Game-Day Grilled Turkey Drumsticks
PAT Most people will serve chicken for tailgates, but you know we like to shake it up a bit, so we serve turkey legs—or “Fred Flintstone bones,” as I like to call them. To give ours a kick, we let them marinate overnight in buttermilk, hot sauce, lemon, onion, and garlic. Then we take them out the next day, let the excess drip off, brush on the olive oil, and throw them on the grill. Folks will be asking for these so fast, you may never get to your business with the glaze.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8
Ingredients
GAME-DAY GLAZE
Preparation
Step 1
The night before the game, prepare the marinade: Whisk together the buttermilk, hot sauce, and lemon juice, and stir in the onion and garlic. Put the turkey legs in a large casserole dish, and pour the marinade over them. (You can also divide the drumsticks and the marinade between two large zip-top bags.) Cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 2
On game day, preheat your grill to medium heat.
Step 3
Remove the turkey legs from the marinade, and allow the extra to drip off . Brush the turkey legs with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Rub the grill grates with oil, using a clean tea towel or a crumpled-up paper towel. Grill the turkey drumsticks, turning to cook on all sides, for about 15 minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden. Cover the grill, and continue cooking for another 25 minutes, rotating occasionally to prevent the legs from burning. Brush with the game-day glaze, and cook, turning often, for 10 more minutes.
GAME-DAY GLAZE
Step 4
Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, molasses, ketchup, mustard, cayenne, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, so all the flavors can marry.
