“Why haven’t I ever done this before?”
That’s what I asked myself as I hoisted a Dutch oven onto my countertop. Inside, rich stock bubbled away, while crispy, lacquered turkey thighs bobbed to the surface. A few cippoline onions lounged about, here and there.
The aroma alone had me at hello. But when I actually dug into the slowly braised turkey, my head just about flipped. Have you ever had real carnitas? Pork shoulder simmered in its own fat till it’s at once fall-apart tender and crispy? That’s what braised turkey legs are like.
They’re rich, they’re juicy, and they pull apart with just the tug of a fork. Unlike the dark meat on a traditional roasted turkey, you don’t need to saw at this stuff. And unlike white meat, well, these legs and thighs actually taste like something.
To coax them into their unctuous state, I roasted them covered in an oven for several hours, and then, at the very end, I lifted the lid and hit them with the broiler (a move I would recommend for pretty much any braised-meat dish.) I then shredded the meat on a large serving platter and bathed it in its cooking liquid.
Just to keep all my persnickety guests happy, I also served a rolled-and-tied roasted turkey breast. But do I even need to tell you what made them the happiest?
