This past week was the perfect time to make giant smoked turkey legs. It was a great food to have for game time. We made enough of these bad boys to have for several games. After I had one at the PA Renaissance Faire, we had to make them.
I retrieved this recipe off smoker cooking. There is some work involved as the legs are soaked in brine then slow cooked on a smoker. But the work is well worth it. Thanks to my wonderful husband for doing most of the work. (I did the photography and the bossing around.) You can also use a regular grill with wood chips in a smoke box. Here are some tips to make them taste really good.
Make sure the full legs are covered with the brine. It looks a little like witches brew, right?
Make sure the legs are patted dry after coming out of the brine.
Use a mild wood such as cherry or apple.
Rub the legs with the rub and let them rest before cooking.
Walk around while eating them. You can pretend you’re walking around a fair or ballpark. Better yet, you could dress up as Fred Flinstone and eat one while trick or treating. Congratulations Phillies!
Super Smoked Turkey Legs
8 turkey drumsticks
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs paprika
1 Tbs black pepper
1 tsp sage
1 tsp cumin
Rinse and drain the turkey legs. Add the remaining ingredients to a large pan and bring to a boil. Take off heat, cover, and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour the brine into your brining container and place it in the fridge to cool. The brine needs to be between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit in order to safely and effectively brine the drumsticks.
Drop the legs into the brine, and soak them for four to six hours. Remove them, rinse well, and drain. Dry them off with paper towels to ready them for the wet rub.
Here’s the wet rub recipe.
Turkey Leg Rub
3 Tbs onion powder
2 Tbs paprika
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tsp black pepper
1 Tsp cumin
1/2 Tsp sage
3 Tbs vegetable oil
Rub this mixture onto the turkey legs, and allow them to rest in it for an hour or so. Put them into the smoker at 225 degrees Fahrenheit, using a light flavored wood. Apple, pear, or cherry are good choices for a mellow smokey flavor.
Figure on four to six hours in the smoker. You want these to be fall-apart tender. The more connective tissue that melts, the more luscious these become. Remove them when done and let them rest and cool for half an hour.
{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
Those look incredible! So fun! Perfect celebration food.
That looks so yummy! Congrats to the Phillies and all their fans.
Okay you deserve the Commissioners trophy for taking the time and putting forth the effort to make these! They look fantastic! Congrats on your team winning!
Oh my girl! These turkey legs are gorgeous!! Great game food for sure! Have a happy Halloween with the kids this weekend!
I’m impressed! I’ve never seen anyone make these at home!
I’ve seen these at fairs and my husband loves them. Yours look wonderful.
Congrats on your Phillies! Sounds like great celebration food.
Congrats on the Philly win Lisa!
Those turkey legs could turn me into a caveman! (or a cavewoman!).
Stacey
Congrats to the Phillies…you’re champs and now you can forget about Mitch Williams!
I don’t have to tell you bring a turkey is the best way to go…look at the gorgeous result.
Your turkey legs look amazing! I’ve never smoked them before. Recently I’ve been using turkey legs for braises, it works out really well.
Those turkey legs looks so good! I think I can almost smell thewm cooking. Congrats on the Phillies win…that delay must have had you on pins and needles.
These look so juicy and full of flavor.
Yeah Phillies!
Those turkey legs look awesome. Kuddos to you for taking the time and to the Philly’s! Even though I’m a Yankee fan.
What a fun treat to make at home! Congrats on your team winning!
Congrats!!! The turkey legs look amazing. I’ve never smoked them before but will try it now.
I had one of those at Disney once…yum. Where did you buy the legs? I’ve never seen them that big at my normal grocery store. They look delicious.
These look so good. Have a good Halloween and bask in the glory of that win!
Those are some serious turkey legs. They look delicious.
Wow, they look amazing! I’m going to mark this recipe to try as I’m still wanting to figure out how to make something wonderful with my smoker!
Too funny about eating one while trick or treating. I bet I would make everyone jealous! Or have the neighbor dogs follow me around. This is a really nice recipe. I do have a cooktop smoker so that would work!!
Looks delish! I did a similar dish earlier this week but with a whole chicken. Brining is DEFINITELY the secret to scrumptiously juicy poultry! If my grill worked, I’d be right on the grilling! I was voting for the Phillies too! Yahoo!! Now it’s on to screaming for the RSL team Saturday. Happy Halloween!!
baseball and turkey legs…sounds like a new tradition to me!
Yeah for your team!! What a great way to celebrate!
Oh YUM! Those look great Lisa!
Congrats to your team! Tampa apparently didn’t have a chance!
The series was quite interesting in our house this year. My husband was born and raised in Philly and I was raised in Florida. Olur living room was quite lively. The turkey legs look great!
Yeah Phillies! Those turkey legs look awesome.
Oy that’s a lot of work. You have patience for sure, I don’t know if I would have.
I have to say ditto to what emily (above) said….you get an award for sure on this one.
Awesome job here!
You could sell these out at any fair in 5 min’s! I’d be happy to walk around with one of these!
Beautious!!
My husband buys cooked turkey legs from a local grocery store but these look so much better1
And congrats on the Phillys win.
These look fantastic! A great way to have turkey breast. hey somebody has to be the boss right!! LOL!!
I need to drive to soak my turkey in brine. The colour on the end result looks beautiful.
These look so, so awesome and yeah to Philly fans.
Now that’s turkey legs done right! I could eat me 2 or 3 of them right now.
There’s something so Flinstone-y about turkey legs.
They have these giant turkey legs at a theme park nearby, at Christmas time. I have always wanted to try them.
I think I could just make them though. Someday soon. They look scumptious! I would like to gnaw on one.
I am seriously going to have to try these. We love smoked turkey.
Phillies!! These turkey legs look awesome.
Those legs look awesome and must have tasted great as well!!!
Stunning legs!,with smoked flavor must be flavorful in every bite:)
Congrats to the winning team!
that chicken looks delicious!! congrats on your phillies win, next year it will be champs of 2009:chicago cubs. maybe??:)
Wow those look so good. Hot legs you got there!
I thought of you when I heard they had won! Yay for your team! The turkey legs look yummy!
Nice legs.
Congrats on the big win!
What a wonderful way to cook turkey legs! I would totaly eat that right now! And well done Phillies!!!
Lisa, congrats! I’m a Cards fan and I remember how glorious it is to have your team with the World Series! These turkey legs look amazing; great photos.
By the way, you’re the winner of my cookbook giveaway! Send me a message with your contact info
newlywedcook at gmail dot com
Trust me, anything slow cooked is DELICIOUS! Great recipe!!
Wow, those look terrific! That’s quite a job preparing those! I was thinking about making some extra turkey legs at Thanksgiving to get some more dark meat. I love your spiced brine! That rub sounds great, too! YUM!
yum yum yum i wish i had a grill
My husband saw these and said if I want to make him the happiest husband ever I could make these for him one day. Heh.
I don’t have a smoker; however, I appreciate your post in putting the idea in my head. Maybe for his birthday…
P.S. Belated congrats to the Phillies!