I am not one to empathize with the ritual of Thanksgiving. I believe the idea of a bastardized day of thanks to celebrate the colonizing English is truly upsetting and, dare I say, un-woke as hell. Pip-pip cheer…no.
But, over the past few years, I'll admit it's been fun to watch people of various backgrounds and cultures take and modify this day from the Caucasian tyrants, with feasts truly representing all classes and structures.
Which brings me to Hank's – 1228 NE 63rd Street.
I'm not sure what Hank's thoughts are on Thanksgiving, but his mastery of smoked turkey legs will blow you and your guests out of the water, and give you something to truly be thankful for.
My girlfriend and I went last weekend before the weather dropped moderately down. The building was only recognizable by the smokehouse next door with the big sign that said Hank’s. As we parked, I could smell the burning wood and the meaty siren's call of turkey being smoked and I knew we were ready.
Orders were taken at the counter, and almost immediately, they were filled.
Not a turkey fan—strike one in my book!—my girlfriend had the Jerk Chop Sandwich ($10.00).
A “sandwich” in name only, the meal was actually a duo of very meaty pork chops with a sweet and spicy jerk sauce – the two pieces of white bread on the plate a seemingly afterthought.
With a side of collard greens ($5.00), this was the beginning of the real pork show and it was other-white-meat incredible. The addicting jerk sauce gave it a real non-Oklahoma vibe, adding a Caribbean patois to the proceedings and it worked.
But, to be honest…it wasn’t turkey.
For that, I came to the rescue, ordering the simple and delicious Hank’s Smoked Turkey Leg ($15.00) – a jumbo leg, smoked perfectly with some of Hank’s Original Sauce streaming down into a tasty oblivion.
This, to be sure, was pure 100-percent red-blooded turkey heaven.
Coming straight from a bird with bulbous muscles and a lean body, the bodybuilder-esque turkey meat was so juicy and so moist that my hands degraded down to withered stumps from all of the spurting juices.
With every bite I took, I swallowed the oppression and washed it down with a cool drink of ice water. This was the Thanksgiving feast we can all enjoy, every day of the year, thanks to Hank’s.
Cómpralo ya!
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