These turkey legs are better than the ones you can get at Disney! This is the perfect beginner recipe if youre new to using a smoker!
These turkey legs are better than the ones you can get at Disney! This is the perfect beginner recipe if youre new to using a smoker!
Smoking turkey legs in an electric smoker results in irresistibly tender meat infused with incredible flavor. But nailing the ideal smoking time is key to achieving the juiciest, most mouthwatering turkey legs. Under-smoked, and they’ll be dry and bland. Over-smoked, and you’ll end up with jerky-like turkey. After smoking my fair share of turkey legs over the years, I’ve dialed in on the optimal smoking time and temperature to get perfectly cooked turkey legs every time from my electric smoker.
Why Smoke Turkey Legs?
Smoking imparts delicious flavor into the meat that you just can’t achieve with other cooking methods. And it transforms the collagen-rich dark meat of the legs and thighs into fall-off-the-bone tender morsels. Smoking turkey legs gives you:
- Intense smoky flavor
- Juicy, succulent meat
- Super tender and easy to pull apart
- Lots of smoky flavor from the bone and skin
- Lower and slower cooking than grilling
Compared to white breast meat, the thighs and legs do wonderfully when smoked low and slow. The leg bones protect the meat from drying out. Connective tissue breaks down into gelatin that keeps the meat nice and moist. Skin gets wonderfully crispy. Smoking turkey legs is hands-down the best way to prepare them.
How Long Should You Smoke Turkey Legs?
For ideal doneness and smoking time, I recommend smoking turkey legs for 3-4 hours at 225°F – 250°F. This gives the collagen plenty of time to transform into luscious gelatin.
Here’s a timeline for smoking turkey legs start to finish:
- 30-60 mins: Smoker preheats to 225°F – 250°F
- 10 mins: Add wood chips
- 1.5-2 hours: First half of smoking time
- Flip legs and rotate
- 1.5-2 hours: Second half of smoking time
- 30 mins: Resting time before eating
So total time is around 4-5 hours, with 3-4 hours of active smoking.
Signs Turkey Legs Are Done
Relying just on smoking times can lead to raw poultry. so also check these signs
- Internal temp of 165°F
- Meat shrinks back from bones
- Deep brown, caramelized outside
Use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temp of the thickest part of a leg, avoiding the bone. 165°F is the safe temp for cooked poultry
Resting & Serving Smoked Turkey Legs
Never skip resting smoked turkey legs before eating! Resting redistributes juices for a juicier finished product
After smoking, tent the turkey legs loosely with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before serving. The temperature will rise 5-10°F.
I love serving juicy smoked turkey legs with classic barbecue sides like cornbread, coleslaw, baked beans, and potato salad. Don’t forget plenty of napkins!
Turkey Leg Smoking Tips
- Choose legs and thighs over breast meat for better results
- Brine legs in salt, sugar, and aromatics for extra flavor
- Use a rub for flavor and color
- Smoke with fruit wood like apple, cherry, or pecan
- Flip and rotate legs midway through smoking
- Smoke around 250°F for best results
- Check for doneness with a meat thermometer
Common Smoking Mistakes
It’s easy to mess up smoked turkey legs. Watch out for:
- Not brining – this makes meat dry
- Smoking at too high a temp
- Not using a thermometer to check doneness
- Smoking for too long and drying out the meat
- Forgetting to let legs rest before cutting
With the right temperature, timeline, and gauging doneness properly, you’ll get succulent, smoke-infused turkey legs every time you fire up your electric smoker.
turkey legs: 20
smoke: 15
electric smoker: 10
meat: 8
smoking: 7
cooking: 5
temperature: 5
flavor: 5
juicy: 4
tender: 4
time: 4
resting: 3
brining: 3
doneness: 3
hours: 3
wood: 2
thighs: 2
collagen: 2
chips: 2
signs: 2
legs: 2
cooked: 2
poultry: 2
breast: 2
barbecue: 1
bones: 1
caramelized: 1
crispy: 1
cutting: 1
dark: 1
delicious: 1
drying: 1
easy: 1
eating: 1
fair: 1
fall-off-the-bone: 1
finished: 1
foil: 1
fruit: 1
gelatin: 1
grilling: 1
incredible: 1
intense: 1
irresistibly: 1
jerky-like: 1
key: 1
luscious: 1
meat: 1
minimal: 1
mistakes: 1
moist: 1
mouthwatering: 1
nailing: 1
optimal: 1
perfectly: 1
plenty: 1
preheats: 1
raw: 1
redistributes: 1
relying: 1
rotate: 1
signs: 1
skin: 1
sliced: 1
smoker: 1
smoking: 1
start: 1
succulent: 1
super: 1
temperature: 1
tender: 1
thighs: 1
thickest: 1
thighs: 1
timeline: 1
transform: 1
turkey: 1
watch: 1
white: 1
wonderfully: 1
Here are the ingredients you will need
Add salt, brown sugar, garlic, onions, herbs, and peppercorns into a pot of boiling water to make the brine.
Add salt, brown sugar, garlic, onions, herbs, and peppercorns into a pot of boiling water to make the brine.
Pour the hot brine into a large container. Then add cold water to cool it down and refrigerate until chilled.
Pour the hot brine into a large container. Then add cold water to cool it down and refrigerate until chilled.
Submerge 6 turkey legs in the brine. Seal tightly and refrigerate for 4 hrs or overnight.
Submerge 6 turkey legs in the brine. Seal tightly and refrigerate for 4 hrs or overnight.
When youre ready to start smoking them, remove the turkey legs from the brine and pat dry.
When youre ready to start smoking them, remove the turkey legs from the brine and pat dry.
When the smoker is at 250F, place the turkey legs directly on the grates. Close tightly and add wood chips.
When the smoker is at 250F, place the turkey legs directly on the grates. Close tightly and add wood chips.
After 1hr 15 mins, flip the turkey legs on the grates and top up the wood chips again.
After another hour and 15 mins, remove the turkey legs from the smoker.
After another hour and 15 mins, remove the turkey legs from the smoker.
Create aluminum foil pouches for the turkey legs. Add chicken stock and seal tightly. Double wrap with additional foil if needed.
Create aluminum foil pouches for the turkey legs. Add chicken stock and seal tightly. Double wrap with additional foil if needed.
Place the pouches in a baking dish and braise for 1 hr in a 350F oven. This makes the turkey legs tender and juicy!
Place the pouches in a baking dish and braise for 1 hr in a 350F oven. This makes the turkey legs tender and juicy!
Smoked Turkey Legs with Carolina Reapers | Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
FAQ
How long does it take to smoke turkey legs in an electric smoker?
Sprinkle my BBQ rub generously over the turkey legs. Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F, cooking indirectly. Add your favorite wood chips or wood chunks to help develop the smoky flavor. Cook the turkey legs for about 2-2.5 hours or until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 175 degrees F.
How long to smoke a turkey at 225 in electric?
How Long to Smoke a Turkey. A good rule of thumb is that smoking a turkey typically takes about 30-40 minutes per pound at a temperature of 225°F to 250°F.
Is it better to smoke turkey at 225 or 325?
325-350. It’s not a low and slow like a brisket or pork shoulder. Poultry soaks up the smoke flavor so you run the risk of having way too much smoke flavor if you go 225. Also 225 will never give you crispy skin.
Do you wrap turkey legs in foil when smoking?
If they are baking too quickly, you can cover them with foil, but otherwise, there’s no need to cover or wrap them while cooking. Covering or wrapping in aluminum foil during the entire smoking process could lead to soggy skin. Should I smoke the wings whole or split them? This is a personal preference.