I have no idea what to do with these things. They are huge. Turkeys are huge. At Thanksgiving, the drumstick is my favorite -- I love dark meat. But what to do with the drumstick alone? No clue. Internet, I need help!
A quick search revealed that are lots of ideas out there for cooking turkey drumsticks separate from the rest of the turkey. This Ron Swanson-inspired dish seemed quite intriguing, but I am already planning on wrapping some other meat in bacon soon so I'll save this one for another time. Instead, I settled on an osso buco-style braise from Emeril.
I've always had a soft spot for Emeril. My mom and I started watching his show The Essence of Emeril when we first discovered the Food Network in the mid-90s. My dad was traveling a lot for work, and Emeril reminded us of him a lot. He looked like my dad, he sounded like my dad, he had a big personality like my dad. Unlike my dad, he knew how to cook. With every "bam!" we felt a moment of relief from the sadness of only spending every other weekend with my father and his mega-watt personality.
When I saw this recipe, I welcomed Emeril into my home once again to slow cook some turkey legs. Turkey doesn't provide the same unctious tone as veal shanks, but I think this recipe turned out well. I have another set of drumsticks from Share #2, and therefore another chance to find the optimal cooking method for turkey drumsticks. I served the turkey over mashed sweet potatoes, though the recipe's suggestion of polenta (or anything else that can soak up sauce) would be good too.
Turkey Drumstick Osso Buco
Adapted from Emeril
Time: ~3.5 hours
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup red wine (I used one of my favorite red blends from Trader Joe's)
2 turkey drumsticks
1 handful of flour (I used all-purpose, whatever you have is probably fine)
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Olive oil, salt, pepper
Method
1. Combine the mushrooms and red wine in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Steep for 5 minutes, then strain the mixture. Save the wine for later; roughly chop the mushrooms and set aside.
2. Pat the drumsticks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Coat with flour.
3. Coat a the bottom of a dutch oven (or the deepest pan you have) with olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, brown the drumsticks, about 8 minutes per side. Carefully remove the turkey from the pan and set aside; I like to use the lid of my dutch oven but a plate works fine.
4. Replenish the pan with more oil, enough to coat the bottom. When the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, celery, and tomato paste. Scrape up any browned bits left over from browning the turkey. Stir often and cook until vegetables are slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir the garlic into the pan and cook briefly, for about 30 seconds.
5. Add the red wine to the pan, scraping up any new browned bits. When the wine is reduced to about half its volume, add the mushrooms. Continue to reduce until the wine is almost evaporated, then add stock, bay leaves, and thyme to the pan.
6. Bring stock to a boil and carefully place the drumsticks back into the pan. When the stock comes back up to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. The drumsticks should cook for about 2.5 hours until you can easily shred the meat with a fork. Turn the drumsticks halfway through cooking so that the meat is cooked on both sides.
I've always had a soft spot for Emeril. My mom and I started watching his show The Essence of Emeril when we first discovered the Food Network in the mid-90s. My dad was traveling a lot for work, and Emeril reminded us of him a lot. He looked like my dad, he sounded like my dad, he had a big personality like my dad. Unlike my dad, he knew how to cook. With every "bam!" we felt a moment of relief from the sadness of only spending every other weekend with my father and his mega-watt personality.
When I saw this recipe, I welcomed Emeril into my home once again to slow cook some turkey legs. Turkey doesn't provide the same unctious tone as veal shanks, but I think this recipe turned out well. I have another set of drumsticks from Share #2, and therefore another chance to find the optimal cooking method for turkey drumsticks. I served the turkey over mashed sweet potatoes, though the recipe's suggestion of polenta (or anything else that can soak up sauce) would be good too.
Turkey Drumstick Osso Buco
Adapted from Emeril
Time: ~3.5 hours
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup red wine (I used one of my favorite red blends from Trader Joe's)
2 turkey drumsticks
1 handful of flour (I used all-purpose, whatever you have is probably fine)
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Olive oil, salt, pepper
Method
1. Combine the mushrooms and red wine in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Steep for 5 minutes, then strain the mixture. Save the wine for later; roughly chop the mushrooms and set aside.
2. Pat the drumsticks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Coat with flour.
3. Coat a the bottom of a dutch oven (or the deepest pan you have) with olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, brown the drumsticks, about 8 minutes per side. Carefully remove the turkey from the pan and set aside; I like to use the lid of my dutch oven but a plate works fine.
4. Replenish the pan with more oil, enough to coat the bottom. When the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, celery, and tomato paste. Scrape up any browned bits left over from browning the turkey. Stir often and cook until vegetables are slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir the garlic into the pan and cook briefly, for about 30 seconds.
5. Add the red wine to the pan, scraping up any new browned bits. When the wine is reduced to about half its volume, add the mushrooms. Continue to reduce until the wine is almost evaporated, then add stock, bay leaves, and thyme to the pan.
6. Bring stock to a boil and carefully place the drumsticks back into the pan. When the stock comes back up to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. The drumsticks should cook for about 2.5 hours until you can easily shred the meat with a fork. Turn the drumsticks halfway through cooking so that the meat is cooked on both sides.
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