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Barbecued Turkey Thighs

Barbecued turkey thighs slow‑cooked in a ketchup‑based sauce served with rice.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Ketchup and sauce match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,099 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Barbecued Turkey Thighs

Ingredients

Directions

Make the sauce

  1. Combine ketchup, sugar substitute, tapioca, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, and red pepper in a 3½‑ or 4‑quart slow cooker.

Slow cook

  1. Place turkey thighs, meaty side down, on the ketchup mixture.

  2. Cover and cook on low‑heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high‑heat setting for 5 to 6 hours.

Serve

  1. Transfer turkey to a serving dish.

  2. Pour cooking juices into a small bowl.

  3. Skim off fat from the juices.

  4. Serve turkey with cooking juices and, if desired, hot cooked rice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

468Calories
38 gProtein
5 gFat
67 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Chicken100g cooked165
Sugar Substitute1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Ketchup + saucetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,099 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Sugar substitute + saucetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  3. Ketchup + sugar substitutetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together0 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  4. Cinnamon + ricetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,137 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Cinnamon + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,890 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Turkey thighs
Provide the main meat, which becomes tender during the long, moist slow cook.
Ketchup
Forms the sauce base, adding sweetness, acidity and body that thicken as the dish cooks.
Tapioca
Thickens the cooking juices so they cling to the turkey instead of running thin.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the sweet tomato base and balances the richness of the meat.
Sugar substitute
Supplies sweetness to the barbecue sauce without adding sugar.

The step that matters

Cover and cook for the full time range. Slow cookers vary in heat, and cooking too briefly leaves turkey tough because collagen has not broken down. Checking that the meat is tender and cooked through protects texture and safety.

Swap the cinnamon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ketchup, sugar substitute, vinegar, sauce, pepper, turkey, rice):

  1. Celeryfits better
  2. Gingerfits about as well
  3. Parsleyfits about as well
  4. Cinnamonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against ketchup, sugar substitute, vinegar, sauce, pepper, turkey, rice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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