Are Festival turkey legs really turkey?
Our delicious plump, juicy, golden brown Turkey Legs are the same smoked turkey legs sold at major theme parks and festivals around the United States, including the Texas Renaissance Festival.
If so — if they're not emu or ostrich, two urban myths — then why are they so big? Now let's tackle WHERE these giant leg's come from. Disney Turkey Legs are tom turkeys, which is WHY they are so big.
Despite urban legends to the contrary, the turkey leg Disney sells is, in fact, made of turkey. Not emu, ostrich, or any other giant bird.
Ever wonder why so many smoked game birds look and taste like ham, instead of like pheasant, turkey, duck, quail, or whatever else they're supposed to be? The answer is sodium nitrite, a salt often used to cure meats, which acts as a preservative to keep meat fresher longer.
A turkey leg is technically comprised of the bird's thigh and the drumstick (the part of the leg below the knee joint), though in many recipes the term is used to refer to just the drumstick. Skin-on and bone-in, a full leg typically weighs between one and two and a half pounds.
Turkey legs come from big birds (apologies to the Henson Company, but no connection) in the upper mid-west. Since these great gobblers average from 40-50 pounds, their meaty mouthwatering legs weigh in at an average 1 ½ pounds each (though some have been spotted offering a full pound more than that).
Turkey legs are an excellent source of protein, with 28 grams per leg. The USDA lists the recommended daily intake of protein for women at 46 grams per day and 56 grams for men.
While no one expects fair food to be exactly healthy, some results are shocking. A 19-ounce smoked turkey leg -- with skin, of course -- delivers 1,135 calories and 54 fat grams. That's a full day's fat supply: Government guidelines suggest average adults eat about 2,000 calories and 44 to 78 grams of fat each day.
Chemical Changes During Cooking
Scientists have found that pinkness occurs when gases in the atmosphere of a heated gas or electric oven react chemically with hemoglobin in the meat tissues to give poultry a pink tinge. They are the same substances that give red color to smoked hams and other cured meats.
Turkey legs and thighs are dark meat. Turkeys spend a lot of time walking on the ground. Their leg muscles are adapted for regular, continuous use. Leg and thigh muscles consist primarily of red muscle fibers.
How many calories are in a large turkey leg?
Calories and Fat
Instead, you're more likely to be served a 1-pound leg from a 40- to 50-pound bird. A leg that big has 1,136 calories per serving and 54 grams of fat.
You can find the turkey leg at Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom. You can get the jumbo turkey leg at Fife & Drum Tavern in the American Adventure Pavilion at Epcot. You can also get the turkey leg from Prince Eric's Village Market and Liberty Square Market inside Magic Kingdom.
Pressed ham is made from different types of pork that are pressed together, cooked, and then later sliced into lunch meat. Additionally, due to the seasoning in turkey bacon, it's likely to taste a bit like smoked pork products, including ham. So, in these respects, turkey bacon is a bit like ham.
"Turkey" ham is a ready-to-eat product made from cured thigh meat of turkey. The term "turkey ham" is always followed by the statement "cured turkey thigh meat." For more information, see Hams and Food Safety.
While you can technically put a ham in a turkey, it is not recommended. The flavors of the two meats will compete with each other and neither will taste as good as they would on their own. Additionally, the ham will make the turkey more difficult to cook evenly.
The main difference between white meat and dark meat is where on the bird the meat comes from. "The darker the meat, the more myoglobin it contains," says Willingham. "Myoglobin is the protein found in muscle tissue that carries oxygen. In turkeys and chickens, dark meat is sourced from the leg or thigh.
Classified among white meats thanks to the low presence of myoglobin, turkey has a very low fat content and almost all are concentrated in the skin, as with all poultry meats.
While these muscles have different names in the turkey, they have similar functions as those in human legs (although their knees bend the other way). The breast and wings, on the other hand, are considered “white” meat.
Instead, turkey legs can only be purchased at Thunder Falls Terrace or inside The Three Broomsticks restaurant at Hogsmede. What is this? At Thunder Falls Terrace a turkey leg is sold as a combo or platter with french fries and costs between $16.99 and $19.99.
Turkey legs and Mickey ice cream bars are now on the menu at Disneyland Paris. Turkey legs can be found at the Last Chance Cafe in Disneyland Park, and Mickey ice cream bars at various locations. The turkey leg in French is called Pilon de Dinde Saveur Barbecue on the menu (Turkey Leg Barbecue Flavor).
Does Disneyland have turkey?
Turkey doesn't have Disneyland.
The "plastic thing" on the turkey legs is the hock lock. It secures the hind legs, or hock, of a chicken or turkey. It can be made of heat-resistant nylon or metal, and it's perfectly safe to leave it in the bird while it roasts.
Turkey booties, also known as turkey frills, are little paper caps that people stick on the end of turkey legs, to cover up the unsightly ends of the bones. They're shaped sort of like miniature chefs' hats, and might be frilled or rounded at the top.
Chemical Changes During Cooking
Scientists have found that pinkness occurs when gases in the atmosphere of a heated gas or electric oven react chemically with hemoglobin in the meat tissues to give poultry a pink tinge. They are the same substances that give red color to smoked hams and other cured meats.
Turkey legs are an excellent source of protein, with 28 grams per leg. The USDA lists the recommended daily intake of protein for women at 46 grams per day and 56 grams for men.
Yes, it's fine to leave this piece in place as long as you're not deep-frying the turkey. It's made of heat-resistant nylon, so it's safe at temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Should you decide to deep-fry the bird, you should remove both the leg holder and the plastic pop-up indicator.
TO PREP THE TURKEY: Remove neck and giblets from turkey main and neck cavities. (These can be discarded or used to make broth for gravy or soup.) If turkey has a metal or plastic clamp holding the legs together, remove and discard it.
Removing Plastic Clip - YouTube
Spruce up your Thanksgiving presentation by adding paper frills to your cooked turkey legs. These paper booties were originally used to cover up the unsightly, bony ends of the leg. They have become a tradition and are seen as an elegant way to present a turkey.
While they've (thankfully) fallen out of fashion in recent years, they did originally serve a very specific purpose. According to writer John Cordy Jeaffreson in the 1800s, paper trimmings sprung up in the 17th century as a way for women to keep their hands clean while carving meat.
What are turkey feet called?
The hock is the equivalent of a human ankle, and the shank is the turkey's foot.
The best way to be sure a turkey — or any meat — is cooked safely and done is to use a meat thermometer. If the temperature of the turkey, as measured in the thigh, has reached 180°F. and is done to family preference, all the meat — including any that remains pink — is safe to eat.
Turkey legs and thighs are dark meat. Turkeys spend a lot of time walking on the ground. Their leg muscles are adapted for regular, continuous use. Leg and thigh muscles consist primarily of red muscle fibers.
What Happens If You Eat Undercooked Turkey? Consuming undercooked poultry could lead to salmonella, a type of food poisoning. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramping. The illness could be evident as soon as 12 hours later, or it could take up to 3 days to manifest itself.
- hot dogs.
- ham.
- sausages.
- corned beef.
- beef jerky.
- canned meat.
- meat-based preparations and sauces (e.g. certain kinds of Bolognese)
To summarize, turkey meat has low total lipid, cholesterol, and polyunsaturated fatty acid levels, making it a desirable option for diets aiming at lowering blood cholesterol levels.
Concerning overall health impacts, turkey meat is a better alternative to ham. This is because turkey meat is fresh white meat, whereas ham is cured processed meat. Overall, turkey meat provides a healthier dietary profile regarding its health impacts and weight loss effects.
