Smoked turkey legs (drumsticks) are easy to make by brining, coating with a rub, and cooking in a smoker to perfection. They are moist, tender, and more delicious than Disney's, making a great keto main dish for the holidays or your summer BBQ.
Whether you are preparing smoked turkey drumsticks for your Thanksgiving celebration or a backyard BBQ party, find out how to smoke turkey legs in a charcoal smoker, in an electric smoker, or the oven.
Table of Contents
What is a Turkey Brine?
A turkey brine is a solution of salt, water, and other ingredients such as sugar, herbs, spices, and aromatics that are used to soak a whole turkey or turkey legs before cooking them. The purpose of brining is to add moisture and flavor to the turkey meat and to prevent it from drying out during the roasting or smoking process. Brining also helps the turkey cook more evenly and faster.
Smoked Turkey Legs Recipe
This simple recipe calls for a brine, dry rub, and cooking turkey legs in a smoker, either charcoal or electric.
The brine infuses the meat with savory flavors while tenderizing it to a soft texture. Unless you overcook the meat, it won't get dry while cooking.
The rub's main purpose is to season well or flavor the meat. We can use your favorite!
Of course, the smoker will cook the drumsticks while adding a rich brown color and hickory smoking flavor and preserving the meat.
The smoked turkey drumsticks are safe to eat when they reach an internal temp of 165 degrees F.
As you can see, it is an easy recipe that requires 3 steps: brining, seasoning, and smoking!
These roasted turkey legs in the smoker are flavorful, moist, and tender, with a crispy skin!
You can serve them on festive occasions such as Christmas or easily transport them to a potluck, tailgating, or picnic. They are also perfect for cookouts! The same goes for this top round roast beef recipe.
Moreover, this recipe for smoked turkey legs is keto, gluten-free, high-protein, and dairy-free!
Ingredients and substitutions
To make these smoked turkey legs recipe, you will need:
6 raw turkey drumsticks, about 1 to 1½ lbs each
Turkey Leg Brine
7 cups of water
- ⅓ cup coarse salt (kosher salt). If you only have table salt at home, reduce the amount of salt to 3 tablespoon of table salt.
¾ cup Swerve sweetener brown sugar, or brown sugar if you are not on a keto diet
6 bay leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, or another fresh herb of your choice
4 cloves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Dry Rub
½ cup Swerve sweetener brown sugar, or brown sugar if you are not on a low-carb diet
2 tablespoon coarse salt (kosher salt). If you only have table salt, use only 1 tablespoon instead.
1 tablespoon garlic powder (don't use fresh garlic because it will burn while smoking the meat)
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ tablespoon fine ground black pepper
For Smoking Turkey Legs
1-2 tablespoon vegetable oil (or another with a high smoking point such as avocado, canola, or sunflower)
½ cup apple cider vinegar mixed with ½ cup of water, to brush or spritz meat with while smoking. It helps keep moisture in the meat as it cooks. (If you are not on a keto diet, you can mix ⅓ of each with ½ apple cider)
How to Make Smoked Turkey Legs
- Prep the turkey: Do not rinse the turkey legs because they will contaminate your surfaces. Place the turkey legs in a large container.
- Bring half the water to a boil (about 3.5 cups), remove from the heat, and whisk in the brine ingredients (salt, sugar, bay leaves, rosemary, cloves, mustard seeds, and peppercorns) and remaining 3.5 cups of cold water. PICS. 1 & 2
- Allow the liquid to cool (about 30 to 45 minutes).
- Brine: Pour the brine onto the turkey legs, cover, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours (or closer to 48 hours for best results).
- When ready to smoke, take the legs out of the brine and pat them dry. Make sure to discard the brine. PIC. 3
- Apply the turkey leg rub: Mix the dry rub (sugar, salt, garlic, paprika, and pepper). Brush oil all over the legs and then apply the dry rub mixture generously under the skin and also over the legs. PIC. 4
- Let them come to room temperature and absorb the rub while you preheat the smoker.
- Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions and preheat it to 225°-250° F. Add the smoking wood and chips (maple, mesquite, or applewood for this recipe) as its manufacturer specifies.
- Cook: Then, place the turkey legs on the smoker and close the lid. After 30 to 45 minutes, begin spritzing or mopping the turkey drumsticks every 30 minutes. PICS. 5 & 6
- Smoke turkey legs for about 3-4 hours, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°-170° F taken with an instant meat thermometer. PIC. 7 TIP: Measure the internal temperature by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the leg without touching the bone. I cooked mine in a charcoal smoker!
- Serve: Remove from the smoker and allow to rest, loosely tented with a foil, for 10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish: Transfer to a platter with fresh rosemary springs and some fresh cranberries (if serving for Thanksgiving). PIC. 8 Or place them in a tray and serve them with a small bowl of BBQ sauce as a side (at a BBQ party).
