Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:
Today's post is inspired by and dedicated to my Mother. She is basically the living embodiment of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - where the person looks younger and younger the older they get. I went to visit my family last month and my Mother looked like she was 19. I suspect that she will look like a fetus by the time I see her for the holidays. I did not inherit this reverse aging trick and I am very bitter about it.
Inbetween feeling bitter, I was watching a rerun of "Dinner Impossible" - the "Disney Dinner Dash" challenge. One of the dishes Chef Robert Irvine, the inspirational Chef Jeff Henderson and their team made was Smoked Turkey Legs with Greens (collard greens and spinach). When I was young, my Mother would make pots of fresh greens - usually mustard greens. Having a very immature and xenophobic taste palate, I would run screaming from the wilted down pot of fresh grown green things. Hand me some French fries instead! I honestly don't think I ever even tried my mother's cooked greens.
When I moved to Florida, I was exposed to more "Southern" style cuisine - true, amazing, wonderful Southern cooking. My first soul food style favorite restaurant in Tampa was a place that is no longer open - the wonderful Lincoln Heights Bistro. (Read more about it here.) It was at Lincoln Heights Bistro that I first tried Chef Dawn Algieri's collard greens. I had ordered a "meat and three" plate and just for the heck of it ordered collard greens. Well it was like my tastebuds woke up and slapped me. These collard greens were amazing! I quickly became a diehard collard greens fan. Since that first bite of collard greens, I have had some great collard greens and some not so great collard greens.
I cook a healthy copycat version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup with a 1/3 collard greens to 2/3 kale ratio, however I have never made just traditional style soul food collard greens studded with meat.
So there I was watching "Dinner Impossible" and seeing the big succulent turkey legs with greens. It was then that I decided I wanted to try making traditional Southern Soul Food-style collard greens. Online there are many recipes where the collard greens are cooked with smoked turkey wings, but I wanted to use a big smoked turkey leg.
My mother never met a smoked turkey leg she did not like - Renaissance festivals, Disneyland, Minnesota State Fair - she's had smoked turkey legs at all of them. When I last visited my Family in August 2013, we went to the Minnesota State Fair. My Mother had salmon and roasted corn on the cob. As we were getting ready to leave the fair, I teased my Mother that I couldn't believe she was leaving the Fair without having a smoked turkey leg. She looked torn - could she actually leave without a turkey leg? I turned around and Miss Benjamin Button had run off to buy a turkey leg to take home. The woman loves her smoked turkey legs.
I found a great sounding recipe at DivasCanCook.com for collard greens cooked with a smoked turkey leg. The recipe seemed pretty simple - onions, garlic, crushed red pepper, chicken stock, collard greens and a smoked turkey leg. But then it hit me - where could I purchase a big, deliciously smoked turkey leg? The Minnesota State Fair was 11 1/2 months away!
To the internet I searched and I found that many people in Tampa Bay think the best smoked turkey legs are from a food truck called "Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ" in the Seminole Heights area. Ice Cream's Turkey Legs? What?? The name made me think of those "Drumstick" novelty ice cream cones, not of turkey.
When I was in high school, I worked for a restaurant in Minnesota called "The Italian Pie Shoppe and Winery." About once a week, someone would come in, look around and sigh in disappointment. They thought "Italian Pie Shoppe" was a bakery, when in fact "Italian Pie" referred to "Pizza Pie." Even though we were not a bakery, the passer-bys would then ask what kind of desserts our restaurant served. They would ask in desperate hope that we had some little old Italian Grandmother chained to the back stove making Italian desserts.
I'd shake my head with mock regret and sadness, shrug my shoulders and say the only dessert we sold was mudslide ice cream pie. Hardly an Italian specialty and we bought it pre-made. While we disappointed Italian dessert lovers on a regular basis, the Italian Pie Shoppe pizza was and still is incredibly delicious. (My favorites - the Italian Fries and the Deep Dish Pizza). If you're in Minnesota, check them out - just give the hostess a break and don't ask if the restaurant is a bakery. (Please!)
When I first read about Ice Cream's Turkey Legs and the confusion that many people thought it was an ice cream truck, I thought about every time I had to apologize that The Italian Pie Shoppe was not a bakery. I wonder how many times "Chef Ice Cream" - the owner of the truck -- has been asked for ice cream. I assume the Chef's name is like Ice-T or Ice Cube, but who knows maybe his name is Ice Cream on his birth certificate!
Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ is located on N. 22nd Street in Seminole Heights, two blocks south of Hillsborough Avenue, between Hillsborough and Osborne. Yelp.com lists its location as 5112 N. 22nd Street. I didn't see any building numbers, so look for a meat market and a T-shirt company; Ice Cream's is a small food truck near them.
