Why let meat come to room temperature?

It helps the meat cook more evenly, and keep its flavor.

When are turkey drumsticks cooked?

Turkey is just like chicken and the internal temperature should be 165 degrees before removing from the oven. It's easiest to check the temperature by inserting an instant read thermometer into the center of the turkey. Once it's cooked, I also like to broil the drumsticks for a crispy skin.

Should I wrap my turkey legs in foil?

Yes, this helps roast them without drying out. However, I like to keep them covered for the first 40 minutes, then unwrap and finish baking to get the outside of the drumsticks browned.

Oven Roasted Turkey Drumsticks

Description

These Oven Roasted Turkey Drumsticks are juicy and tender with a garlic herb infused crispy skin. They bake to perfection in under 90 minutes, with no carving required, for a simple but still impressive, Turkey dinner.

Ingredients

Scale

4 turkey drumsticks (legs), between 3/4 lb to 1 lb each (make sure they are raw and not smoked already)
4 tablespoons grass fed butter, like Kerrigold (or salted butter)
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, stems removed and leaves only
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

Unwrap the drumsticks and place them on a cutting board. Pat dry the skin with paper towels and season all sides of the drumsticks with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Allow them to sit out at room temperature for a full hour.
As the meat comes to room temperature, soften the butter by placing it into a pot or pan on the stovetop for about 10-30 seconds, until it just starts to melt (about 1/8 of the butter should melt with the rest of the butter remaining solid.) Immediately pour it into a bowl.
Add garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper into the butter and stir to combine. Note: If it's really runny, add it to the fridge for 10 minutes or until it solidifies.
Place the drumsticks on a cookie sheet or roasting pan with baking rack. Rub the garlic herb spread underneath the skin and all over the outside of the skin.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the cookie sheet or roasting pan tightly with foil.
Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and remove foil. Check the internal temperature, then return to oven, until the temperature reaches 165 degrees. It took my drumsticks (of around 3/4 lb each) another 20 minutes. Use a turkey baster to capture the drippings from the bottom of the pan and squirt over the meat. Turn the oven to high broil and cook each side for 4-6 minutes until crispy, but not burnt, basting after flipping. Note: Rely on temperature versus time on meat. The are lots of factors, like size of the drumsticks, actual oven temp, etc. that can effect cook time.
Once the skin is crispy, remove the drumsticks from the oven and tent with foil for 10-15 minutes. Serve on a platter and enjoy!

Equipment

Cookie sheet

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Flexible Cutting Mats

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instant read thermometer

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Mixing Bowls

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wusthof knife

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Notes

Pat dry the drumsticks well before adding the salt and pepper. Dried skin will be much easier for the garlic butter to stick to.
If the garlic butter is really runny and melted, just stick it in the fridge for 10 minutes or until it's easy to rub onto the turkey.
When rubbing the garlic herb butter on, try and get it way under the skin for extra flavor.
Don't leave off the tin foil or it may dry out the meat.
I highly recommend broiling the drumsticks at the end for the best texture, appearance and taste.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 75 minutes
Category: dinner
Method: bake
Cuisine: American