NOTE:
- In the summertime, brush the legs with your favorite keto barbecue sauce for 15 minutes before taking them off the smoker.
- If cooking Smoked Turkey Legs in an Electric Smoker, follow the steps above but preheat your smoker to 250° F. Then, put the brined and rubbed turkey legs on the top rack of the smoke. Close the lid and smoke the turkey legs until they cook thoroughly.
How to Cook Smoked Turkey Legs in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top of the foil.
- Pat the legs dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, mix some olive oil and our dry rub seasonings.
- Coat the drumsticks with the seasoning mixture and let them marinate for 30 minutes at room temp.
- Place the turkey on the wire rack and bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Remove from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips for Smoked Turkey Drumsticks
- Turkey producers sometimes inject meat with salt, water, and spices. If the label says it is “basted” or “self-basted", reduce the amount of salt to ¼ to half.
- Don't rinse the turkey legs after brining them.
- If you prefer to cook smoked turkey legs in oven, put the turkey legs on a rack of a roasting pan.
- Then, pour just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan (not over the turkey) so the drippings won't burn. Roast turkey legs in a preheated oven at 325° F—if the legs are small, roast them for 1 hour. For larger legs, roast for 1.5 hours.
- Lastly, wrap each turkey drumstick in foil for another hour in the same roasting pan. Right before eating, unwrap them, and brown them over a charcoal grill, and take their internal temperature with a meat thermometer.
- This way they will be moist as they are steamed in the oven, and then they'll brown over the hot coals. This oven method is great because you can make it during the winter without problems. But make sure to include liquid smoke in the brine because no wood chips are used for cooking the turkey legs in the oven.
- Thaw the turkey overnight before brining it. If you forgot to defrost the turkey legs, place them in a large bowl, cover them with cold water, and leave them to defrost for 30 minutes per pound of meat.
- If you have high blood pressure, you may rinse the brined turkey legs quickly under running water and then pat them dry.
- You can use any dry rub of your choice.
- Although we used maple, mesquite, or applewood chips for this Thanksgiving recipe, you can use any other of your choice. Just remember they will impact the final smoky flavor of the legs.
- If you don’t have a smoker, use a regular grill for grilling turkey legs instead!
- HOW LONG TO SMOKE TURKEY LEGS: The time will depend on the type/brand of the smoker, the weight/size of the drumsticks (small, medium, or large), and also the temperature of the smoker. If smoking brined large turkey drumsticks at 225°-250°F (107-121°C) in a charcoal smoker until the thickest part of the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), it can take about 3-4 hours.
- WHAT TEMPERATURE TO SMOKE TURKEY DRUMSTICKS: Low temps (between 225° and 275 °F) work best to cook them even and throughout!
- Love to smoke meat? Try our smoked beef tenderloin!
What to Serve with
Smoked turkey legs go well with many sides. Choose them according to the season and occasion (Thanksgiving or BBQ party). Here are a few suggestions:
- Starches: Mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes, microwave Mac and cheese, farofa recipe, or sweet potato casserole.
- Vegetables: Brazilian potato salad, air fryer potato wedges, air fryer asparagus, smashed potatoes, broccoli gratin, corn gratin, roasted delicata squash, butternut squash salad, Instant Pot Brussels sprouts, air fryer brussels sprouts, air fryer broccolini, stuffed acorn squash, and beet goat cheese salad.
- Other: Fio de ovos
FAQ’s
Yes, you can use either a gas or charcoal grill for smoking turkey legs as long as it has a lid to trap the flavor and moisture.
They have different purposes. A dry brine imparts a more intense flavor to the meat while the wet brine adds more moisture to the turkey meat. You can cover both bases by bringing the meat in a saltwater solution and then coating it with a good dry rub.
There is more than one reason but the most common one is that they are overcooked. Turkey legs are a type of dark meat, which means they have more connective tissue and fat than white meat. This makes them more flavorful and moist, but also more prone to drying out and becoming tough when cooked for too long.
Yes! You only have to heat up until it reaches an internal temp of 165°-170° F.
Reheating smoked turkey legs wrapped in foil in the oven is the most effective way to avoid drying them out and becoming tough.
How to Store
- Fridge: Keep cool leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze them for up to 2 months.
- Thaw them in the fridge overnight!
- Reheat: You can reheat smoked turkey legs in the oven (at 325 F for 15-20 minutes), loosely covered with foil, or in the microwave with a ¼ of water, covered with a damp paper towel, for about 2 minutes or just until hot. TIP: Prefer baking smoked turkey legs in the oven because it won’t cause them to dry out easily.