The Yelp.com listing for Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs is partially incorrect when it comes to operating hours. It says Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs is open Wed - Sunday 11:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. This is incorrect. Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs is open every day according to Chef Ice Cream himself.
I arrived at 11:30 a.m. thinking I could order some smoked turkey legs for my collard green recipe. However I was told that smoked turkey Legs are not available until after 1 p.m. every day. You should have seen my sad face! Before Daylight Savings time, Ice Cream's closes between 6-6:30 (except for Sundays when they close between 5-5:30). During Daylight Savings time, Ice Cream's closes between 5:30 - 6 p.m.
So if you're looking for turkey legs, don't come by before 1 p.m. or you'll be sadly disappointed like I was.
Other items on Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ menu include - barbecue ribs, barbecue chicken, baked beans, potato salad, sweet potato pie, bottled water and drinks. On Thursday and Friday, Ice Cream's also sells collard greens with a generous smattering of smoked turkey pieces throughout. Also on Thursday and Friday, a cheesy, hearty macaroni and cheese is available. But bring cash - because that's all they accept.
I had a lot of afternoon conference calls, so I wasn't able to get back to Ice Cream's until 3:30 p.m. - and can you believe at this off time I was the 5th person in line? That's how good these smoked turkey legs are- people are lining up even at the "off hours."
The air around the food truck was seasoned with the most delightful smoky aroma. I just wanted to stand there and sniff all day. So delicious smelling!
My original plan was to come to Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ to buy one turkey leg to use in my DivasCanCook.Com Southern Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey Legs recipe. Yes, that was the original plan. But standing in line in front of Chef Ice Cream's food truck eagerly inhaling the wonderful scents, I decided I needed a smoked turkey leg, collard greens and mac and cheese for dinner. This would be in addition to a turkey leg that I would use to make my own collard greens later this weekend.
Chef Ice Cream packaged up a side of collard greens and macaroni and cheese for me. Then he handed me these two large bags - one smoked turkey leg in each. I asked for barbecue sauce on the side versus on the turkey leg. Chef Ice Cream asked me if I'd like a little braising liquid with the turkey leg. I said "Yes, please!" The bags were packed so mightily I wondered what was all in there!
When I arrived home, I peered inside the bag. The bottom of the bag was lined with newspaper with a double foil wrapped turkey leg, a plastic bag with two pieces of white bread, a side of barbecue sauce, paper towels for napkins and a plastic fork.
Chef Ice Cream said the reason why the turkey legs are not ready until 1 p.m. each day is because he wants them so tender that you eat it with a fork as it falls off the bone. And he was right - this was the most tender smoked turkey leg I have ever eaten. Smoky, flavorful, not salty, tender and extremely delicious. The internet was right - these are the best smoked turkey legs in Tampa Bay!
My kitten (Chibby) could smell the smoky goodness and started crying for a taste. I gave him a piece of the tender meat and he gave me a look of total adoration. Spoiled kitten!
I stood in my kitchen greedily peeling off pieces of tender, smoky turkey and slowly letting them melt in my mouth. Soooo delicious. I then turned to the packages of collard greens and macaroni and cheese. When I opened the collard greens, I thought "why am I making my own - these collard greens look amazing!"
Chef Ice Cream's collard greens are the perfect texture with large shards of smoked turkey and the right amount of "pot likker/pot liquor" cooking liquid. The greens themselves tasted like they were smoked. I've never had collard greens that tasted quite like these. I enjoyed dipping the white bread in the pot likker. Side note: did you know that according to Wikipedia, pot likker contains iron and vitamin C? It also contains a lot of Vitamin K, which aids in blood clotting. I am interested to see how the DivasCanCook.com recipe compares to Chef Ice Cream's collard greens. I can't believe they are only available on Thursdays and Fridays! I'll have to stock up!
There was enough smoked turkey in the collard greens for me that I almost didn't need the turkey leg. I have a lot of turkey leg left, but I will gladly use that for my own collard greens recipe. The macaroni and cheese is very hearty and a very large portion. I like to take about 1/3 of the mac and cheese and mix it with the full portion of collard greens - makes a delicious and satisfying meal.
I have lived in Tampa Bay for almost 10 years, but it took a rerun of "Dinner Impossible" and a fondness for my mother's love of smoked turkey legs to propel me into finding the best smoked turkey legs. I am very glad I found the quizzically named but ever so fantastic Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ. If you are in the Tampa Bay area, I highly recommend you check them out!
