Wow, sorry that it took a week for me to get back and post...
The following are my notes with some added information.
Turkey Part (leg/thigh) Test
Honeysuckle Brand Turkey
6 legs 4.78 lbs @ $1.89/lb Average 12 to 13 oz legs
2 thighs 1.8 lbs @ $2.29/lb
Brine in ziplock bags for 24 hours.
Brine
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher Salt
2 Tbs Onion powder
1 Tbs Garlic powder
1 Tbs Chili powder
1 Tbs Paprika
2 Tbs course ground Black Pepper
1 Tbs rubbed Sage
1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbs Liquid Smoke
1 tsp rubbed Thyme
1 tsp ground Cumin Seed
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Note the small amount of Turkey/Chicken listed above will only require about one half gallon of brine if you use zip lock bags. Cut the brine ingredients in half and try that if you wish.
After 24 hours drain off brine and add marinade. I did not rinse or dry or anything else. Marinade for 12 to 24 hours.
Marinade
1 1/2 cup Lime Juice
1/2 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs Fine Black Pepper
a few drops of Worcestershire Sauce
In this case I used 4 fresh limes (tropical type) and made up the balance with
Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice. The Key West lime is much more sour and stronger, using a combination mellows the mixture.
The marinade process seems to make Turkey skin much more edible.
Mopping Sauce
Add 2 Tbs A1 Steak Sauce and 1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar to the marinade, let it reduce in smoker along with the Turkey, mop every hour to start and more often as the Turkey gets to temperature. I was trying to get to 170 degrees but gave up at 165 and over 5 hours.
Now for some qview
So the after all of that.... Yes the legs were much better without any sugar.
But I'm not so sure that smoking them is exactly the right way to go. If I do use the smoker again I will sear the legs first on the grill. Might be just as easy to use the grill.
Still wondering about that extra day of soaking in plain water that I used the first time. Those were more tender.
There is more detail on the Jeep Forum if you would like to read it
Turkey Legs, Smoked or Grilled ?
Dale
