Smoked legs and wings

[George K]

I wanted to make a big batch of turkey gravy so as to have it on hand whenever I make a turkey breast. Of course, the breast doesn't give off much in terms of flavorful drippings, so I ordered some separate wings and thighs, thinking I could roast 'em and use the drippings for gravy.

Mrs. George and I prefer the white meat.

This is what I ordered:

Same thing for legs.

During checkout, I didn't pay attention to the "substitute if out of stock" checkmark, and this is what I got:

Smoked legs and wings.

They appear to be already cooked, so I'm at a loss - can I use them to make gravy? I'm fine with a bit of smoky flavor.

[Mik]

The fat's already rendered, so probably not. But smoked turkey wild rice soup with just a touch of cream is pretty damn good.

My favorite bakery deli downtown used to serve it and I've never forgotten it. I just emailed them to see if they would share the recipe, or if they even still have it.

[Mik]

These look pretty close.

https://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-wild-rice-soup-with-smoked-turkey-55855

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/216105/smoked-turkey-wild-rice-soup/

[Mik]

Not turkey, but I saw this and thought it looked pretty good.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/oktoberfest-soup/

[Mik]

Voila!

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=making+gravy+with+smoked+turkey+legs&atb=v341-1&ia=recipes

[George K]

@Mik Thanks! However, all of those recipes are for smoking a turkey and then using those drippings for the gravy.

Mine is already cooked.

[Mik]

make soup. get more turkey legs.

I get messed up on the substitutions thing too. I have it set up for no substitutions but sometimes I forget to re-up it if I add items later.

[Jolly]

They work in gumbo.

[brenda]

Bless you, Mik, for being such a great resource on all things kitchen and cooking.

[Mik]

@brenda said in Smoked legs and wings:

Bless you, Mik, for being such a great resource on all things kitchen and cooking.

I am, aren’t I?

[brenda]

@Mik said in Smoked legs and wings:

@brenda said in Smoked legs and wings:

Bless you, Mik, for being such a great resource on all things kitchen and cooking.

I am, aren’t I?

Indeed!!!

[George K]

OK, I caved...

I thought, what could possibly go wrong, amirite?

So, I put the wings into my instant pot (I know, they were supposedly cooked, but why not) on a trivet. I put in about a cup of water and pressure cooked it for 30 minutes.

When it was done, I chopped up an onion, some carrots, and a stalk of celery. About 2 cloves of crushed garlic and I added some red wine to a saute' pan. I added the liquid from the instant pot, and added the wings.

I simmered it for about 4 hours, letting it get good and savory.

Afterward, I made a roux and after straining and de-greasing the mixture, I slowly added it to the sauce' pot.

It definitely needed some additional seasoning so I added salt and pepper.

The result?

Passable, and definitely very, very, smoky.

By far not the best gravy I've ever made, but it'll sit in the freezer for the next time I make a turkey breast.

I also got some uncooked wings for the next time I need gravy.