There are a few things I want to tell you when grilling turkey legs on the barbie! First of all, you need to know what kind of legs you are working with.
The legs you get frozen in the freezer section of your grocery store are usually uncooked turkey legs. You know, the same kind of turkey you get for Thanksgiving dinner. These are usually uncooked and unseasoned, but you have to make sure before adding a salty rub or seasoning to them--because if they are cooked and already salted you will be dying of thirst all night. The big problem one has with these kind of turkey legs is you must grill low and slow or they will fall apart. Some of them on special may have been thawed and re-frozen and put on special in the grocer's box. So remember, cook well on the barbie and avoid turning too much.
Commercial turkey legs and butchers offer two types of turkey legs. Pre-smoked and Raw. Let's get one thing straight, pre-smoked is not pre-cooked. Pre-smoking is still raw but they can give a faux appearance of being pre-cooked. Don't you believe it! They are pre-smoked and treated with a salty additive and carry a smokey taste but you must still cook them to proper internal temperatures. The key here is not to dump a ton of salty seasoning on them or you will be sorry!
The raw is usually fine to lather with your dry rub or dump your seasoning on before grilling.
It is not uncommon for some turkey legs to weigh a few lbs each which means you will be be grilling them for awhile. If you are looking for a quick meal, grill something else. The legs if large will require some time and you should make sure to temp them very deep and far in several places to make sure they are done.
Get my recipes for Seasoning for your Poultry or Turkey Legs here!
Read all my grilling tips here
