Mr. Tom Morrow, Your Turkey Leg is Ready!
It seems to be a rare moment in life when two loves can be combined into one beautiful moment. So when Mikey presented me with the cook of smoked turkey legs, I was beyond excited.
If you have ever been to Walt Disney World, you undoubtedly know that far beyond the unique rides and experiences, there is also food which is distinctively Disney. For some, this may come in the form of Adventureland's Dole Whip. For others, it may be the Mickey Mouse shaped pretzel. For a carnivore, it is most likely the turkey leg. A turkey leg is certainly not unique to only Walt Disney World. However, once you see people meandering Disney World holding their giant smoked meat lollipops, you will forever make that connection.
There is not a whole lot of Disney I can bring to my backyard. I cannot sail with pirates. The ghosts in my house are nowhere near as enjoyable as those who haunt Master Gracey's Mansion. It's just my backyard and that is exactly why I spend thousands every year to go to Disney World. But now, I can bring the joy to the Disney smoked turkey leg to my backyard.
Now the first challenge with this cook was first finding turkey legs which were not already smoked. This took a while and going to several different stores, but finally, I acquired 3 large unsmoked turkey legs. The next step forced me to plan ahead a little for this cook as I needed to brine them overnight.
For the brine, I used my personal logic in saying everything is better with bourbon. The day before, my turkey legs took a bath in water, salt, bourbon and maple syrup. After soaking them overnight, they were ready for the rub. For this, I covered them in Kosmos Q Dirty Bird.
A half hour later, these legs were being placed on my kettle primed with some white smoke. I let the legs smoke until they hit about 180 internal. To make it a full meal, I also added on a few cobs of corn to the kettle. After they were fully cooked, I let them rest a few minutes. Then it was time to enjoy my own meat lollipops.
Disney is known for making magic. They take a simple amusement park ride and create an experience around it which is nothing short of magical. Magic is possible in your backyard. BBQ enables us to create meals which are nothing short of magical.
So was my turkey leg as good as those from the food cart in Tomorrowland? Truth is, I don't know and I really don't care. Simply put, it was a great meal. I no longer have to be that guy dreaming of his next trip to Disney just to get a turkey leg. I will simply be the guy dreaming of his next Disney trip just to get a Dole Whip.
Until next post, remember kids.....CHUNKS not chips!
