I know there’s a few of you out there that can’t travel home during the holidays for Thanksgiving. Whether it’s from work, school, or just the fact that there’s not much family close by to make you want to celebrate. But, you might still be in the mood to enjoy a traditional type of holiday meal. Well, I’ve got a fantastic solution!
These Ren Fest inspired turkey legs really invoke memories of fun get-togethers and gatherings with friends and family. Plus, they’re simple as can be! No need to thaw a whole frozen turkey for hours on end, no need to slave away in the kitchen all day. From start to finish, these take just over an hour to cook – 10 minutes prep, 55-60 minutes of cook time.
Turkey legs are a great way to get your fix of holiday food in and still have it feel really festive without taking a toll on your wallet. They’re fantastic for couples, too, since one leg can feed two people! You don’t have to worry about what to do with leftovers for the next month, either. Don’t get me wrong, Thanksgiving leftovers are great, but sometimes they just last way too long!
Make sure to pair this up with a delicious fatty side dish. Or, enjoy a fantastic dessert with your meal that’s packed full of fats. While turkey legs do contain fat, it’s not enough to make up for the amount of protein in the legs.
Note: If you can’t seem to find any turkey legs in your local grocer, ask the butcher or meat counter for them to cut you off some legs. My local co-op was able to grab fresh turkey legs for me when I asked. Happy hunting and yummy eating!
Note 2: If you don’t have duck fat, you can use peanut oil or another type of animal fat. You want an oil with a relatively high smoke point.
Yields 4 servings of Oven Roasted Turkey Legs
The Preparation
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 40 ounces bone-in skin-on turkey legs
- 2 tablespoons lard, or oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut oil
The Execution
1. Mix together all dry spices in a small bowl. Then, add wet ingredients and mix together into a rub.
2. Pat turkey legs completely dry with paper towels. Then, rub turkey legs well with seasoning.
3. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Bring 2 tbsp. of fat to medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet. Once the oil starts to smoke, add turkey legs into the pan and sear on each side for 1-2 minutes. You want the entire leg to have a sear on it.
4. Place in the oven at 350F for 50-60 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Remove turkey from the oven and let rest for a few minutes.
6. Serve with your favorite fatty side dish and enjoy the holiday meal! I served mine up with a slight variation on this Vegetable Medley – with plenty of duck fat and butter to be soaked up.
This makes a total of 4 servings of Oven-Roasted Turkey Legs. Each serving comes out to be 472 calories, 25.5g fats, 1g net carbs, and 55.6g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 2 teaspoon salt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/2 teaspoon black pepper | 3 | 0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper | 1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 1/2 teaspoon onion powder | 4 | 0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder | 5 | 0 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.3 |
| 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme | 2 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder | 4 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| 1 teaspoon liquid smoke | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 |
| 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce | 4 | 0 | 1.1 | 0 | 1.1 | 0 |
| 40 ounce bone-in skin-on turkey legs | 1633 | 76.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 221.6 |
| 2 tablespoon lard | 231 | 25.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 1888 | 102.1 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 222.4 |
| Per Serving (/4) | 472 | 25.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1 | 55.6 |
Oven-Roasted Turkey Legs
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 40 ounce bone-in skin-on turkey legs
- 2 tablespoon lard or oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut oil
Instructions
- Mix together all dry spices in a small bowl. Then, add wet ingredients and mix together into a rub.
- Pat turkey legs completely dry with paper towels and season generously with the spice mix.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Bring the lard (or oil) to a medium-high heat in a cast-iron skillet. Once the oil starts to smoke, add the turkey legs to the pan and sear on each side for 1–2 minutes — you want the entire leg to have a sear on it.
- Place in the oven for 50–60 minutes or until cooked through.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for a few minutes.
- Serve with a favorite fatty side dish and enjoy the holiday meal!
