. If the outer layer is perfectly cooked while the center portion still has a significant amount of raw meat left within it, then you've failed. On the flip side, if you continue cooking until the center reaches a safe internal temperature, the edges and outer layers begin to dehydrate and lose all juiciness. So, what's the trick? There are many tricks and techniques involved in successfully smoking turkey legs; the key is mastering a difficult task: consistently cooking uneven cuts of meat through a prolonged cooking period. Here are 7 tips to help you achieve that perfect smoky turkey leg.
Table of Contents
6 Cooking Tips for Juicy State Fair-Style Turkey Leg
Preparing the Turkey Legs (Brining)
Before cooking your turkey legs, you need to add moisture back into the meat. One way to do this is by soaking your turkey legs in a mixture called brine. Not only does brining add moisture back into the meat, but it provides a great base for added flavors. As we know, turkey legs are much larger than chicken legs, therefore simply rubbing down the exterior with a BBQ rub is not going to penetrate all areas of the meat.
After you’ve completed the brining step, pat your turkey legs dry with paper towels. Moisture on the outside of the turkey legs will prevent the nice browning from developing on the outside during the cooking process. Next, sprinkle your BBQ rub or seasoning evenly over the entire surface of each turkey leg. While state fair turkey legs are definitely meant to be full of flavor, now isn’t the time to think simple – go crazy!
Selecting Consistent-Sized Turkey Legs
When cooking multiple turkey legs at one time, choose turkey legs that are roughly equal in size. Smaller turkey legs tend to cook significantly faster than larger ones. Therefore, having all turkey legs that are approximately the same size eliminates one variable when attempting to manage the timing of your cook.
Additionally, even when turkey legs are approximately the same size, they will likely finish cooking at slightly different times due to variations in how quickly each leg absorbs heat. At this point, you’ll want to monitor temperatures closely. However, selecting uniform-sized turkey legs will greatly simplify managing the overall cook.
Maintaining a Stable Heat Environment
Unlike rapidly-cooking smaller meats such as burgers or steaks, large turkey legs require low and steady heat. High heat causes a number of problems including burning and drying out the exterior of the turkey leg prior to reaching optimal internal temperatures. By using lower heat, you’re giving yourself more time to ensure that the innermost parts of the turkey leg reach ideal temperatures.
Regardless of whether you’re cooking with a grill or smoker, maintain a constant heat environment as best possible. Opening your grill or smoker frequently to check on your turkey legs disrupts heat flow and introduces additional thermal fluctuations. Ironically, constantly checking on your food because you’re worried that it might not be done yet can ultimately create more variables in terms of predictability during the cooking process.
Stopping Reliance on Cooking Time Only
Turkey legs illustrate precisely why cooking time cannot be used alone as a definitive indicator of completion. Each turkey leg has varying degrees of thickness. Each turkey leg begins with different initial temperatures. And, your grill or smoker temperature also fluctuates. In addition, even two otherwise indistinguishable-looking turkey legs can cook at distinctly different rates.
Color is also insufficient here. A beautiful-brown turkey leg may tell you what’s occurring on the surface of your turkey leg, but it absolutely does not give you insight into what’s happening in those deeper regions farthest from the surface.
Internal temperature data provides you with significantly more useful information regarding what’s actually taking place inside each individual turkey leg. Instead of questioning “has my turkey leg been cooking ‘long enough’”, you can answer questions like “what is really happening inside this particular turkey leg?”, particularly helpful when you’re cooking with numerous large turkey legs.
Using the TempPro TempSpike Wireless Meat Thermometer
Nowhere does this become more apparent than with the TempPro TempSpike Plus TP972 Wireless Meat Thermometer, specifically developed for state fair-style turkey legs. Unlike manually checking each turkey leg periodically by removing it from the grill or smoker and inserting an instant-read thermometer into the meat itself, you can insert probes into your turkey legs and continuously track the progress of each piece.
Bluetooth 5.2 with transmission up to 600 feet gives you a strong and reliable signal when grilling in your yard or cooking outdoors and Wi-Fi is unreliable or unavailable. No longer do you need to stand next to your grill or smoker for hours; you can attend to your sides, engage with guests or perform virtually any other activity while still tracking what’s happening.
Two-color coded probes make identifying which probe is attached to which turkey leg considerably easier since each piece may not complete at exactly the same time. Simply ensure that each probe extends sufficiently deep into the meat to leave only the ceramic handles exposed.
Utilizing the LCD Booster
One common drawback of wireless cooking thermometers is that after checking your phone every few minutes gets old in itself. The TempPro TempSpike Plus TP972 Wireless Meat Thermometer includes an LCD booster that shows you current meat temperature along with ambient temperature so you can see what’s going on with your cook without needing to open your smartphone app every couple of minutes.
The LCD Booster is beneficial when your hands are messy from seasonings, when you’re working on other dishes, or when your phone is located elsewhere in your residence.
Also note that Bluetooth pairing occurs automatically upon delivery so you don’t have to set up a new account and/or establish Wi-Fi access before you cook. Remove your TempPro TempSpike Plus TP972 from storage and get ready to cook, there is nothing left for you to do except monitor.
Each probe was designed for extreme cooking environments as well. Each probe contains IP67-rated waterproof design for protection from water exposure and the sealed ceramic tip is rated for temperatures up to 1050°F. Cleaning the probes before charging will assist in protecting them from damage and extending their usability.
FAQ About Cooking State Fair-Style Turkey Legs
Why are state fair turkey legs so juicy?
Preparation and controlled cooking both matter. Brining, avoiding excessively aggressive heat and monitoring internal temperature can help produce a more consistently juicy turkey leg.
Can I cook multiple turkey legs at the same time?
Yes. Try to select similarly sized turkey legs, but remember that they may still cook at different rates. The two color-coded probes of the TempPro TempSpike Plus TP972 make it easier to monitor two pieces independently.
Does the TempPro TempSpike require Wi-Fi?
No. The TempPro TempSpike Plus TP972 uses Bluetooth 5.2 and comes already Bluetooth paired. No account or Wi*-*Fi setup is required.
How far can I go from the grill with the TempPro TempSpike Plus TP972?
The TempPro TempSpike Plus TP972 supports a Bluetooth transmission distance of up to 600 feet, making it useful for backyard and outdoor cooking.
Can I see temperatures without using the TempPro App?
Yes. The LCD Booster displays the current meat and ambient temperatures directly, so you don't always need to open the app.
Are the TempSpike probes waterproof?
The probes feature IP67 waterproof protection. The ceramic head can withstand high temperatures up to 1050°F.
Why Wireless Temp Monitoring Helps Manage Large Turkey Legs
As mentioned above, there is little doubt that one of the most significant challenges when smoking large turkey legs lies in understanding what is happening internally without disturbing the surrounding cooking environment multiple times.
Here is how the TempPro TempSpike Plus TP972 Wireless Meat Thermometer fits seamlessly into this recipe. Combining 600-foot Bluetooth 5.2 range capabilities with two color-coded probes and an LCD Booster displaying both meat and ambient temperatures greatly reduces complexity when managing a lengthy outdoor cook.
You no longer need to constantly open your grill or smoker, examine one turkey leg, remove another from heat, assess both and attempt to recall which temperature reading was associated with each respective piece. You instead receive ongoing updates throughout the entire cooking process while your food continues to cook.
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