Other Turkey Recipes
- Best turkey brine
- Instant Pot turkey breast
- Leftover turkey pot pie
- Gluten-free turkey gravy
- Turkey Sandwich
- Turkey and cranberry filo tarts
- Healthy turkey chili
PIN & ENJOY!
Best Smoked Turkey Legs
Equipment
- 1 smoker or oven
- 1 container or large bowl
- 1 pot
- 1 small bowl
- 1 spritzer or mop
Ingredients
- 6 raw turkey drumsticks about 1 to 1 ½ each
TURKEY LEG BRINE
- 7 cups water
- ⅓ cup coarse salt kosher salt. If you only have table salt at home, reduce the amount of salt to 3 tablespoon of table salt.
- ¾ cup Swerve sweetener brown sugar or brown sugar if you are not on a keto diet
- 6 bay leaves
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs or another fresh herb of your choice
- 4 cloves
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
DRY RUB
- ½ cup Swerve sweetener brown sugar or brown sugar if you are not on a low-carb diet
- 2 tablespoon coarse salt kosher salt. If you only have table salt, use only 1 tablespoon instead.
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder don't use fresh garlic because it will burn while smoking the meat
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ tablespoon fine ground black pepper
FOR SMOKING
- 1-2 tablespoon vegetable oil or another with a high smoking point such as avocado, canola, or sunflower
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar mixed with ½ cup of water to brush or spritz meat with while smoking. It helps keep moisture in the meat as it cooks. (If you are not on a keto diet, you can mix ⅓ of each with ½ apple cider)
Instructions
- Prep the turkey: Do not rinse the turkey legs because they will contaminate your surfaces. Place the turkey legs in a large container.
- Bring half the water to a boil (about 3.5 cups), remove from the heat, and whisk in the brine ingredients (salt, sugar, bay leaves, rosemary, cloves, mustard seeds, and peppercorns) and remaining 3.5 cups of cold water.
- Allow the liquid to cool (about 30 to 45 minutes).
- Brine: Pour the brine onto the turkey legs, cover, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours (or closer to 48 hours for best results).
- When ready to smoke, take the legs out of the brine and pat them dry. Make sure to discard the brine.
- Apply the turkey leg rub: Mix the dry rub (sugar, salt, garlic, paprika, and pepper). Brush oil all over the legs and then apply the dry rub mixture generously under the skin and also over the legs.
- Let them come to room temperature and absorb the rub while you preheat the smoker.
- Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions and preheat it to 225-250 degrees F. Add the smoking wood and chips (maple, mesquite, or applewood for this recipe) as specified by its manufacturer.
- Cook: Then, place the turkey legs on the smoker and close the lid. After 30 to 45 minutes, begin spritzing or mopping the turkey drumsticks every 30 minutes.
- Smoke the turkey legs for about 3-4 hours, or until reaching an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees F taken with an instant meat thermometer. TIP: Measure the internal temperature by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the leg without touching the bone. I cooked mine in a charcoal smoker!
- Serve: Remove from the smoker and allow to rest, loosely tented with a foil, for 10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish: Transfer to a platter with fresh rosemary springs and some fresh cranberries (if serving for Thanksgiving) or to a tray lined with a piece of parchment paper and a small bowl of bbq sauce as a side (if serving at a bbq party).
Recipe Notes
- INACTIVE TIME (for Brining): 12 hours
- In the summertime, brush the legs with your favorite keto barbecue sauce for 15 minutes before taking them off the smoker.
- If cooking Smoked Turkey Legs in an Electric Smoker, follow the steps above but preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F. Then, put the brined and rubbed turkey legs on the top rack of the smoke. Close the lid and smoke the turkey legs until they cook thoroughly.
- If you prefer to make smoked turkey legs in the oven, put the turkey legs on a rack of a roasting pan. Then, pour just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan (not over the turkey) so the drippings won't burn. Roast in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F—if the legs are small, roast them for 1 hour. For larger legs, roast for 1.5 hours. Lastly, wrap each turkey drumstick in foil for another hour in the same roasting pan. Right before eating, unwrap them and brown them over a charcoal grill, and take their internal temperature with a meat thermometer. This way they will be moist as they are steamed in the oven, and then they'll brown over the hot coals. This oven method is great because you can make it during the winter without problems. But make sure to include liquid smoke in the brine because no wood chips are used for cooking the legs in the oven.
-
- Fridge: Keep cool leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
-
- Freezer: Freeze them for up to 2 months.
-
- Thaw them in the fridge overnight!
-
- Reheat: You can reheat smoked turkey legs in the oven (at 325 F for 15-20 minutes), loosely covered with foil, or in the microwave with a ¼ of water, covered with a damp paper towel, for about 2 minutes or just until hot. TIP: Prefer baking smoked turkey legs in the oven because it won’t cause them to dry out easily.
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
This post was first published on November 7, 2022.
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