Smoked Turkey Leg Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Marinade/Brine Time: 3 hours to Overnight

Cooking Time: 3-4 hours

Smoked Turkey Legs are my kryptonite. If I am at a festival, event, or a game and someone, somewhere has Smoked Turkey Legs….I am getting one. Guaranteed. My daughter has the same thing going for her, we will get two, a stack of napkins, gnaw silently, and admire each other’s caveman-like progress. I am not sure when Turkey Legs became so important to us, but like I said, if they are around…I have to have one.

I won’t go into a giant diatribe about wild turkeys versus farm raised, free range and so on….I am just going to give you a quick run down of how to recreate this prehistoric delicacy at home.

Ok, turkey legs are cheap….like really cheap. There are a whole lot of turkey breasts that are needed to supply deli counters all over the country….and that leaves the lowly leg and thigh out there like second class citizens. Check your local store, look in the frozen “bins” and you will find pre-cut (sometimes vacuum sealed) Turkey Legs. One leg per person will do….no sharing here….Our recipe is super simple….unfortunately it takes time….smoking meat has to be done at low temps for hours at a time.

Three Steps

The Brine:
- Fill a large pot with water and mix in the below (remember…this is just a recipe suggestion. Add more of what you want, take out what you don’t). The idea here is to let the brine penetrate the Turkey leg, infuse flavor, and to help keep your meat juicy through the cooking and eating process. Some people boil this brine and let it chill before adding the turkey…you can do this…but I find it adds another 2 hours to an already long process. Boil if you want….I think it works fine as long as you mix everything well.
  - 1/2 cup of Salt
  - 1/4 cup Sugar
  - 2 tablespoons of Onion Powder
  - 2 tablespoons of Smoked Paprika
  - 2 tablespoons of Garlic Powder
  - 2 tablespoons of Chili Powder
  - 1 teaspoon of Fresh Ground Pepper
  - A few shakes of hot sauce (any kind)
- Soak your Turkey Legs in this brine for 3 hours to overnight. Keep in fridge, add ice if you are leaving outside (and make sure to cover).
The Rub:
- You can use anything you want here. BBQ rubs from the store work great. I have my kids make their own using the below ingredients. We use this rub on EVERYTHING that goes on the smoker. No rules here, make your own version. (Pro-Tip….we keep old spice jars and shakers and use them for our rubs……my kids decorate the labels and so on….we make a big deal of the whole thing…anyway…….sorry to babble….).
  - 1/2 cup of Salt
  - 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
  - 3 tablespoons of Onion Powder
  - 3 tablespoons of Smoked Paprika
  - 3 tablespoons of Garlic Powder
  - 2 tablespoons of Chili Powder (see our homemade recipe for Chili Powder here)
  - 1 tablespoon of Cumin
  - 1 tablespoon of Fresh Ground Pepper
- Mix all together…keep as long as you want…the flavors will lose their “punch” after a month or so….
The Smoke:
- Here we go. When you are ready to cook, preheat your smoker to about 220-240 degrees. I used my Green Egg here, but any smoker you have will work just fine. Just be sure to keep your temperature consistent.
- I like to soak my wood chips for about 30 minutes in water around this time…just to get them ready.
- Take your Turkey Legs out of the brine and dry off with a paper towel.
- I like to rub some Olive Oil and Worcestershire Sauce on the Turkey Legs and them season heavily…I mean heavily with your Rub from above.
- And now we are ready!! Place some wood chips on the smoker….get some smoke going, put your Turkey Legs on…..and sit back, relax, and let yourself go.
- When you see that your smoke is not cranking out of the smoker vent….add more chips (Pro-Tip….I use Pecan Husks/Shells a lot with my smoker…..if you have the ability to get Pecan Shells…get them by the bag full and save them. They are WONDERFUL for smoking…great flavor, they burn FOREVER….just try this…you will not be disappointed!)
- Ok, three to four hours………you want your Turkey Legs to reach 165 degrees. Remember we are not GRILLING here we are smoking…you do not want fire or flare-ups in the smoker. Make sure you are cooking over indirect heat. We want smoke…not fire…..
- You can baste your Turkey Legs if you want…..I use a mixture of White Wine Vinegar, Worcestershire, Soy Sauce, and a little bit of Ketchup…..I don’t always baste them…but if you are feeling dangerous….I suggest you give it a shot.
- When you take your Legs off the smoker…let them sit for 20-30 minutes……if you don’t let them rest…you will lose all the great moisture and juiciness that you have worked for!