A lot of people give me funny looks when I keep the drumsticks from the turkeys that I hunt every spring.
I managed my first Rio grande tom this year (all the rest have been Eastern) and I'm in the process of cooking the drumsticks and thighs right now. This is what I do.
First: brine drums and thighs overnight in salt, sage, rosemary and bay leaf in a gallon of water. (12 hours)
Second- rinse clean and season again with salt, pepper, rosemary and sage, then wrap in aluminum foil. Fill a large crock pot with enough water to almost cover your foil wrapped drumsticks/thighs. Cook on high 4-5 hours.
Third- (smoke with a mix of alder and apple wood) remove foil wrapped pieces and place on grill grate. Carefully open foil to expose turkey, but leave the Turkey on the foil. Expose as much of the meat to the smoke as possible while keeping the now tender drumstick or thigh in one piece. Smoke to desired level of smokiness (indirectly- as far from the heat as possible). Some birds are stringier than others, but this has always worked well for me.
