smoked leg
July 1st 2012
I went into the butcher this week and spotted large smoked turkey legs for £2.50 each. I couldn’t resist, they were a good size – mine’s just over 12 inches long.
Smoking preserves and cooks meat, the process has been used for ages, literally. It has enabled people to keep meat edible and tasty for long periods of time, way before the age of the refrigerator. Through the smoking process, the meat acquires a smokey flavour, so even though it’s not really necessary to preserve meat (in this way) for long periods of time now, the taste factor ensures that the practice continues.
sliced turkey
Turkey is a dry meat and smoked, this leg is no exception, however, in a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich the flavour and texture was just like really good smoked ham, so I’m very happy with it and looking forward to another sandwich tomorrow! I should probably try adding some to a stew and or using the leg bone in stock.
prunella scales
I find the scaly part at the bottom of the leg quite fascinating – you can really see the relationship birds have to dinosaurs.
That would have been a very wonderful sandwich. I don’t think I’ve ever had smoked turkey and I know we just can’t buy smoked turkey legs here. We mostly only see turkey in the shops just before Christmas. What a great buy and so reasonably priced too!
Thanks – it’s not something I’ve seen much of before, but Grahame (the butcher) does manage to find some interesting things at Smithfield.
Turkey skin is not attractive, is it. The taste sounds very good, if that’s not an oxymoron, but someone would have to make that turkey leg look like one of Cyd Charisse’s before I was tempted to buy it.
You know, that turkey leg probably looks better than Cyd Charisse does these days
I love smoked turkey legs, it’s one of the highlights of my BBQ’s, though I do disagree that it’s dry, if cooked low and slow they come out wonderfully moist and smoky. I also like boned and rolled leg joints cooked on a BBQ. Too often turkey is cooked to too high a temperature and that is why it’s dry. Have a go at your own to see the difference.
Cheers
Marcus
I don’t doubt it – in one of the links I included above, it’s mentioned that the brining plays an important part in the moistness too.
I’m a big fan of smoked turkey, MD, and really enjoy sandwiches made with it. I buy smoked turkey wings and use them to make stock in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. I use the same spices in the stock that I do on The Bird and the resultant stock is used to make the dressing, gravy, and to baste The Bird. IT’s one less thing to worry about on the holiday.
That sounds excellent and a very good tip
Am still chuckling over your 12 inches and Prunella Scales
Yum to smoked turkey and boo to Bernard Matthews!
Well there’s not much for scale in the first picture
and I’m completely with you on the sentiment.
I’m with you Chica…. 12 inches indeed MD ! …
I’m sure it was a tasty sandwich. I see a lot of people here using smoked turkey legs in place of ham when cooking a pot of beans.
Thanks Karen, that’s an excellent idea
Wow.. that’s some turkey leg!! Great close-up shot at the end. I’ve not smoked anything.. so it’s interesting to find out that it would taste a bit like ham?
The flavour of smoke is like that of ham, but it still tastes of turkey. My favourite smoked meat would have to be smoked magret de canard, though any smoked duck is delicious. The difference with turkey is that it doesn’t have the fat of pork or duck, which can be as good as the meat.
I like the idea of smoked turkey and what a bargain at that price
Those butchers are unlike any others
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