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Smoked Turkey Legs


bloviatrix

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In Al Dente's Kosher Kollard Green thread, he asked what would be a good substitute for ham hocks and the solution was to use a smoked turkey leg.

Since I keep kosher, I always skipped the recipes that called for ham hocks, so you can imagine that I'm very excited because this substitution expands my repetoire.

I've got the smoked turkey leg, what else can I make?

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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Tipsy Black Beans from James Beard's American Cookery. Don't have a link see if you can find the book in the library or pm me and I'll send it. Don't know if it qualifies as Kosher but it sure is good. :smile:

Bruce Frigard

Quality control Taster, Château D'Eau Winery

"Free time is the engine of ingenuity, creativity and innovation"

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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Susan McCreight Lindeborg, chef of the Majestic Cafe in Alexandria, VA did a fun smoked-turkey-leg "faux pho" (forgive the terrible pun - I made it up, she didn't) for a $10 meal challenge in the Washington Post Food section. The article that goes along with the recipe is simply magnificent. ;)

http://www.emilykaiser.com/text/000417.php

Cheers, Emily

Emily Kaiser

www.emilykaiser.com

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Considering that the turkey leg is quite large, should I shred some of the meat off or just throw the whole thing in?

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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I was thinking about that problem. It is more geometric than anything else. Turkey legs are a very inconvenient size and shape. I actually saw smoked thighs at my local HEB. There would be more meat on a thigh as well. I would say that if you have room in the pot, say a big pot to sweat down a big batch of greens, I would throw the whole thing in. If I were doing a pot of beans in my little Le Creuset, I might pull off chunks of the meat.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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Yes, if you have the room, the whole leg would yield more flavor then de-bone and return the "kosher hock" meat to soups or beans, etc. I often do greens, lentils, various beans (love the baby limas this way!), blackeye peas, or split pea soup with smoked turkey -- the flavor is wonderful and the aroma will make you believe you are eatin' the real thing! :wink:

Going a bit beyond the ham hocks question -- but smoked turkey leg or thigh (just so it's the dark meat) is also good to sub for other ham/bacon uses -- such as in quiche or frittatas. Just saute first to give it a bit more of a firm slightly crisp texture.

Judith Love

North of the 30th parallel

One woman very courteously approached me in a grocery store, saying, "Excuse me, but I must ask why you've brought your dog into the store." I told her that Grace is a service dog.... "Excuse me, but you told me that your dog is allowed in the store because she's a service dog. Is she Army or Navy?" Terry Thistlewaite

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Split Pea Soup !

Or added to a simmering pot of pintos / black or any other beans or bean based soup. I frequently substitute smoked turkey legs or even wings in a pinch.

After cooking the greens with two whole turkey legs, we took the legs out and picked at them (those of us who were cooking anyway). The first dish that popped into everyone's mind was split pea soup! You could rename that soup with those two legs in mind-- Split Pea Standing Up??? :shock:

peak performance is predicated on proper pan preparation...

-- A.B.

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I've often used a smoked turkey leg or thigh in place of a ham hock. It's "un-traife", and generally a whole lot less salty as well. I've used it quite successfully in Split Pea soup and 15 Bean soup. Once it boils for a while the meat can be pulled off the bone, cut into chunks and returned to the pot. Watch out for the tendons and stringy parts.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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I can't wait to try some of these ideas. Keep 'em coming.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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Going a bit beyond the ham hocks question -- but smoked turkey leg or thigh (just so it's the dark meat) is also good to sub for other ham/bacon uses -- such as in quiche or frittatas. Just saute first to give it a bit more of a firm slightly crisp texture.

Now that is a great idea. You have just expanded the use of smoked turkey tremendously. My son's roommate is Jewish, not kosher but doesn't eat pork just from life experience, so this thread is going to be very valuable since so many of our favorite recipes depend upon pork products.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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Split Pea Soup !

Or added to a simmering pot of pintos / black or any other beans or bean based soup. I frequently substitute smoked turkey legs or even wings in a pinch.

