Review: Disneyland - Smoked Turkey Leg

I didn't even know Disneyland sold Smoked Turkey Legs until my most recent visit. Normally found at county fairs and barbecue joints, There are several carts throughout the park (and is also at California Adventure).

They're a signature food item at Disneyland and over 1.5 million are sold per year. They come from turkeys that range from 40 to 50 pounds.

At $8, one leg is over a pound of meat and enough to feed two people making it maybe one of the best food bargains in the park. The same cart also had Chimichangas...(?)

Funny story: while my brother and I were digging into our turkey leg, a family from the U.K. was walking by and stopped to gawk, asking us if the turkey leg was a lamb shank (yes, it's quite big). My mouth was full so I had to wait a while before I could tell them that it was in fact a turkey leg (in hindsight, maybe I should have said it was a chicken leg) and pointed out where they could get one. I wonder if eating a lamb shank in the U.K. is common.

Tastewise, the turkey leg was nice, juicy, and full of flavor. There's something primordial and utterly satisfying about tearing into a giant drumstick that harkens back to cave man days. You have to watch out for and pull out the splinter "bones" as you're eating though.

I put my finger in the shot for scale. You can see a bit of the fatty sheen.

I did have one complaint about my turkey leg though. Since it was wrapped in a wax paper and then a foil bag, it steamed in its own juices and fat which, kept it juicy, but destroyed any crisp, smoked texture of the skin and surface leaving a slimy fatness that was somewhat off-putting. It's really not a good way to hold the legs before serving.

The meat underneath was great though!

P.S. Do not ever feed the turkey leg to your dog. It might seem like a good idea since it's so big but, besides the little splinter "bones," bird bones break apart quite easily and may cause serious injury to your dog.