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The first time I picked up a smoked turkey leg was at a Renaissance Faire outside of Baltimore, Maryland. The turkey had these great ham-like texture and flavor that I could not get enough of. And I thought it was cool to walk around with a huge turkey leg like a good heathen might do. At every Renaissance Faire I’ve ever been to, the smoked turkey leg booth is always the first place I stop.

Making smoked turkey legs at home is easy. I found fresh legs in the poultry section of our grocery store, but you might have to look into the frozen section if you can’t find them fresh. I found super duper big turkey legs, and I found more manageable ones (which is what I went with). Either will do just fine, just keep in mind that the really big ones take more space on your smoker.

I made my legs with the skin on. I think it keeps the legs a bit more moist during the smoking process. The skin does not get super crispy (you’re not smoking them at a high temperature) so feel to remove it before or even after cooking if you wish.

I used my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker for these legs.

Weber Pecan Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Apple Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Cherry Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Any leftover turkey leg meat I had went into a delicious smoked turkey noodle soup. Yum!

You can also use turkey wings or legs to make smoked turkey broth, which makes for the world’s tastiest gravy!

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4 from 1 vote

Smoked Turkey Legs

The first time I picked up a smoked turkey leg was at a Renaissance Faire outside of Baltimore, Maryland. The turkey had these great ham-like texture and flavor that I could not get enough of.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword smoked, turkey

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 5

Servings legs

Calories 1046kcal

Author Inspired by Traeger Grills

Ingredients

1 ½ gallons water divided
4 cups ice
1 cup your favorite BBQ seasoning
½ cup pink curing salt
½ cup Turbinado sugar or brown sugar
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
6 turkey legs skin removed, if desired

Instructions

Place 1 gallon of water into a large stockpot over high heat. Add the rub, curing salt, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the salt. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Add the remaining water and the ice. Add the turkey legs. If the legs are not submerged cover them with a heavy plate or pot lid to keep them under the water. Transfer to the fridge overnight.
Remove the pot from the fridge and drain. Rinse the turkey legs with cold water, removing any pieces of peppercorns or other spices that may be stuck. Pat dry.
Fire up your smoker for 250 F. I used hickory but you can use whatever your favorite wood is.
Add legs to the smoker and smoke for 4-5 hours or until the meat reaches 165 F as measured in the thickest parts of the legs.
Remove and serve.