This turkey sandwich is made with smoked turkey drumsticks and topped with a homemade apple bbq sauce. Serve the delicious sandwich with white cheddar and fresh jalapeños!
I will admit to you that the only time I’ve really had a turkey drumstick is at the Ohio Renaissance Festival. While I do totally love those, these smoked turkey drumsticks from Frick’s Quality Meats are AMAZING. We were sent a few to enjoy and whip up a fun recipe and thus created the most mouthwatering grilled + chopped turkey sandwich you’ll ever make.
We also whipped up a recipe with a bone-in ham from Frick’s, so go check that one out too and be sure to give them a follow over on Facebook and Instagram!
But first, the bbq sauce.
First up, we are making an apple-vinegary “BBQ sauce” that is tart and savory and perfect on this smoked turkey sandwich. Lucky for us, we have a ton of apples lying around because we had just visited a local apple orchard.
Just peel those bad boys, chop ’em up and then mix in a food processor with some apple cider vinegar to get it started.
Then, you add all that apple mushy goodness into a pot and whisk it up with some other ingredients to make it into a really thin “BBQ sauce” that is almost like an au jus.
Mmm, it ends up so tart and a bit spicy and full of flavor. Baby O really wanted to taste test it and then kept going back for seconds and thirds. She hasn’t quite learned about double dipping yet.
While your sauce is simmering on the stove, you’ll want to be simultaneously preparing your turkey drumsticks. There are some cooking instructions on the package, but we highly suggest grilling them to get them extra smoky and delicious.
Once you pull them off the grill and let them cool, just use a fork to pull off all that delicious meat. Be wary of any of the white stringy cartilage and make sure to toss that out because it’s not really edible.
Then, add all the meat to a cutting board and chop it up to your desired choppiness. We have a meat cleaver that we use for things like this but a regular butcher knife would work too.
Just be careful and also make sure that you really chop up the skin. Since it’s smoked, it can be a bit tougher than the super moist inside so cutting it into smaller pieces is just a bit safer.
Once your sauce and turkey drumsticks are ready, drizzle the sauce all over the meat and use tongs to fully combine. I kept a little reserve of the sauce and dipped some of the sandwich in it too because I’m a glutton for condiments.
This was such a fun recipe to write and something totally new for us! We’ve never used turkey drumsticks at home, so we were super excited to partner with Frick’s Quality Meats. I’ll put this in the recipe below too, but we also added a slice of melted white cheddar and some fresh jalapeños to the sandwich which really took it over the edge. The sauce is a wee bit spicy so the jalapeños added a little extra heat that was totally welcome on my plate.
A few more homemade sandwich recipes.
I’m a sucker for a GOOD sandwich. These three recipes fall under that category, you will love them.
- Copycat McMuffins. The best breakfast sandwich! It’s easy peasy and is freezer friendly so you can enjoy at any time.
- Mini Fish Sandwiches. A good sandwich is extra delicious with homemade sauce, especially this delightful tartar sauce.
- Meatloaf Sandwiches. These are the BEST. The caramelized onions on top are incredibly delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 Frick’s Quality Meats Smoked Turkey Drumsticks
- 16 oz chicken stock
- 2 apples peeled and chopped
- 3 cups apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ketchip
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- buns
- 1 whole jalapeno sliced, optional
- 2-4 slices white cheddar cheese optional
Instructions
- Prepare turkey drumsticks by grilling and using indirect heat for 35-45 minutes brushing with chicken stock every so often to keep drumsticks moist.
- While drumsticks are grilling, prepare BBQ sauce. Add peeled and chopped apples to food processor and pulse a few times to break them down. Add one cup of apple cider vinegar and then pulse for about 30-45 seconds until thin-ish, about the consistency of apple sauce.
- Add apple mixture to a medium size pot and turn to medium heat. Add brown sugar, ketchup, cayenne powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper and another two cups of apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature while turkey finishes grilling.
- Once turkey is ready, remove from grill and let cool for a few minutes. Once they are cool, remove the meat and set on a cutting board. Chop meat into bite size chunks and add to a mixing bowl.
- One cup at a time, pour BBQ sauce over chopped turkey, using tongs to fully coat. Reserve a bit of the sauce for dunking.
- Add chopped and sauced turkey to bun and add cheese (melt it too!) and jalapeños, if desired. Careful because the bottom bun can get soggy from the sauce quickly, so eat up!
Jason Kane
If you put the cheese on the bottom bun first it won’t get soggy as fast
Hannah Lewis
Oh great idea!!