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Apple-Brined Turkey legs


This is another great alternative to make for Thanksgiving, easy, delicious and not as challenging as cooking the whole turkey.

Ingredients:

  • 6-8 Turkey legs or thighs
To make the Brine:
  • 5 cup Apple Juice
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Peppercorn
  • 2 Tsp Whole All Spice
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1 sliced lemon
  • 1 sliced Lime
  • 6 Whole Garlic cloves
  • 8 Whole Cloves
  • 1-2 sprigs Rosemary
  • 1-2 sprigs Thyme
  • 1 sprig Sage
To cook the Turkey:

  • 1 cup Apple Juice
  • ½ cup butter (113g =1 stick)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh Thyme
  • 1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary


Prepare the Turkey:  In a saucepan add all the ingredients for the brine and bring to a boil, let it boil for a minute. Then set aside to cool completely.

Rinse the turkey pieces with cold water and pat them dry with paper towels.  With a small knife poke each piece a couple times, loosen up the skin a bit, so you wont tear it while poking the meat.  Place the pieces in a very large container.

Once the brine is completely cold, now pour it over the turkey pieces, cover them with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking them.

After 24 hours:  Preheat the oven to 350º
Discard the Brine.  Rinse the turkey pieces with cold water, pat them dry with paper towels. 

Combine ½ cup of melted butter with 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme and 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, season with salt and pepper to taste, and rub this mixture all over the turkey legs, below the skin and right on the skin as well,  place the turkey legs in a baking dish, and pour 1 cup of apple juice into the baking dish, cover the baking dish with foil, and cook the legs at 350ºF for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes flip the turkey pieces around, remove the foil from them and place back in the oven for another 30 minutes.   Then set the temperature to 400ºF, flip the turkey pieces again, and continue to cook them for another 20-30 minutes or until cooked.

The internal temperature of the cooked pieces should be 160-165ºF.

Let the turkey pieces rest for at least 5 minutes before serving them!



 Enjoy!

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