In honor of the season finale of Game of Thrones, Arby’s graced nine locations across the country with that king of Renaissance Fair fare, the giant turkey leg. Snacktaku journeyed to the restaurant’s seat of power in Atlanta to capture this rare, tasty prize.
In a clever bit of unofficial cross-promotion, Arby’s selected nine cities in the U.S. to represent the nine regions of Westeros. Fargo (The North), Los Angeles (The Westerlands), Seattle (The Stormlands), Norfolk (The Iron Islands), Phoenix (Dorne), Pittsburgh (The Riverlands), Omaha (The Reach), Denver (The Vale) and Atlanta (The Crownlands). As the Game of Thrones is cruel and few have any hope of winning, Arby’s then selected a single location in each of these cities to sell a limited number of smoked turkey legs.
Fortunately for us, Snacktaku’s unofficial headquarters happens to be in Atlanta, off of the same exact road as the sole location in the city boasting smoked and seasoned turkey limbs. So when we say “journeyed,” we mean “drove down the street 10 minutes and spent about $7.00 (with a small drink),” which doesn’t sound nearly as impressive.
What is impressive, and unfortunate for most of the country, is how good the turkey legs turned out. Seasoned with salt and brown sugar and then smoked for hours, the leg was savory with just a hunt of sweet, and juicy from the first bite to the last. We’re used to turkey limbs yanked off a whole bird that’s been roasting in an oven for most of Thanksgiving Day. Those dry, arduous eats are nothing compared to a leg given individual attention.
Suddenly navigating those nasty tendons doesn’t feel like such a chore. With Arby’s turkey leg, the only thing to be annoyed with those milky white sticks about is that they take up space that could have been filled with more tasty meat.
Plus there’s something powerful and primal about waving around the leg of a large cooked bird, especially while driving down Roswell Road in a white Dodge minivan. It evokes images of famished knights tearing into a feast and gluttonous kings barking orders with grease and bits of meat on their lips. That’s why Renaissance fairs sell them (that and portability), and what is Game of Thrones but a massive Renaissance fair you can’t and probably wouldn’t want to attend?
Sadly, not many of you will be able to share in our succulent joy. Not only is the turkey leg only available at nine locations across the U.S., quantities are limited. The Atlanta store we visited told us they had received a “three-day supply” of 150 legs, which were completely sold out by 1 PM on day one.
You will, however, be able to watch Snacktaku eat one in the video atop this post. It’s not like there’s anything good on television.