Today's post is inspired by and dedicated to my Mother. She is basically the living embodiment of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - where the person looks younger and younger the older they get. I went to visit my family last month and my Mother looked like she was 19. I suspect that she will look like a fetus by the time I see her for the holidays. I did not inherit this reverse aging trick and I am very bitter about it.
Inbetween feeling bitter, I was watching a rerun of "Dinner Impossible" - the "Disney Dinner Dash" challenge. One of the dishes Chef Robert Irvine, the inspirational Chef Jeff Henderson and their team made was Smoked Turkey Legs with Greens (collard greens and spinach). When I was young, my Mother would make pots of fresh greens - usually mustard greens. Having a very immature and xenophobic taste palate, I would run screaming from the wilted down pot of fresh grown green things. Hand me some French fries instead! I honestly don't think I ever even tried my mother's cooked greens.
When I moved to Florida, I was exposed to more "Southern" style cuisine - true, amazing, wonderful Southern cooking. My first soul food style favorite restaurant in Tampa was a place that is no longer open - the wonderful Lincoln Heights Bistro. (Read more about it here.) It was at Lincoln Heights Bistro that I first tried Chef Dawn Algieri's collard greens. I had ordered a "meat and three" plate and just for the heck of it ordered collard greens. Well it was like my tastebuds woke up and slapped me. These collard greens were amazing! I quickly became a diehard collard greens fan. Since that first bite of collard greens, I have had some great collard greens and some not so great collard greens.
I cook a healthy copycat version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup with a 1/3 collard greens to 2/3 kale ratio, however I have never made just traditional style soul food collard greens studded with meat.
So there I was watching "Dinner Impossible" and seeing the big succulent turkey legs with greens. It was then that I decided I wanted to try making traditional Southern Soul Food-style collard greens. Online there are many recipes where the collard greens are cooked with smoked turkey wings, but I wanted to use a big smoked turkey leg.
My mother never met a smoked turkey leg she did not like - Renaissance festivals, Disneyland, Minnesota State Fair - she's had smoked turkey legs at all of them. When I last visited my Family in August 2013, we went to the Minnesota State Fair. My Mother had salmon and roasted corn on the cob. As we were getting ready to leave the fair, I teased my Mother that I couldn't believe she was leaving the Fair without having a smoked turkey leg. She looked torn - could she actually leave without a turkey leg? I turned around and Miss Benjamin Button had run off to buy a turkey leg to take home. The woman loves her smoked turkey legs.
I found a great sounding recipe at DivasCanCook.com for collard greens cooked with a smoked turkey leg. The recipe seemed pretty simple - onions, garlic, crushed red pepper, chicken stock, collard greens and a smoked turkey leg. But then it hit me - where could I purchase a big, deliciously smoked turkey leg? The Minnesota State Fair was 11 1/2 months away!
To the internet I searched and I found that many people in Tampa Bay think the best smoked turkey legs are from a food truck called "Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ" in the Seminole Heights area. Ice Cream's Turkey Legs? What?? The name made me think of those "Drumstick" novelty ice cream cones, not of turkey.
When I was in high school, I worked for a restaurant in Minnesota called "The Italian Pie Shoppe and Winery." About once a week, someone would come in, look around and sigh in disappointment. They thought "Italian Pie Shoppe" was a bakery, when in fact "Italian Pie" referred to "Pizza Pie." Even though we were not a bakery, the passer-bys would then ask what kind of desserts our restaurant served. They would ask in desperate hope that we had some little old Italian Grandmother chained to the back stove making Italian desserts.
I'd shake my head with mock regret and sadness, shrug my shoulders and say the only dessert we sold was mudslide ice cream pie. Hardly an Italian specialty and we bought it pre-made. While we disappointed Italian dessert lovers on a regular basis, the Italian Pie Shoppe pizza was and still is incredibly delicious. (My favorites - the Italian Fries and the Deep Dish Pizza). If you're in Minnesota, check them out - just give the hostess a break and don't ask if the restaurant is a bakery. (Please!)
When I first read about Ice Cream's Turkey Legs and the confusion that many people thought it was an ice cream truck, I thought about every time I had to apologize that The Italian Pie Shoppe was not a bakery. I wonder how many times "Chef Ice Cream" - the owner of the truck -- has been asked for ice cream. I assume the Chef's name is like Ice-T or Ice Cube, but who knows maybe his name is Ice Cream on his birth certificate!
Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ is located on N. 22nd Street in Seminole Heights, two blocks south of Hillsborough Avenue, between Hillsborough and Osborne. Yelp.com lists its location as 5112 N. 22nd Street. I didn't see any building numbers, so look for a meat market and a T-shirt company; Ice Cream's is a small food truck near them.
 |
| Sign next to the lot where Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ Food Truck is located |
 |
| Turkey Leg Food Truck of Deliciousness |
I arrived at 11:30 a.m. thinking I could order some smoked turkey legs for my collard green recipe. However I was told that smoked turkey Legs are not available until after 1 p.m. every day. You should have seen my sad face! Before Daylight Savings time, Ice Cream's closes between 6-6:30 (except for Sundays when they close between 5-5:30). During Daylight Savings time, Ice Cream's closes between 5:30 - 6 p.m.
So if you're looking for turkey legs, don't come by before 1 p.m. or you'll be sadly disappointed like I was.
Other items on Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ menu include - barbecue ribs, barbecue chicken, baked beans, potato salad, sweet potato pie, bottled water and drinks. On Thursday and Friday, Ice Cream's also sells collard greens with a generous smattering of smoked turkey pieces throughout. Also on Thursday and Friday, a cheesy, hearty macaroni and cheese is available. But bring cash - because that's all they accept.
I had a lot of afternoon conference calls, so I wasn't able to get back to Ice Cream's until 3:30 p.m. - and can you believe at this off time I was the 5th person in line? That's how good these smoked turkey legs are- people are lining up even at the "off hours."
The air around the food truck was seasoned with the most delightful smoky aroma. I just wanted to stand there and sniff all day. So delicious smelling!
My original plan was to come to Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ to buy one turkey leg to use in my DivasCanCook.Com Southern Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey Legs recipe. Yes, that was the original plan. But standing in line in front of Chef Ice Cream's food truck eagerly inhaling the wonderful scents, I decided I needed a smoked turkey leg, collard greens and mac and cheese for dinner. This would be in addition to a turkey leg that I would use to make my own collard greens later this weekend.
Chef Ice Cream packaged up a side of collard greens and macaroni and cheese for me. Then he handed me these two large bags - one smoked turkey leg in each. I asked for barbecue sauce on the side versus on the turkey leg. Chef Ice Cream asked me if I'd like a little braising liquid with the turkey leg. I said "Yes, please!" The bags were packed so mightily I wondered what was all in there!
When I arrived home, I peered inside the bag. The bottom of the bag was lined with newspaper with a double foil wrapped turkey leg, a plastic bag with two pieces of white bread, a side of barbecue sauce, paper towels for napkins and a plastic fork.
 |
| What's In The Bag? |
Chef Ice Cream said the reason why the turkey legs are not ready until 1 p.m. each day is because he wants them so tender that you eat it with a fork as it falls off the bone. And he was right - this was the most tender smoked turkey leg I have ever eaten. Smoky, flavorful, not salty, tender and extremely delicious. The internet was right - these are the best smoked turkey legs in Tampa Bay!
 |
| A Fred Flintstone sized turkey leg - smoky, tender and incredibly flavorful |
My kitten (Chibby) could smell the smoky goodness and started crying for a taste. I gave him a piece of the tender meat and he gave me a look of total adoration. Spoiled kitten!
I stood in my kitchen greedily peeling off pieces of tender, smoky turkey and slowly letting them melt in my mouth. Soooo delicious. I then turned to the packages of collard greens and macaroni and cheese. When I opened the collard greens, I thought "why am I making my own - these collard greens look amazing!"
Chef Ice Cream's collard greens are the perfect texture with large shards of smoked turkey and the right amount of "pot likker/pot liquor" cooking liquid. The greens themselves tasted like they were smoked. I've never had collard greens that tasted quite like these. I enjoyed dipping the white bread in the pot likker. Side note: did you know that according to Wikipedia, pot likker contains iron and vitamin C? It also contains a lot of Vitamin K, which aids in blood clotting. I am interested to see how the DivasCanCook.com recipe compares to Chef Ice Cream's collard greens. I can't believe they are only available on Thursdays and Fridays! I'll have to stock up!
There was enough smoked turkey in the collard greens for me that I almost didn't need the turkey leg. I have a lot of turkey leg left, but I will gladly use that for my own collard greens recipe. The macaroni and cheese is very hearty and a very large portion. I like to take about 1/3 of the mac and cheese and mix it with the full portion of collard greens - makes a delicious and satisfying meal.
I have lived in Tampa Bay for almost 10 years, but it took a rerun of "Dinner Impossible" and a fondness for my mother's love of smoked turkey legs to propel me into finding the best smoked turkey legs. I am very glad I found the quizzically named but ever so fantastic Ice Cream's Delicious Turkey Legs and BBQ. If you are in the Tampa Bay area, I highly recommend you check them out!
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