Turkey legs

hbg1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
710
Someone posted a picture a few weeks ago of some legs they had cooked in a crockpot( I think with carrots and potatoes), I would like to know the recipe, it looked delicious.
 

Carlos

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2014
Messages
5,240
I cooked a pair of them in the crock pot last week. They turned out really good. I didn't have a recipe, just added chicken broth, and seasoned as needed.
The meat was a little chewy, but much better then the first time I tried cooking turkey legs.
I cooked them on Lo for 5-6 hours.
 

megalomaniac

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
14,754
Location
Mississippi
Someone posted a picture a few weeks ago of some legs they had cooked in a crockpot( I think with carrots and potatoes), I would like to know the recipe, it looked delicious.
Google 'mississippi pot roast'..

I used that recipie with a couple modifications for turkey legs and thighs.

Start with the quarters in the crackpot with the juice of a jar of peppericino peppers (save the peppers for later) and chicken broth/stock to just barely cover the quarters. Add a pack of dry ranch dressing mix.

Cook for about 6 to 7 hours, then pull the quarters, remove the femur from the thighs and the spindles from the legs, and shred the meat with a fork. Put back into the stock and add a packet of brown gravy mix and stir up. Add the peppers, potatoes, carrots, and onions and cook another 2 to 3 hours.

The amazing thing is it is almost better as leftovers a couple days after being in the fridge!
 

hbg1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
710
Google 'mississippi pot roast'..

I used that recipie with a couple modifications for turkey legs and thighs.

Start with the quarters in the crackpot with the juice of a jar of peppericino peppers (save the peppers for later) and chicken broth/stock to just barely cover the quarters. Add a pack of dry ranch dressing mix.

Cook for about 6 to 7 hours, then pull the quarters, remove the femur from the thighs and the spindles from the legs, and shred the meat with a fork. Put back into the stock and add a packet of brown gravy mix and stir up. Add the peppers, potatoes, carrots, and onions and cook another 2 to 3 hours.

The amazing thing is it is almost better as leftovers a couple days after being in the fridge!
Yes, that's it, thanks mega
 

AT Hiker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Messages
12,957
Location
Clarksville, Tennessee
Recipie! I have some fresh legs and thighs
Lots of traditional central Mexico recipes online for pozole, I prefer the verde (green) with with turkey. Fun fact, sorta, the traditional-ancient Mexicans used humans in pozole!!!!!

The base for pozole verde is much like chili verde except pozole uses hominy as a highlighted ingredient. You can go through the trouble and make your own salsa verde with roasted poblanos and tomatillos, soak your own hominy and maybe even sacrifice a neighbor or two, like the ancients. For me, who has done it the "hard" way (no human sacrifices....yet) and also the "easy" way, I just don't taste too much of a quality difference. My wife and daughter have yet to notice either, so I will share my "easy" method as the long or "hard" way can be researched online or in old Mexico cook books.

My easy way, which is much like chili verde but with hominy and lots of stock and broth. Dressing up pozole is probably what really sets it apart. I like sliced avocados, cilantro, lime, dash of red hot sauce and radishes as my toppings. My wife likes to cook up some white rice to make a heck of a meal out of it.
-Cook the legs and thighs like you would for your BBQ method. I season with salt/pepper/fresh crushed garlic and enough water to cover the leg meat 1/2 up. If Im up to it I like to pluck the bird and brown the skin then into the braise, just adds more flavor IMO...but some birds are a PITA to pluck. Once the meat is done, Ill shred it like you mentioned. I save that liquid, after I strain it.
-I also save the carcass, neck and any wobbly bits I don't pout into sausage and make a stock. I get my stock stupid thick, I also like it cloudy...it wouldn't win a ribbon at a county fair but it taste AMAZING!
-If you don't have your own thick stock that's ok. Just use a good chicken stock. I prefer thick pozole but a thinner one is great too. You could even blend up some hominy to stir in to thicken it up...I wouldn't on your first batch.

