I prefer the leg and thigh meat of a turkey to the breast, except for sandwiches. I do enjoy leftover roasted and thinly sliced turkey breast piled high on toasted bread with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise.
When it comes to eating turkey as the main event of a meal, dark meat has more flavor and moisture than light meat, in my opinion. And, it cooks really nicely low and slow in my Masterbuilt Smoker. A combination of water and apple cider in the liquid bowl adds even more moisture to the meat.
Smoked legs or drumsticks are actually fun to eat with your hands. Every time I watch a film where the main characters are medieval gentry gorging on large cuts of meat, I am intrigued and amused. Watching those well-dressed royals chomping on whole grilled turkey legs makes me crave smoked drumsticks that I can eat without regard to table manners. This is a perfect casual backyard barbeque food.
Smoking turkey legs in an electric smoker is a great way to infuse flavor and tenderness into the meat. When done right, you’ll end up with juicy, smokey turkey legs that taste like they came straight from a Renaissance fair or theme park. The key is knowing how long to smoke turkey legs to get the best results.
Why Smoke Turkey Legs?
There are a few reasons why smoking is one of the best cooking methods for turkey legs
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Infuses flavor – The slow cooking process allows the wood smoke to thoroughly permeate the meat, giving it a delicious smokey flavor. Spices and aromatics in a brine also have more time to impart flavor.
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Makes the meat juicy – Low and slow cooking methods keep turkey legs from drying out. The collagen in the legs breaks down into gelatin, keeping the meat nice and moist.
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Tenderizes – Long smoking times transform tough cuts like legs and thighs into fork-tender meat. The collagen breaking down helps with this.
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It’s hands-off cooking – Once your turkey legs are situated in the smoker, there’s minimal hands-on time needed. You don’t have to hover over a grill.
Smoking turkey legs takes some time, but the rewards are well worth it.
How Long Should You Smoke Turkey Legs?
The exact timing for smoking turkey legs can vary a bit depending on a few factors, but in general you will want to smoke them for 3-4 hours at 225°F – 250°F.
To ensure food safety and fully cooked meat, you’ll want the internal temperature of the thickest part of the turkey legs to reach 165°F. For even doneness, rotate the legs at the halfway point.
Here’s a timeline of what your smoking schedule may look like:
- 30-60 mins – Allow smoker to preheat to 225°F – 250°F
- 10 mins – Prepare and add wood chips/chunks
- 1.5-2 hours – First half of smoke time
- Flip/rotate legs
- 1.5-2 hours – Second half of smoke time
- 30 mins – Rest turkey legs before eating
So from start to finish, the total timeline is around 4-5 hours, with 3-4 hours of that being active smoke time.
If you plan to smoke the turkey legs longer than 4 hours to intensify the flavor, try adding fresh wood chips/chunks only during the first 1-2 hours. Anything longer than that can make the smoke flavor too intense.
Signs Your Turkey Legs are Done Smoking
Relying just on smoking times can lead to undercooked poultry, and no one wants that. Use these visual and temperature cues to know when your smoked turkey legs are ready to come off the smoker.
- Internal temp of 165°F
- Meat has visibly shrunk back from the bones
- Meat has a deep brown, caramelized outside
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest section of the turkey legs, avoiding bone, to check the internal temperature. All poultry needs to reach 165°F as measured by a food thermometer to be safe to eat.
Resting Smoked Turkey Legs
Don’t skip letting your smoked turkey legs rest before digging in! Resting allows the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the meat for a juicier finished product.
Rest smoked turkey legs for at least 20-30 minutes before serving. Tent them loosely with foil to keep warm. The meat will continue to cook and rise in temperature a bit as it rests.
Now that you know about how long to smoke turkey legs to perfection in an electric smoker, you can look forward to biting into tender, fall-off-the-bone meat at your next backyard barbecue or tailgate. Smoked turkey legs are sure to be a hit!
Preparing Turkey Legs for the Smoker
I don’t always brine my turkey, especially if I am oven roasting and basting often. When it comes to smoking turkey, I do recommend brining it first.
You might be thinking that this sounds like a time-consuming project. It is much less labor-intensive than you might think. Making a salt, sugar, and water brine is super easy. The turkey and brine do the rest of the work by just sitting in the fridge or a cooler for hours. Then, the smoker does the rest. You can pretty much chill during much of the process.
A basic brine for 6 turkey drumsticks is 10 cups of filtered water, 1/3 cup sea salt, and 1/4 cup brown sugar. In place of sugar, I will use honey because I like the flavor of a really nice local, floral honey. If I want to give the turkey a deeper color, I will use blackstrap molasses as the sweet component. Maple syrup is another option. Use what is available.
You don’t have to stop with the basic brine. I like to add some allspice berries and bay leaves. Feel free to add things like garlic cloves, peppercorns, fresh thyme sprigs, and sage leaves.
You can place the legs in gallon-size resealable plastic bags. Pour the brine over the legs and seal the bags. Place the bags in a baking dish to catch any spills and refrigerate overnight.
While your smoker is preheating, Rinse off the legs and pat them dry with paper towels. Season them with your favorite dry rub. I have included a blend in the recipe. Now it is time to smoke the turkey.
What to Serve with Smoked Turkey Legs
Since you are likely to eat turkey legs with your hands, it makes sense to pull together a meal that includes more hand-held or picnic-style offerings. Just have plenty of napkins on hand. Here are some ideas to complete your meal:
If you have kids taking part in the feast, smoked chicken drumsticks are a great idea because they are smaller and more manageable. Also, I find that some younger children haven’t yet developed a palate for dark meat turkey.
If you have a smoker with multiple racks, you can prepare vegetables, such as corn on the cob and jalapeño poppers. Just make sure you smoke the veggies on a rack above the poultry to prevent cross-contamination. I also really enjoy wedges of seedless sweet watermelon to serve with smoked proteins.
