Smoked Turkey Legs: A Traeger Guide to the Ultimate Finger Food

Master the art of smoked turkey legs with Traeger’s comprehensive guide, packed with tips, tricks, and delicious recipes.

Dive into the World of Smoked Turkey Legs

A smoked turkey leg is the ultimate finger food, perfect for outdoor gatherings, picnics, and satisfying your carnivorous cravings. With Traeger’s expertise, you can transform this simple cut of meat into a flavorful masterpiece.

How to Buy Turkey Legs for Smoking

Finding turkey legs can be a seasonal challenge. Supermarkets may stock them during the holidays, but availability can be inconsistent. Your best bet is to plan ahead and inquire with your butcher about availability or special orders. Alternatively, you can purchase frozen raw turkey legs online.

When selecting turkey legs, look for unblemished skin. Yellow discoloration or spots indicate that the legs have been sitting on the shelf for a while, potentially affecting the meat’s quality.

Brining: The Key to Juicy Smoked Turkey Legs

Brining is crucial for preventing dryness in smoked turkey legs. Turkey meat is naturally lean, and the smoking process further reduces moisture. Soaking the legs in brine for 24 hours before smoking adds moisture and enhances tenderness. This allows for longer smoking times, resulting in more smoke flavor and crispier skin.

Traeger’s Signature Brine Recipe:

• 1 gallon warm water
• 1 cup Traeger Rub
• 1/2 cup Morton Tender Quick Home Meat Cure
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon crushed allspice berries (optional)
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cool to room temperature, then add a half gallon of cold water and 4 cups of ice. Refrigerate until chilled. Submerge the turkey legs in the brine and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Seasoning Your Smoked Turkey Legs

After brining, you can season your turkey legs with dry rub ingredients like ground spices and herbs. Go easy on the salt, as the brine has already introduced a significant amount.

Smoking Time and Temperature

Smoke your turkey legs at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 3 hours. To ensure perfect doneness, use a probe thermometer like the one on your Traeger. The turkey leg is ready to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit

Choosing the Right Wood for Smoking Turkey Legs

Pecan or hickory are excellent choices for smoking turkey legs. These woods have similar flavor profiles and are ideal for poultry. They offer a stronger flavor than fruit woods like apple and cherry but are not as overpowering as mesquite, which can overpower the delicate turkey flavor.

Reheating Pre-Smoked Turkey Legs

If you’ve purchased pre-smoked turkey legs, they will come either frozen or refrigerated. Frozen legs must be fully thawed before reheating.

To reheat pre-smoked turkey legs, preheat your Traeger to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the temperature is reached, place the legs on the grill grate and heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

Achieving Crispy Skin

For crispy turkey legs, remove as much moisture from the surface of the skin as possible before smoking. Pat the surface dry multiple times after brining.

Another method is dry brining. Salt the surface of the meat and let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. The salt will absorb into the meat, and the air circulation in the refrigerator will dry the surface moisture on the turkey legs’ skin.

Should You Wrap Turkey Legs in Foil?

Avoid wrapping turkey legs in foil when smoking. The foil will block the wood-fired flavor from absorbing into the meat, hindering the essential smoke flavor infusion.

Foil wrapping is sometimes used when smoking a whole turkey to prevent certain parts from cooking faster than others. It can also be useful when cooking large cuts of meat like brisket, which absorb plenty of smoke during the initial stages and can then be wrapped in foil to speed up the cooking process. However, for turkey legs, foil is unnecessary.

Traeger’s Smoked Turkey Leg Recipes: Elevate Your Culinary Experience

Go beyond the basic smoked leg with Traeger’s unique seasoning and preparation ideas.

1. Smoked Turkey Legs with Brown Butter and Bourbon Glaze:

This recipe combines brining, pre-smoking seasoning, and a flavorful glaze applied near the end of the smoking process for an extra layer of deliciousness.

2. Injected Drunken Smoked Turkey Legs:

This recipe involves brining the legs and then injecting them with a bourbon-infused mixture, adding an extra kick of flavor.

3. Smoked Turkey Legs:

This classic recipe focuses on the essential steps of brining, smoking, and achieving crispy skin for a perfectly cooked and flavorful turkey leg.

Traeger: Your Ultimate Smoked Turkey Leg Resource

With Traeger’s comprehensive guide and collection of delicious recipes, you’re equipped to master the art of smoked turkey legs. From selecting the right wood to achieving crispy skin, Traeger provides all the information you need to impress your guests with this flavorful and satisfying dish.

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