Base ingredients for the easy way
  • Since you have probably have two leg/thighs cook them both together, use 1/2 the meat for the pozole and all the remaining liquid and save the other 1/2 of meat for later to fine tune our pozole or use in your BBQ or whatever.
  • 6-8 cups of chicken stock plus your left over liquid from the leg braise. I prefer low sodium no sugar added 4 cup boxed stuff from kroger.
  • 2 cans or about 24oz of hominy
  • 1 to 2 full 16oz jars of Herdez mild salsa verde, I start with one then add as needed for taste. Traditional recipes call for 1lb or tomatillos plus onions, chilis...so for the easy way I figure 16oz of salsa verde is a min amount. Ive never used any other brand so that's why I suggested Herdez. Im sure others are fine.
  • 7oz can of diced medium green chilis
  • One packet of Kroger Simple Truth chili verde seasoning, this stuff is GOOD! Try to find the medium, the hot is pretty spicy.
Get your cooking vessel hot ( no crock pot, I use a dutch oven), put some lard or butter in then dump the shredded meat in. Add the simple truth seasoning to the meat and stir around to completely coat it all, don't burn it...you want a very slight crisp but your more focused on infusing those flavors into the meat. Add a little more butter/lard if needed. Turn your heat down then add the can of green chilis and stir all those crispy flavors off the bottom of the pot, then dump in one jar of salsa verde and stir. Your basically dumping all the flavor into the meat and enhancing those flavors with the sautéed/deglaze... add your hominy then add your stock. Most stock comes in a 4 cup box, start with that and see what you think. Add your braising liquid too If you need more liquid add in some more store bought stock. Let it come to a simmer for 15 mins or so then turn off the heat. Taste it, need more salsa verde? Add it a little at a time, to spicy add in some more stock or water if its salty and flavorful enough.

Dressing up pozole is probably what really sets it apart. I like crumbled cojita cheese, sliced avocados, cilantro, lime, dash of red hot sauce on top of sour cream and radishes as my toppings. My wife likes to cook up some white rice to make a heck of a meal out of it.

Like any stew, this just gets better each day. Also, like any stew, the more you make this the more experimental you'll get and the more you'll turn it into yours.
 

poorhunter

Well-Known Member
2-Step Enabled
Joined
Aug 19, 2015
Messages
9,011
Location
Hickman county
Lots of traditional central Mexico recipes online for pozole, I prefer the verde (green) with with turkey. Fun fact, sorta, the traditional-ancient Mexicans used humans in pozole!!!!!

The base for pozole verde is much like chili verde except pozole uses hominy as a highlighted ingredient. You can go through the trouble and make your own salsa verde with roasted poblanos and tomatillos, soak your own hominy and maybe even sacrifice a neighbor or two, like the ancients. For me, who has done it the "hard" way (no human sacrifices....yet) and also the "easy" way, I just don't taste too much of a quality difference. My wife and daughter have yet to notice either, so I will share my "easy" method as the long or "hard" way can be researched online or in old Mexico cook books.

My easy way, which is much like chili verde but with hominy and lots of stock and broth. Dressing up pozole is probably what really sets it apart. I like sliced avocados, cilantro, lime, dash of red hot sauce and radishes as my toppings. My wife likes to cook up some white rice to make a heck of a meal out of it.
-Cook the legs and thighs like you would for your BBQ method. I season with salt/pepper/fresh crushed garlic and enough water to cover the leg meat 1/2 up. If Im up to it I like to pluck the bird and brown the skin then into the braise, just adds more flavor IMO...but some birds are a PITA to pluck. Once the meat is done, Ill shred it like you mentioned. I save that liquid, after I strain it.
-I also save the carcass, neck and any wobbly bits I don't pout into sausage and make a stock. I get my stock stupid thick, I also like it cloudy...it wouldn't win a ribbon at a county fair but it taste AMAZING!
-If you don't have your own thick stock that's ok. Just use a good chicken stock. I prefer thick pozole but a thinner one is great too. You could even blend up some hominy to stir in to thicken it up...I wouldn't on your first batch.

