You can’t deny it: leftover turkey legs make a fantastic lunch or dinner the next day. However, how should you reheat them to preserve the juicy and the softness? There are many methods and recommendations for reheating turkey legs, but which one should we use? We have the option of using the oven, microwave, skillet, or air fryer. Each of these methods has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
In today’s article, you will reinvent popular ways to reheat turkey legs. I welcome you, and let’s journey together as you learn how to reheat this great dish properly.
Can You Reheat Turkey Legs? If so, How?
Yes, you can reheat turkey legs.
The simplest method is reheating turkey leg in a well-sealed dish. Heat the oven for about 40 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit with some stock, water, gravy, and butter. The best results will come from low heat and a more extended cooking period. Reheating your meat on a stovetop or a grill is time-saving.
Step By Step How to Reheat Turkey Legs
How to reheat turkey leg? How to cook turkey leg in microwave? The answer is as simple as it sounds. But, as with most things in life, there are a few important things you should know.
Reheat Turkey Legs in The Oven.
Using the oven is the perfect approach to reheating your smoked turkey leg.The oven keeps the meat juicy and to have a good flavor as the original cooked meat. This method, however, takes more time but will bring good results in the end. Below is a guideline for reheating your turkey legs in an oven.
Steps:
Step-1. Set your oven to broil function before you cook.
Step-2. If your smoked turkey legs were frozen, thaw them to room temperature.
Step-2. Put your meat in a bowl.
Step-3. Put some stock or water.
Step-4. You may Choose gravy for a fuller flavor or add some olive oil or butter on top of the bowl.
Step-5. Seal the dish with foil paper. Alternatively, you can place the turkey legs straight on a layer of foil and tightly wrap them.
Step-6. Preheat your meat for 30 minutes. Check the temperature regularly using a thermometer if you have it. Once it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the turkey leg, you can take it out and enjoy it.
Reheat Turkey Legs on a Stovetop.
Here are some steps to follow when reheating turkey legs on the stovetop:
Steps:
Step-1. Put the turkey legs in a flat-bottomed pan.
Step-2. Pour some stock into the pan.
Step-3. Cover the pan.
Step-4. Stir your meat for some time.
Step-5. Give the reheated turkey legs a quick fry with a small quantity of oil if you want the skin to be crispy. Fry on high heat with the skin side down.
Step-6. Once cooked, take it out and enjoy.
Reheat Turkey Legs on a Grill.
This method is by far my best when I visit my food eatery point and want my favorite smoked turkey legs grilled.
The great thing about this method is that it adds taste and flavor to my mouth-watering delicacy before I consume it.
The only limitation to this method is that it’s easier to scorch the dish over the grill if you are not careful.
Steps:
- Step-1. Start the grill and get it pretty hot – you want a good base of white-hot charcoal.
- Step-2. Place the meat on top of the grill and cook for2 hours.
- Step-3. Flip the meat halfway through the cooking period.
- Step-4. Once cooked, enjoy it with a cool drink.
How to Reheat a Smoked Turkey Leg.
Some folks dislike reheated turkey since it doesn’t have the same juiciness as freshly cooked turkey. And it does if you don’t know how to keep the turkey moist and flavorful while storing and reheating it.
The best method of all is whichever one suits your needs at any given time.
Here are the three methods you can reheat those tasty leftovers turkey legs into a fresh heavenly meal.
It’s possible to eat a smoked turkey leg cold but, It’s preferable to reheat it if you want to bring out the smoky flavor.
Here’s how you reheat smoked turkey legs, whether they’re homemade or bought at the shop. I recommend using the oven once more.
Steps:
- Reheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit first as you place your meat in a dish.
- You can use foil to cover your baking dish if it doesn’t come with a lid.
- Add some water to your meat. If you have some broth on hand, you can also use it.
- Seal the dish with paper foil before placing it in the oven.
- Cook the meat for around 2 hours in the oven. Check the internal temperature of the turkey leg with a thermometer if you have one.
How to Heat up Smoked Turkey Leg.
A conventional baking oven can also do an equally good job of reheating a turkey leg.
Steps:
- Set your oven to broil function and wait for it to warm up.
- Take your smoked turkey leg and place it in an aluminum foil.
- Take some sauce and sprinkle on your turkey leg.
- Add your favorite seasoning, like garlic and some red pepper.
- Wrap it in aluminum foil.
- Place your meat in the oven and reheat.
- Once cooked, let the meat cool for 10 minutes before unsealing it.
- Enjoy it with your favorite drink.
You can as well use the discussed methods; you are not constrained to this one alone.
Are Smoked Turkey Legs Fully Cooked?
All commercial pre-smoked turkey legs found in grocery stores and food chain stores are presumed cooked. All you require to do is to reheat them without making them tough and dry.
Below is a guideline for reheating turkey legs in an oven.
Steps:
- First,set your oven to broil function before cooking your meat.
- To a baking pan or dish, add a dash of water or broth. The amount of broth determines the number of legs to cook. Just a smidgeon will suffice to keep things moist.
- Wrap the smoked legs with paper foil and place them in the pan.
