Slow-Roasted Turkey Drumsticks

Name: Slow-Roasted Turkey Drumsticks
Total time: 24 h
Yield: 2–3 kg of pulled meat
Ingredients: 2–3 kg Turkey drumsticks; 1 l Water; 60 g Salt; 20 g Sugar; 2 pcs Bay leaf; 6–8 pcs Black peppercorns; 3 cloves Garlic; 3–4 sprigs Fresh thyme; 2 tsp Smoked paprika; 1 tsp Ground black pepper; 3–4 cloves Garlic; 2 tbsp Olive oil; 0.5 lemon Lemon zest; Fresh thyme

A base for pasta, tacos, soups and salads

12–24 h brining + 2–3 h roasting

After a long, slow roast the meat is tender enough to pull apart into strands. It freezes beautifully and becomes the base for pasta, salads, tacos, sandwiches, soups and much more.

Ingredients

8 servings

Turkey

Turkey drumsticks(bone-in)2–3

Brine

Water(cold)1 l

Salt60 g

Sugar20 g

Bay leaf2 pcs

Black peppercorns6–8

Garlic3 cloves

Fresh thyme(or rosemary)3–4

For roasting

Smoked paprika2 tsp

Ground black pepper1 tsp

Garlic3–4

Olive oil2 tbsp

Lemon zest0.5 lemon

Fresh thyme(a few sprigs, or rosemary)

Instructions

Make the brine

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the cold water.

Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic and sprigs of thyme or rosemary.

Submerge the drumsticks completely in the brine.

Refrigerate for 12–24 hours. This is the step that makes the meat juicy and helps it hold moisture even after freezing and reheating.

Prepare the turkey

Take the drumsticks out of the brine and pat them dry with paper towels. They need no extra salt at this point.

Mix the olive oil, smoked paprika, black pepper, finely grated garlic and lemon zest.

Rub the mixture evenly over the drumsticks on all sides and tuck in a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary.

Wrap the turkey

Place each drumstick on a sheet of parchment and wrap it tightly.

Wrap again in foil so that every drop of juice stays inside during roasting.

Transfer the parcels to a roasting dish.

Roast

Heat the oven to 220 °C, put the dish in and roast for 15 minutes so the meat comes up to temperature quickly.

Lower the temperature to 160 °C and continue roasting: medium drumsticks for 1.5–2 hours, large ones for 2–2.5 hours. The meat should be very soft and pull away from the bone easily.

Rest

Turn the oven off, open the door slightly and leave the drumsticks inside for another 20–30 minutes. The temperature drops gradually and the juices settle evenly through the meat.

Pull the meat

Open the parcels carefully and keep every bit of the juice that collected during cooking — it is very aromatic and perfect for reheating the meat, or for sauces, soups and pasta.

Separate the meat from the bones and pull it into coarse or fine strands, depending on how you plan to use it.

Keeping it in the fridge

Up to 4 days in an airtight container together with a little of the meat juice.

Freezing

Pack the meat in small 200–300 g portions and add 1–2 tbsp of the juice to each container. Seal tightly or press the air out of the bag. Freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge, or reheat straight away in a pan with a little of its own juice.

Tips

For very large drumsticks (over 1 kg each) extend the roasting to 2.5 hours. Smoked paprika gives a light grilled aroma; sweet paprika works too. Keep the roasting juices — they are pure concentrated flavour: freeze them in small portions and add them when you reheat the meat or build a sauce or soup.

What one batch turns into

Creamy mushroom pasta, Asian noodles with vegetables, homemade noodle soup, tacos, quesadillas, a sandwich with tomato confit, a Mediterranean salad, a quinoa salad, homemade pizza.

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