Base ingredients for the easy way
  • Since you have probably have two leg/thighs cook them both together, use 1/2 the meat for the pozole and all the remaining liquid and save the other 1/2 of meat for later to fine tune our pozole or use in your BBQ or whatever.
  • 6-8 cups of chicken stock plus your left over liquid from the leg braise. I prefer low sodium no sugar added 4 cup boxed stuff from kroger.
  • 2 cans or about 24oz of hominy
  • 1 to 2 full 16oz jars of Herdez mild salsa verde, I start with one then add as needed for taste. Traditional recipes call for 1lb or tomatillos plus onions, chilis...so for the easy way I figure 16oz of salsa verde is a min amount. Ive never used any other brand so that's why I suggested Herdez. Im sure others are fine.
  • 7oz can of diced medium green chilis
  • One packet of Kroger Simple Truth chili verde seasoning, this stuff is GOOD! Try to find the medium, the hot is pretty spicy.
Get your cooking vessel hot ( no crock pot, I use a dutch oven), put some lard or butter in then dump the shredded meat in. Add the simple truth seasoning to the meat and stir around to completely coat it all, don't burn it...you want a very slight crisp but your more focused on infusing those flavors into the meat. Add a little more butter/lard if needed. Turn your heat down then add the can of green chilis and stir all those crispy flavors off the bottom of the pot, then dump in one jar of salsa verde and stir. Your basically dumping all the flavor into the meat and enhancing those flavors with the sautéed/deglaze... add your hominy then add your stock. Most stock comes in a 4 cup box, start with that and see what you think. Add your braising liquid too If you need more liquid add in some more store bought stock. Let it come to a simmer for 15 mins or so then turn off the heat. Taste it, need more salsa verde? Add it a little at a time, to spicy add in some more stock or water if its salty and flavorful enough.

Dressing up pozole is probably what really sets it apart. I like crumbled cojita cheese, sliced avocados, cilantro, lime, dash of red hot sauce on top of sour cream and radishes as my toppings. My wife likes to cook up some white rice to make a heck of a meal out of it.

Like any stew, this just gets better each day. Also, like any stew, the more you make this the more experimental you'll get and the more you'll turn it into yours.
I may or may not try this, but I should!

When I saw the thread title I thought we were talking about cooking the feet for some reason. We raise our own meat birds and my wife insists on using the dirty nasty vile looking feet of those Cornish Cross chickens to make stock with. At first I told her no way, but I went ahead let her. One of the best decisions I have made! Best stock ever comes from chicken feet.
 

megalomaniac

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
14,754
Location
Mississippi
Lots of traditional central Mexico recipes online for pozole, I prefer the verde (green) with with turkey. Fun fact, sorta, the traditional-ancient Mexicans used humans in pozole!!!!!

The base for pozole verde is much like chili verde except pozole uses hominy as a highlighted ingredient. You can go through the trouble and make your own salsa verde with roasted poblanos and tomatillos, soak your own hominy and maybe even sacrifice a neighbor or two, like the ancients. For me, who has done it the "hard" way (no human sacrifices....yet) and also the "easy" way, I just don't taste too much of a quality difference. My wife and daughter have yet to notice either, so I will share my "easy" method as the long or "hard" way can be researched online or in old Mexico cook books.

My easy way, which is much like chili verde but with hominy and lots of stock and broth. Dressing up pozole is probably what really sets it apart. I like sliced avocados, cilantro, lime, dash of red hot sauce and radishes as my toppings. My wife likes to cook up some white rice to make a heck of a meal out of it.
-Cook the legs and thighs like you would for your BBQ method. I season with salt/pepper/fresh crushed garlic and enough water to cover the leg meat 1/2 up. If Im up to it I like to pluck the bird and brown the skin then into the braise, just adds more flavor IMO...but some birds are a PITA to pluck. Once the meat is done, Ill shred it like you mentioned. I save that liquid, after I strain it.
-I also save the carcass, neck and any wobbly bits I don't pout into sausage and make a stock. I get my stock stupid thick, I also like it cloudy...it wouldn't win a ribbon at a county fair but it taste AMAZING!
-If you don't have your own thick stock that's ok. Just use a good chicken stock. I prefer thick pozole but a thinner one is great too. You could even blend up some hominy to stir in to thicken it up...I wouldn't on your first batch.

