Smoked Turkey Legs:
Ingredients
- 2 (1-pound) turkey legs (these are the big boys)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons Isaac Toups Thunderdust Seasoning
Directions
- Preheat the smoker (or oven) to 250°F. You can make these in the oven if you need to, but the smoker is where it’s at.
- Score the turkey legs: On the meatier side of each leg, make three slices into the flesh, about an inch apart, cutting all the way down to the bone. Cut two more slashes on the other side, staggering between the other slashes. (That is, do not cut a ring all the way around the bone.) This will expose more turkey meat to the spice rub.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the garlic and Thunderdust.
- I like to mix it with my hand, really agitate it.
- Divide this mixture into 2 equal piles.
- Rub a pile well into each turkey leg, making sure each leg is well covered and the spices get deep into the cuts and crevices.
- Place the seasoned turkey legs in the smoker (or oven) and smoke (or bake) for 2 hours, or until the internal temperature is 155°F.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Eat like the barbarian you are.
Crawfish Stock
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds boiled crawfish, chilled 1 cup brandy
- 10 cups water
- 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with the back of a knife
Directions:
- Peel and devein the boiled crawfish, separating and reserving the heads, shells, and tail meat.
- Put the tail meat aside.
- In a large pot, add cold water, all the crawfish heads and shells, and the rest of ingredients.
- Crank the heat to high and bring the liquid in the pot up to a hard boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and keep at a low boil, uncovered, for 3 hours.
- Afterwards, strain the stock through a fine mesh colander to remove the shells. But don’t skim it. All that fat and protein on top helps give this stock its super-concentrated crawfish flavor.
Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 rib celery, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound cooked crawfish tail meat
- 2 tablespoons Isaac Toups Louisiana Lightning Seasoning
- 2 cups Crawfish Stock
- 5 cups crumbled cornbread
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large Dutch oven or pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter
- over medium heat.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 10 minutes, the trinity should start to brown a little bit—this is intentional; you want it more than just translucent, you want it thoroughly softened and beginning to brown.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Stir in the crawfish, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Add the stock. While still over medium heat, slowly bring the mixture to a low simmer then remove from the heat.
- Add the remaining1 tablespoon butter and stir until it’s fully melted.
- Once the butter has melted, gently fold in the crumbled cornbread until it’s well incorporated, being careful not to smush it all to bits.
- Scoop the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish and spread out evenly.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are browned.
