A smoked turkey leg is the world's heartiest finger food. You can hold them in one hand and refuel while you walk — which is why they're such a staple at fairs and festivals. Smoked turkey legs taste just as good in your backyard, and are a good smoking project for beginners and experts alike. With a home-smoked turkey leg in your hand, you'll feel like a smoking expert and a true carnivore.
How to Buy Turkey Legs for Smoking
The first step to smoking turkey legs is finding a place to buy them. Some supermarkets may only stock turkey legs during the holiday season. Even if you do see them in stock one week, they may be gone the next. Your best bet is to plan ahead and ask your butcher about availability, or about the possibility of a special order. It's also possible to order frozen raw turkey legs online.
If your supermarket does stock turkey legs, look for ones with unblemished skin. Yellow discoloration or spots are a sign that the legs have been sitting on the shelf for awhile, and the meat may be starting to dry out.
How to Prepare Smoked Turkey Legs
Brining is the key preparation step for smoking turkey legs. Turkey meat is notoriously dry, and the smoking process will cause significant moisture loss.
Soaking the legs in brine for 24 hours before smoking adds additional moisture and makes the final product more tender. Because you're starting with more moisture, you can smoke the legs for longer. More smoke means more flavor, and drier, crispier skin.
How Do You Brine a Turkey Leg?
To brine a turkey leg, first prepare your brining liquid. A classic brine is 1 gallon of water with 1 cup of salt, but to add additional flavor to turkey legs, we recommend a brine with these components.
- 1 gallon of warm water
- 1 cup Traeger Rub
- 1/2 cup Morton Tender Quick Home Meat Cure
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon crushed allspice berries (optional)
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
In a large pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Cool to room temperature, then add a half gallon cold water and 4 cups ice, and place in the refrigerator until chilled. Once chilled, submerge the turkey legs in the brine and refrigerate for 24 hours.
How Do You Season a Turkey Leg?
After brining, you can season a turkey leg with dry rub ingredients like ground spices and herbs. Just go light on the salt because the brine has already introduced plenty of salt into the meat.
How Long Should You Smoke a Turkey Leg?
A turkey leg will take 2 to 3 hours to smoke at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The best way to make sure you don't overcook is to use a probe thermometer like the one on a Traeger. The turkey leg is ready to eat when the internal temperature, as measured by your Traeger probe, reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
What Is the Best Wood for Smoking Turkey Legs?
Pecan or hickory are excellent woods for smoking turkey legs. The woods have similar flavor profiles and are good for smoking poultry. They are stronger than fruit woods like apple and cherry, but not as strong as mesquite, which can overpower the flavor of turkey.
How Do You Cook Turkey Legs That Are Already Smoked?
You can buy smoked turkey legs that have already been smoked. They will come either frozen or refrigerated. Frozen smoked legs must be fully thawed before preheating.
To reheat smoked turkey legs, preheat your Traeger to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Once that temperature is reached, place the legs on the grill grate and heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
Why Is My Smoked Turkey Skin Rubbery?
Turkey skin stays rubbery if not enough moisture is cooked out of it during the smoking process. The moisture may come from leftover brine.
How Can I Cook Crispy Turkey Legs?
For crispy turkey legs, eliminate as much moisture from the surface of the skin as possible before smoking. Pat the surface dry multiple times after brining.
Another method to try is dry brining. Salt the surface of the meat, then let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. The salt will absorb into the meat, and the air circulating in the refrigerator will dry the surface moisture on the skin of the turkey legs.
Should I Wrap Turkey Legs in Foil When Smoking?
Don't wrap turkey legs in foil when smoking. The foil will block the wood fired flavor from absorbing into the meat. Why would you want that?
Using foil is sometimes a good idea when smoking a whole turkey, to prevent certain parts of the bird from cooking faster than others. Foil is also useful when cooking huge cuts of meat like brisket, which absorb plenty of smoke during the first few hours of cooking, and can then be wrapped in foil to speed up the cook. But for turkey legs, foil isn't necessary.
Smoked Turkey Leg Recipes
Go beyond the basic smoked leg with these unique ideas for seasonings and preparation.
Smoked Turkey Legs
A flavored brine leads to moist and tasty smoked turkey legs — after a low and slow smoke, of course.
Cook time: 5 hours
Makes: 4 turkey legs
Ingredients
1 cup Traeger Rub
1/2 cup Morton Tender Quick Home Meat Cure
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon crushed allspice berries (optional)
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
4 turkey legs
Smoked Turkey Legs With Brown Butter and Bourbon Glaze
A combo method — these legs are brined, seasoned before cooking, and then glazed near the end of the smoking process.
Cook time: 2 hours
Makes: 8 turkey legs
Ingredients
2 gallons water
1 cup sugar
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
10 peppercorns
1 cup kosher salt
8 turkey legs
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup garlic powder and kosher salt mix
4 tablespoons rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup maple syrup
8 tablespoons butter, browned
Injected Drunken Smoked Turkey Legs
These legs are brined, then injected with a bourbon-laced mixture.
Cook time: 3 hours
Makes: 6 turkey legs
Ingredients
1 bottle Frank's RedHot Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whiskey or bourbon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup chicken stock
6 large turkey legs
Traeger Turkey Recipes
If you love the flavor of turkey, check out our complete collection of recipes.
Smoked Turkey Legs
by Traeger Kitchen
3.6
15 Reviews
Prep Time
30 Min
Cook Time
5 Hr
Serves
4
Pellets
Hickory
These drumsticks aren't a wimpy, wing-night special. They're big on flavor with a crusted outside and juicy turkey inside. Go medieval on your week with this slow-smoked, wood-fired entree.
Ingredients
main
| 1 Gallon | warm water |
| 1 Cup | Traeger Rub |
| 1/2 Cup | Morton Tender Quick curing salt |
| 1/2 Cup | brown sugar |
| 1 Tablespoon | crushed allspice berries (optional) |
| 1 Tablespoon | Whole black peppercorns |
| 2 | Bay leaves |
| 2 Teaspoon | liquid smoke |
| 4 Cup | Ice |
| 1/2 Gallon | cold water |
| 4 | turkey legs |
1
In a large stockpot, combine the warm water, the rub, curing salt, brown sugar, allspice, if using, peppercorns, bay leaves, and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt . Let cool to room temperature. Add the cold water and ice, then chill the brine in the refrigerator.
2
Add the turkey legs to the brine, making sure they're completely submerged. Refrigerate for 24 hours, then remove the turkey legs and discard the brine. Rinse the legs under cold water, then dry thoroughly with paper towels. Brush off any clinging solid spices.
3
When ready to cook, set the Traeger temperature to 250℉ and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes.
4
Insert the probe into the thickest part of a turkey leg, avoiding touching the bone. Lay the turkey legs directly on the grill grates. Close the lid and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165℉ and the turkey legs are deeply browned, 4-5 hours. Don't be alarmed if the meat under the skin is pinkish; that's a chemical reaction from the cure and the smoke.
5
Serve immediately. Enjoy!