Base ingredients for the easy way
  • Since you have probably have two leg/thighs cook them both together, use 1/2 the meat for the pozole and all the remaining liquid and save the other 1/2 of meat for later to fine tune our pozole or use in your BBQ or whatever.
  • 6-8 cups of chicken stock plus your left over liquid from the leg braise. I prefer low sodium no sugar added 4 cup boxed stuff from kroger.
  • 2 cans or about 24oz of hominy
  • 1 to 2 full 16oz jars of Herdez mild salsa verde, I start with one then add as needed for taste. Traditional recipes call for 1lb or tomatillos plus onions, chilis...so for the easy way I figure 16oz of salsa verde is a min amount. Ive never used any other brand so that's why I suggested Herdez. Im sure others are fine.
  • 7oz can of diced medium green chilis
  • One packet of Kroger Simple Truth chili verde seasoning, this stuff is GOOD! Try to find the medium, the hot is pretty spicy.
Get your cooking vessel hot ( no crock pot, I use a dutch oven), put some lard or butter in then dump the shredded meat in. Add the simple truth seasoning to the meat and stir around to completely coat it all, don't burn it...you want a very slight crisp but your more focused on infusing those flavors into the meat. Add a little more butter/lard if needed. Turn your heat down then add the can of green chilis and stir all those crispy flavors off the bottom of the pot, then dump in one jar of salsa verde and stir. Your basically dumping all the flavor into the meat and enhancing those flavors with the sautéed/deglaze... add your hominy then add your stock. Most stock comes in a 4 cup box, start with that and see what you think. Add your braising liquid too If you need more liquid add in some more store bought stock. Let it come to a simmer for 15 mins or so then turn off the heat. Taste it, need more salsa verde? Add it a little at a time, to spicy add in some more stock or water if its salty and flavorful enough.

Dressing up pozole is probably what really sets it apart. I like crumbled cojita cheese, sliced avocados, cilantro, lime, dash of red hot sauce on top of sour cream and radishes as my toppings. My wife likes to cook up some white rice to make a heck of a meal out of it.

Like any stew, this just gets better each day. Also, like any stew, the more you make this the more experimental you'll get and the more you'll turn it into yours.
Ty!.. so do you serve it over the top of rice or is it something you put in tortillas?

Like a twist on carnitas?
 

hbg1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
710
Smelling and looking good
 

Attachments

  • 0028778B-762F-4D80-966E-266AE81D8F2A.jpeg
    0028778B-762F-4D80-966E-266AE81D8F2A.jpeg
    175.2 KB · Views: 47

AT Hiker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Messages
12,957
Location
Clarksville, Tennessee
Ty!.. so do you serve it over the top of rice or is it something you put in tortillas?

Like a twist on carnitas?
It's a basic stew so it's pretty soupy.
My wife likes it served over rice because it tames the heat if I get carried away with the chilis. Traditionally it's eaten without rice because the hominy is the starch and you can be ultra creative with toppings.
 

AT Hiker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Messages
12,957
Location
Clarksville, Tennessee
I may or may not try this, but I should!

When I saw the thread title I thought we were talking about cooking the feet for some reason. We raise our own meat birds and my wife insists on using the dirty nasty vile looking feet of those Cornish Cross chickens to make stock with. At first I told her no way, but I went ahead let her. One of the best decisions I have made! Best stock ever comes from chicken feet.
IDK about using wild turkey feet, the neighborhood kids say they look like dinosaur feet. I'm going to have to investigate it now.
Actually, I seen a big pack of chicken feet at a grocery store the other day and was wondering what could be done with them. If the price is right I might experiment now.

Here are two quart jars I made In early April with the Turkey I killed. I love my stock thick and cloudy. When it cools in the fridge and turns to a semi gelatin state I know I've succeeded.
D5CB5C98-0E4F-47F5-8F36-CEAD68E41345.jpeg
 

Jbird22

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2012
Messages
238
Location
MS
Last year, I tried smoking the legs/thighs and it was a total bust. They were dry and tough. It's the only thing I've ever tried smoking that wasn't worth eating.

Saturday, I put some in the slow cooker and followed a recipe given to me by a buddy, I modified it a bit but this is what I did and it was really good:

- 2 legs/thighs (separated legs/thighs)
- 1 sliced white onion
- 1/3 - 1/2 container of chicken broth (buddy's recipe called for 1/2 cup Sprite here)
- 1/2 cup regular bbq sauce
- 1/2 cup Heath Riles tangy vinegar bbq sauce (buddy's recipe called for 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar here)
- Seasoned with The BBQ Rub (Malcolm Reed) and Boars Night Out White Lightning

I added the above to slow cooker (Crock Pot) and let cook on low for 8 hrs, shredded the meat from the bones/tendons, and put in back in the pot to slow cook for another 30 mins. I added a little bbq to the meat/onions and it made a very good sandwich. My wife and daughter are picky eaters and they both enjoyed them as well.
 

Latest posts

Top