After cooking the greens with two whole turkey legs, we took the legs out and picked at them (those of us who were cooking anyway). The first dish that popped into everyone's mind was split pea soup! You could rename that soup with those two legs in mind-- Split Pea Standing Up??? :shock:

:laugh::laugh::raz::laugh: I like it!

Judith Love

North of the 30th parallel

One woman very courteously approached me in a grocery store, saying, "Excuse me, but I must ask why you've brought your dog into the store." I told her that Grace is a service dog.... "Excuse me, but you told me that your dog is allowed in the store because she's a service dog. Is she Army or Navy?" Terry Thistlewaite

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a former roommate used to make this fabulous soup with just smoked turkey wings, navy beans and some pepper.

she'd just drop it all in the crockpot and leave it for a day or two.

i think pretty much anything calling for ham hocks can use smoked turkey for a substitute, so go back through those recipes!

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We found one Thanksgiving that turkey skin makes an excellent faux-bacon. We had brined and roasted a bird, and before roasting I had carefully made sure to separate the skin from the meat everywhere I could without tearing it. Most of the people we were feeding that day were fat-and-skin-averse, so I removed the nice large piece of roast skin from over the breast and set it aside before carving.

When we were cleaning up after everyone had left, my husband broke off a bit of skin and started munching on it. "I saw you prepare this, so I know there's no bacon in it, but.... wow!" he said. :wub:

"The dinner table is the center for the teaching and practicing not just of table manners but of conversation, consideration, tolerance, family feeling, and just about all the other accomplishments of polite society except the minuet." - Judith Martin (Miss Manners)

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I made a lentil soup tonight and threw in a smoked turkey leg. The soup was good, but not particularly smokey flavored -- I shredded the turkey meat before serving and the smokey flavor only came through when a chunk of meat was in the mouthful.

So, I have a couple of questions...

How much flavor should the leg be imparting to the dish? Is it very obvious or just subtle?

In preparing the soup I heated some olive oil and then sweated my mirepoix for about 10 minutes until the veg were soft. At that point I added the turkey leg, lentils and water. Would it be more effective if I add the turkey leg to the oil and the let the fat render off and the oil asborb the smokey flavor, then remove the leg, sweat the veg and replace the leg?

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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Did you include the skin?

Yes. I threw the whole thing in.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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The soup simmered for about 1 1/2 hours. The pot was partially covered (I left the house and was afraid it would boil out).

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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I made a lentil soup tonight and threw in a smoked turkey leg.  The soup was good, but not particularly smokey flavored -- I shredded the turkey meat before serving and the smokey flavor only came through when a chunk of meat was in the mouthful. 

So, I have a couple of questions...

How much flavor should the leg be imparting to the dish?  Is it very obvious or just subtle?

In preparing the soup I heated some olive oil and then sweated my mirepoix for about 10 minutes until the veg were soft.  At that point I added the turkey leg, lentils and water.  Would it be more effective if I add the turkey leg to the oil and the let the fat render off and the oil asborb the smokey flavor, then remove the leg, sweat the veg and replace the leg?

I used 2 legs for a huge pot of collard greens. It simmered for about 3 hours. The smokiness was definitely there. I did do some rendering with the legs while sauteing some onions and garlic to start off the process. Then I added about 2 quarts of stock along with probably 3 pounds of trimmed collards.

peak performance is predicated on proper pan preparation...

-- A.B.

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You may want to try making a stock with one leg, and drop another one in the dish itself.

It's gilding the lily a bit, but at least it's turkey.

I wonder if the thigh can be deboned and sliced thin so it could be seared and served in the morning with eggs?

Smoked turkey confit anyone?

Screw it. It's a Butterball.
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When I've cooked things for vegetarians that usually need smoked pork I use a little bit of morita or chipotle (the dried kind) or smoked paprika to add smokiness to a dish. The smoked paprika is pretty potently smoky. You might try any of those with your smoked turkey to up the flavor.

regards,

trillium

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