- Cook for two hours, flipping the pan in the oven halfway through until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to Reheat Smoked Turkey Wings
If you’re looking to reheat some turkey wings, there are a couple of ways to do it. You can use the toaster oven, the conventional oven, an air fryer, the microwave, or even a skillet.
Reheating in an oven
This method is time consuming but results to a tastier mouth-watering turkey wings.
Steps:
- Set your oven to broil function.
- Place your wings on a paper foil and sprinkle them with some water.
- Preheat your wings for 45 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy.
Reheating in an air fryer
This method is fast hence time saving.
Steps:
- Set your air fryer to broil function
- Sprinkle the wings with some water while in the air fryer basket for moistening.
- Cook your wings for 15 minutes before flipping the other side.
- Allow 10-15 minutes for the wings to cool before serving.
Reheating in a microwave
Steps:
Microwaving is not an ideal method for preheating turkey delicacies. It compromises on the taste and flavor. Nevertheless, it works if you are in a hurry.
- Use parchment paper to loosely cover the smoked turkey pieces of wings on a microwave-safe plate or shallow dish.
- Place the smoked wings in the microwave dish and cook for 2 minutes. Make sure the turkey isn’t overheated by checking the temperature.
- Allow the turkey chunks to rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow them to cook evenly.
Reheating in a skillet
It’s one of my best method of cooking smoked turkey.
Steps:
- Place the turkey wings in the skillet.
- Cook the smoked wings on medium heat until it starts simmering while in the pan
- Cook until the smoked wings are warm. It takes 2 minutes.
- Remove the liquid and dry the pan with a clean towel if you want the skin to crisp up.
- Add some oil in another skillet and place your wings.
- Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the exterior of the reheated turkey is crispy, skin-side down.
How to Reheat Leftover Turkey The best way.
We adore leftover turkey meat, and the favorite aspect about it is that you can reheat it in various ways. It may be done in the microwave and oven combined. Let’s see how you go about this method.
Reheating in a microwave and oven combined.
It is the ideal method for reheating leftover turkey meat and ensures it does not dry up.
Steps:
- Set your oven to broil.
- Place the meat on a damp paper towel.
- Then cover with another damp paper on the top.
- If the leftover turkey looks too dry, you can spray small amounts of oil.
- Microwave for 2 minutes until warm but not sizzling.
- Remove from the microwave.
- Place the turkey on a lined baking tray.
- Don’t overcrowd the baking tray with too much turkey meat.
- Place the turkey in the oven on the top shelf.
- After aminute, turn the wings and then cook for one more minute.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy.
What is the best way to reheat turkey legs.
For a successful reheating experience, it is best to reheat the meat the same way you have cooked it.
Reheating turkey legs in the oven ata low temperature is the best way to get evenly heated and juicy meat. It does take a while, but the result is undoubtedly worth it.
How to Reheat a Fried Turkey
There are a few issues to consider when reheating fried dishes without losing that perfect fried texture, but we’ve got you covered.
Try the following to reheat fried turkey legs:
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
- Remove the turkey legs from the fridge and set them aside to come to room temperature while the oven heats up.
- On a baking sheet, arrange the legs. Unlike roasted turkey legs, fried turkey legs do not need to be covered, or the skin would lose its crispiness.
- Preheat oven to 200°F and bake fried turkey legs for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve with sauces and sides.
How to Store Leftover Turkey.
It’s essential to check the turkeys’ label for guidance on how long it can last in the refrigerator or the freezer.
When wrapped tightly in an airtight container, roasted and cooked turkey, the shelf life is four days in the refrigerator. In the freezer, the shelf life is three months.
Storing leftover turkey in the freezer
This method keeps the turkey fresh for three months.
Steps:
- Wrap the turkey in a Ziploc freezer bag.
- Squeeze out any air that may be present.
- Label the bag with a marker and place it in the freezer.
Storing leftover turkey in the fridge
This method keeps the turkey fresh and safe for 4 days.
Steps:
- Place the leftover turkey in a container that should be airtight.
- Place the containers in the lower compartment of the fridge where temperatures are low.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How many times can you reheat turkey?
It’s advisable to reheat your turkey ones. The main reason is continuous heating and cooling of the turkey makes bacteria thrive. The bacteria may bring about food poisoning, which may result in food-borne illnesses.
Q. Is a smoked turkey already cooked?
Yes, smoked turkey is fully cooked, and you can consume it while still cold.
Q. How to reheat turkey without drying it out?
Reheating turkey in a microwave will make it dry, and the skin will be chewy. To overcome this problem, add a bit of broth-like turkey stock to the dish before microwaving it. It allows the turkey to steam and stay moist while preheating. Reheating at a low temperature that is 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes is recommended.
Q. How to moisten dry turkey.
You can moisten your dry turkey by adding a few tablespoons of butter or turkey broth. The broth should not be too thick so that the dried turkey may absorb it as much as possible.
Conclusion
Turkey legs can be consumed will still cool. If you have been wondering how you can reheat your smoked turkey legs, this article has discussed the various ways. So you can choose one method over the other.
So if you had a thanksgiving party, all you care about is the people you are serving. Serving them with a well reheated smoked turkey leg will be the talk of the town.
I encourage you to share this article with your family members for that upcoming home party.