From: auwen@convex.com (John David Auwen)
Subject: Re: Turkey drumsticks
Organization: CONVEX Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx., USA
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 17:00:59 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

I like to smoke turkey drumsticks.   Here's how I do it:

	Soak the drumsticks overnight in a saltwater solution.  I use
	about 1 heaping tbsp of salt/gallon of water.  We have a large
	baking pan that will hold 8-10 large drumsticks in about 2
	gallons of water and will still fit in the 'fridge.
	(I've included an explanation of this at the end).

	I have a large, cylindrical pit that can be used as a grill
	or a smoker.  I start off with 10 pounds of charcoal and then
	add 10 lbs of unsoaked mesquite chunks when the charcoal
	is about halfway ready.  The resulting coals will last about
	8-10 hours, dependending on how I adjust the air flow.

	While the fire is getting ready, take the turkey drumsticks
	out of the 'fridge and rinse with cold tap water.  Season any
	way you like, but they don't need any salt.  My seasoning
	is usually a mixture of black pepper, paprika, garlic and
	onion powder (approx equal parts).

	When the fire is ready, grill the legs directly over the
	coals until they are well browned.  During this phase, I
	keep a close watch on them and turn them every 2-3 minutes.
	The fire is very hot and I don't want to burn them even
	a little bit.  The goal is to sear them and they should
	look pretty when this step is complete.  This takes about
	20 minutes.

	This next step is hard to explain in writing but I'll try.
	I take a large metal tray and sit it on an outdoor table
	near the bbq.  Next, I tear off a long piece of wide, heavy
	duty foil.  The foil should be about 3 times as long as the 
	width of the tray.  Here's a crude picture:
                            ______________
		|-----------|------------|------------|
                |           |            |            |
                |           |   Poke     |            |
                |           |   Holes    |            |
                |           |   in this  |            |
                |           |   area     |            |
                |           |            |            |
                |-----------|------------|------------|
                            --------------
                  Foil          Tray           Foil

	After the legs are well browned, I remove them and place them
	on the foil that is resting on top of the tray.  I've poked
	about 10-15 small holes in this area to allow juice to drain.
	Then I bring the ends of the foil together and crimp them
	to form a tube that's open on the ends.  You want the ends
	to be open to allow smoke to get to the meat.  The purpose of
	this tube of foil is to help shield the legs from the 
	direct heat of the fire.

	I then pick up the foil tube and lay it on the bbq, then
	slide the grate so that the foil tube is not above the fire:

                                                --> Smoke out
                                             | |
		|----------------------------| |-|
                |                                |
                |                   TUBE HERE    |
                |            --------------------|  <- grate will slide
     Air in ->  | FIRE HERE                      |     back and forth
                |________________________________|

	
	Now I only have to mess with the legs every hour or so.  The
	open ends of the tube allow smoke and hot air to flow past
	the turkey legs.  I turn the legs each hour and rotate the
	foil tube 180 degrees every other hour to make them cook
	evenly.  I judge the cooking temperature by putting my hand
	over the smoke stack and feeling the air coming out.  I 
	estimate the cooking temp to be in the 200-250 range. 

	Sometimes I brush a thin coating of bbq sauce on them during
	the last hour of cooking but this is optional.  They're good
	with or without sauce.  

	OK, now for the soaking justification.   The purpose of soaking
	in saltwater is to add moisture to the meat.  The meat can be
	compared to a sponge that's had the moisture pressed out of
	it.  Soaking in saltwater will add moisture and the salt
	content makes it similar to the juices the meat has lost.
	Since the legs have been cut and the raw meat is exposed, 
	fluids can exchange and the "membrane layer" effect isn't
	going to cause the salt water to dehydrate the meat.  You
	can prove this by weighing the legs before and after soaking.
	They'll weigh more after being soaked.  This method is good
	for poultry that has been cut up but is not good for whole
	birds.  The final effect is tasty, moist meat.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Thank you, rec.food.cooking
contributers, for all the great information!   

Dave 
auwen@convex.com