Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Butterball. The opinions in the post are entirely my own.
Grilled Sweet and Spicy Turkey Drumsticks!
Learn to make mouth-watering and tender grilled turkey drumsticks that are both sweet and spicy. It is a satisfying and delicious flavour combination! Get ready to be blown away by how easy and scrumptious this dish is!
The drumsticks are first marinated in a sweet and spicy base that uses ingredients such as soy sauce, honey, ginger and Sambal Oelek hot sauce. After the drumsticks are grilled, a sweet aromatic glaze with a spicy kick is brushed on. It is finger-licking incredible. Read on to find out how to prep the glaze.
If you have not tried grilling drumsticks before, now this is the time!
Summer grilling made easy!
My family loves turkey, and we eat it all year long! In the summer, we enjoy easy grilling recipes (learn to make my grilled turkey and Asian pesto recipe).
Butterball has a line called Easy Fresh that provides pre-cut pieces, so I don’t need to buy a whole bird when I want to enjoy a quick turkey meal. That means, you and I can get turkey drumsticks ANY time of the year. Turkey drumsticks are perfect for the grill but this recipe would work as great for other turkey cuts.
As a bonus, I was able to grill the drumsticks in just 30 minutes! It feels good to be able to have a scrumptious meal on the table in no time.
In terms of serving, they are great on their own, or sliced up. In our household, everyone gets their own drumstick! I like to pair the drumsticks with rice or noodles and grilled vegetables.
Appetizing flavours!
Grilling intensifies the flavour of the sweet and spicy turkey, and takes on a beautiful colour and caramelization. The outcome is a juicy and tender drumstick with explosive flavours! #NomNomNom
The technique to make turkey drumsticks is easy. Marinade the turkey, grill it, and then brush the grilled drumsticks with glaze at the table! You can put as much or as little glaze as you like on each drumstick. The glaze doubles as a dipping sauce! Talk about win-win!
Best glaze ever? I say yesssss!
Why would you love the glaze? Let me count the ways!
The sweet and spicy glaze complements the turkey flavour! It is sweet, aromatic with the right amount of heat. The glaze has a velvety honey texture that is also thin enough to brush over the drumsticks.
The glaze is made of honey, as well as sesame oil, and Sambal Oelek hot sauce. The ingredients are easily mixed together in a bowl, without any heat.
Quick marinade hack
I am all about time saving hacks. For the marinade, I only used a cutting board, a knife, and a bowl to mix the ingredients. To quickly peel the garlic, I used a knife to press down on the garlic which helps loosen skin and the peel comes off easily. The flattened garlic also release juices for the marinade.
This is a technique that is I use often for my Cantonese dishes. I call it “smashed garlic” or “smashed ginger”.
As an alternative to using the knife to flatten the garlic and ginger, a mortar and pestle also works well.
Ingredient talk!
What is Sambal Oelek?
I used store-bought Sambal Oelek in the recipe. Sambal is a chili sauce made of ground chilis that originated from Indonesia and are popular in Southeast Asia. It has a mild heat and a chunky texture because the chilis are grounded.
Sambal Oelek is found in the ‘International’ section at most grocery stores across Canada, and at Chinese or Vietnamese supermarkets.
As a substitute, I suggest Korean Gochujang which is a fermented chili paste, or your favourite hot sauce. Both would work in the recipe.
What is sesame oil?
Sesame oil is made from sesame seeds. It is an incredible flavour enhancer, great for marinades, and can also be used as a cooking oil. It has a nutty taste and is super aromatic. Sesame oil can also be found in the “International” section of most grocery stores.
We have used this in both the turkey marinade and glaze to brighten up the flavours. It helped to thin out the honey for the glaze as well.
Recipe
Grilled Sweet and Spicy Turkey Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 1 package Butterball Easy Fresh turkey drumsticks (3 drumsticks)
Marinade
- 3 pieces ginger, skin on, flattened (1 inch x 1 inch pieces)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled, flattened
- 3 tsp white sugar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 3 tsp Sambal Oelek, or any hot sauce
- 3 tsp sesame oil
- ⅛ cup honey
Glaze:
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 tsp sesame oil
- 4 tsp Sambal Oelek, or any hot sauce
Instructions
Marinade
Remove Butterball Turkey Drumsticks from Easy Fresh package and pat skin dry with a paper towel. Place drumsticks in an airtight container or plastic resealable zipper storage bag.
On a chopping board, flatten garlic by pressing down on it with the flat part of the knife. Remove garlic peel and discard. Do the same with the ginger with the skin on.
Pour marinade on the turkey drumsticks and distribute evenly, until every part of the turkey is coated. Marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
Making the glaze
In a bowl, add Sambal Oelek, honey and sesame oil and mix well. Set aside.
Grilling time
Take turkey out of the fridge about 45 minutes before grilling to get it up to room temperature. Heat grill to 400 degrees °F.
Place turkey drumsticks on low heat (keep one burner on high heat for indirect heat) and close lid. Turn after 10 minutes and cook with the lid down, until the internal temperature of the turkey hits 165°F (about 30 minutes in total). Turn the turkey earlier or more frequently if required to keep the skin from burning.
Indirect cooking note: Turn off burners on one side to create an area for indirect/low heat. Place turkey drumsticks on indirect/low heat.(keep one burner on high heat) and close lid. They high heat burners will help cook the turkey on low heat, This technique will help prevent burning.
Plate and rest turkey for 10 minutes. Brush desired amount of glaze on the turkey drumsticks.
Recipe Notes
Cook times may vary. If you do not have a grill, the turkey drumsticks can be roasted in the oven.
For other Butterball summer turkey recipes ideas, check out:
- Roasted Turkey Papaya Salad (recipe here )
- Chinese Turkey Lettuce Wraps (recipe here)
- Grilled Turkey and Asian Pesto (recipe here)
- Soy Sauce Turkey (recipe here)
For more turkey recipe ideas, head to https://www.butterball.ca/recipes/
Follow Butterball on social media:
- Instagram: @Butterball_CA
- Facebook: Butterball Canada
- Twitter: @Butterball_CA
- Hashtag: #ButterballEasy
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