One of the 'problems' with a turkey is in the drumstick portion; unlike a chicken, the turkey is larger and more mature and the ligaments are grown more and inedible.
Years and years ago, dad got his turkeys with all the feathers on, legs, feet, head, neck; everything but the guts, they had been eviscerated prior to delivery (they couldn't be transported with the guts, they'd spoil too quick). However, the same parts were saved; the gizzard, the liver, and the heart. We spent many hours plucking feathers, burning off pinfeathers (there was a tool you used to do this), dad would cleave off the heads and cut the necks, then my brother and I got to rip out the leg tendons with a leg-puller. We had a tool on the wall that we'd anchor the leg in, pull the lever, and the foot and all the attached tendons came out from the drumstick! Of course, nowadays they don't do that at the packing plants because it would rip the skin sometimes.
http://www.whiteheadengineering.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=85
Dad had his mounted on the wall.
However, it is not that hard to do, either before the turkey is cooked or after. If you look at a drumstick:
on the short side of the drumstick (inner side) you see an extra 'bump' at the joint:
If you cut that, you can pull out most all the ligaments in the drumstick! You may have to grip it with some vice grips, but this is where all those are attached. If you select the drumstick for eating, loosen it at the bone and yank on it, your drum will be ligament-free! They are not attached to the bone individually, they are attached at that point as a group.
Years and years ago, dad got his turkeys with all the feathers on, legs, feet, head, neck; everything but the guts, they had been eviscerated prior to delivery (they couldn't be transported with the guts, they'd spoil too quick). However, the same parts were saved; the gizzard, the liver, and the heart. We spent many hours plucking feathers, burning off pinfeathers (there was a tool you used to do this), dad would cleave off the heads and cut the necks, then my brother and I got to rip out the leg tendons with a leg-puller. We had a tool on the wall that we'd anchor the leg in, pull the lever, and the foot and all the attached tendons came out from the drumstick! Of course, nowadays they don't do that at the packing plants because it would rip the skin sometimes.
http://www.whiteheadengineering.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=85
Dad had his mounted on the wall.
However, it is not that hard to do, either before the turkey is cooked or after. If you look at a drumstick:
on the short side of the drumstick (inner side) you see an extra 'bump' at the joint:
If you cut that, you can pull out most all the ligaments in the drumstick! You may have to grip it with some vice grips, but this is where all those are attached. If you select the drumstick for eating, loosen it at the bone and yank on it, your drum will be ligament-free! They are not attached to the bone individually, they are attached at that point as a group.
Last edited:
