BBQ Turkey Legs with Maple Bourbon Sauce
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
3 hrs
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Total Time
3 hrs 10 mins
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Servings
4 people
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Calories
482 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
BBQ Turkey Legs with Maple Bourbon Sauce
Description
BBQ Turkey Legs with Maple Bourbon Sauce involves either brining or directly grilling turkey legs, which are basted with a flavorful sauce during cooking. The brining step helps keep the turkey moist, while grilling skin side up over indirect heat cooks the meat without burning the exterior.
The maple bourbon sauce is carefully prepared by sauteing grated onion in butter until softened, then adding bourbon, crushed tomatoes, cider vinegar, maple syrup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco to build complex layers of sweetness, acidity, and smoky heat. This mixture is boiled down by one-third and can be pureed to a smoother texture.
The finished turkey legs are basted with the sauce intermittently during grilling until they reach an internal temperature of about 160°F, ensuring juiciness. Oak or fruit woods are recommended for smoking flavors, while mesquite is advised only if using a Southwest or Mexican style sauce.
Ingredients
OPTIONAL BRINE
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1 quart water
TURKEY
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 to 4 turkey legs
MAPLE BOURBON SAUCE
- 1/4 cup butter unsalted
- 1 onion grated, medium
- 1 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or to taste
- 1 tablespoon molasses (for color)
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- Tabasco sauce to taste
- smoked salt (optional)
Instructions
- If you are brining your turkey legs, dissolve the salt in the water and submerge the turkey in this overnight, or at least 4 hours. Rinse and pat dry.
- Get your grill ready as described above. Coat the turkey thighs in the vegetable oil. Lay them skin side up on the cooler side of of the grill. Cover and cook until the meat reaches about 160°F, flipping every 30 minutes or so to paint with the maple-bourbon BBQ sauce. For the first 30 minutes, let the turkey cook without the sauce while you make it.
- Once the turkey is on the grill, make the sauce by sauteing the grated onion in the butter for a few minutes. You don't want the onion to brown, but you do want it to cook enough to lose that raw onion smell and flavor. This should take 5 minutes or so on medium heat.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Boil this down by 1/3. Adjust for heat and salt. If you want, puree the sauce in the blender. I prefer to puree my sauce because it will be thicker that way. Return it to the stove top over very low heat. Stir from time to time.
- When the turkey is done, shift it to the hot side of the grill, skin side down, for a few minutes to caramelize the sauce. Paint with a little more BBQ sauce right when you serve.
Notes
- Brining turkey legs overnight or at least 4 hours improves moisture retention.
- Use oak or fruit woods for smoking on the grill to complement the sauce flavors.
- Mesquite wood is recommended only if preparing a Mexican or Southwest style barbecue.
- Cook turkey legs on the cooler side of the grill and baste every 30 minutes with sauce after the first half hour.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 482 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 482kcal | 24% |
| Carbohydrates | 46g | 15% |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
| Fat | 19g | 29% |
| Saturated Fat | 13g | 65% |
| Cholesterol | 31mg | 10% |
| Sodium | 226mg | 9% |
| Potassium | 551mg | 12% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 39g | 78% |
| Vitamin A | 433IU | 9% |
| Vitamin C | 7mg | 8% |
| Calcium | 102mg | 10% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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