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Copycat State Fair Turkey Legs

Prep 5 min
Total 2 hr 0 min
Servings 3

DIY your fair food with these giant seasoned turkey drumsticks fit for a king. They’re roasted until tender and crisped up on a hot grill—so they taste just like the ones you love at the state (or renaissance!) fair. MORE+ LESS-

By Macheesmo

May 18, 2017

Ingredients

3-6 turkey legs

tablespoon seasoned salt

tablespoon chili powder

teaspoon kosher salt

teaspoon black pepper

Canola or olive oil, for grilling

Steps

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1

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a roasting pan with foil. Combine seasoned salt, chili powder, kosher salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Liberally rub mixture into turkey legs, and place turkey legs in your foil-lined pan.
2

Cover the pan with foil and roast for 75 to 90 minutes until the turkey legs are very tender and register 175-180°F in the thickest part of the leg.
3

Remove turkey legs from the roasting pan. Preheat a grill to high heat.
4

Right before serving, dry the turkey legs with a paper towel and brush them with some canola or vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Then grill turkey legs over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side to crisp up the skin. Serve immediately.

Make up to 6 turkey legs! Because of the time it takes bone-in turkey legs to cook, I don’t think it’s worth the time and effort to make fewer than 3 legs, and the spice mixture in this recipe is easily enough to cover 6.

Expert Tips

I do not recommend grilling the turkey legs for the entire cooking time unless you can control your grill temperature very specifically. Since they take so long to cook, the skin can easily burn if you get them too hot too fast. That’s why I prefer the roasting/grilling combo method.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

State fairs are known for their over-the-top food options. You can get pretty much anything fried, on a stick, or fried on a stick. You can find all sorts of crazy foods and treats, but my favorite food to snag at a state fair is the most classic: a giant turkey leg! The good news is that you don’t have to wait for the fair to come around, or pay $10 to get in and another $10 for a turkey leg. You can make this copycat state fair food right at home! The trick to making these turkey drumsticks really delicious is to stick to a simple spice rub and then do a dual method where you roast them in the oven for most of the cook time and then crisp them up on a hot grill right before serving. The spice rub I use is a simple mix of seasoned salt, chili powder, kosher salt and pepper. You could use a store-bought rub if you wanted, but this one has great flavor and you probably have most of the ingredient in your pantry anyway. So delicious and easy!