This recipe includes both brining and smoking the turkey legs. The brining process is very important and I highly recommend that you do it. Don’t let the unfamiliar word scare you. It is simply a solution of salt and other flavoring that the turkey legs soak in for a few hours causing the flavors to get into the meat of the turkey and make them out of this world delicious.
So with that said.. let’s get started brining our turkey!
Brining Turkey Legs
Brine Ingredients
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBS garlic powder
2 TBS onion powder
2 TBS red pepper flakes
2 TBS Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere’s works great if you can find it)
2 TBS Tabasco hot sauce
1 TBS poultry seasoning
Place gallon of water and all dry ingredients into a very large pot on medium to high heat. Stir occasionally until mixture comes to a boil. Once boiling occurs the heat can be turned off and the brine can be left to cool to room temperature.
Once brine has cooled to room temperature, pour brine into a very large plastic container or two medium size plastic containers and place in fridge for further cooling.
The brine must reach 40 degrees F before adding meat to brine.
When brine chills to required temperature, add 4-6 turkey legs to brine.
Leave turkey legs in brine for 9 hours stirring around several times throughout the process.
After nine hours, remove turkey legs from brine and rinse well under cool water.
Getting Turkey Legs Ready to Smoke
About 30 minutes before you are ready to smoke them, Coat the turkey legs with olive oil and sprinkle on a little cajun seasoning for good flavor. Try to get the seasoning up under the skin wherever possible as this is where the flavor will be the most tasty.
Once you are finished, leave the legs on the counter and go get the smoker ready. I like to prepare the smoker for about 240 degrees with a mix of oak and pecan. Sometimes I use mesquite or other fruit wood just depending on what I am in the mood for and what I have on hand.
Please note that I normally use a wood fired smoker but these can just as easily be done on propane, electric or charcoal as long as the temperature is right and you have smoke flowing, they will taste great.
Smoking the Turkey Legs
Once the smoker is going and the temperature is at 240 degrees F or so, get the turkey legs and place them right on the grate leaving about 1 inch between them to allow the smoke to be able to flow freely all around the meat.
Occasionally.. about once every hour or so, I like to brush on some olive oil or you can use the spray olive oil to make it real easy. This will help to keep them moist and will help to crisp the skin while they smoke.
If you are using an electric, propane or charcoal smoker then I recommend that you keep replenishing the smoke for at least the first 2 hours.. I like to do it the entire time but I like the smoke to be very prominent.
If you like the smoke to be extremely subtle then you may want to go 2 hours and then finish with just heat.
The turkey legs will take about 3-4 hours to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Finishing Up
Remove the turkey drumsticks from the smoker once they are at temperature and wrap them individually in heavy duty foil. They can be placed in the oven to keep them warm or eaten immediately if you so desire.
How to Re-Heat
They heat up really well.. just pop them in the oven at about 275-300 degrees for 30 minutes or until they are as warm as you like them.
The smoked turkey legs at the fair or at Disney world do not hold a candle to these babies.
thank you ever so much sir. wonderfully done
I am going to try your brine on several hundred turkey legs the third week of July during the Beartooth Motorcycle Classic in Red Lodge, Montana. We anticipate over 10,000 scooters and a lot of hungry bikers ……….. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Loren
So… What happened? How’d they turn out?
Good morning thank you for the recipe, we will be doing turkey legs in east helena to day at Mikey’s Pizza, i will let you know how they turn out,
Follow the recipe.
These turned so much better then i thought.
Will be using this recipe again!!!
I made these last night (10 of them) and they turned out absolutely delicious! I ate two hot off the smoker. A new favorite of mine!
These were awesome! I don’t hae a smoker (or even a grill right now), so I added some liquid smoke to the brine and rubbed a little more liquid smoke on before rubbing with olive oil and roasted them in the oven. Even with this compromise they were great. My son (8) can’t stop talking about them. Thanks for the recipe!
Amazing recipe.
I changed a few minor details due to timing and taste. But my Thanksgiving crew was calling these the best turkey they’ve ever had.
Thanks again for a great post!
I’ll be making these again.
Cheers, mB
Am on South Padre Is ,TX and live in Santa Claus In.
can’t wait to get home to try on my Green Egg.Any other good hints? Just had turkey leg at Rodio.Hope these turn out one half as good!!!!
Can you give me any more good hints on turkey legs?Went to a rodeo last night and had some of the best turkey legs.Can’t wait to get back to Santa Claus In and try this !
I made six legs and two thighs. The legs made exactly to the recipe. The only difference with the thighs was I put Jamaica me crazy seasoned pepper on them. The legs were even better than the fair and WDW. The thighs however just maybe the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Thanks for the great recipe!
Yep, Jeff got it right! i’ve tried for a long time to do as well, never quite got there until now. I left mine in the brine overnight then smoked for about 2 1/2 hours at 240. Then froze them (we made quite a few). After unthawing heat them in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, covered at 240 with a small amount of water for moisture. They are great!
OMG. I christened my new smoker (& popped my smokin’ cherry) with these turkey legs this past weekend and am hooked! They turned out a little black, but after research I found out more wood than I should have. I am now aching to find more things to test & am looking through your website. (Just ate a leftover from the weekend by wrapping it in a wet paper towel and throwing it in the microwave for 2 minutes. My mouth is still watering (and I’m done!). Thank you, Thank you!!!
Wow…so I tried this out first time small scale. Mainly because the butcher only had 4 big turkey legs – (btw turkey legs are dirt cheap!) I had a couple of old chicken thighs at home which I threw in the brine as well. I have to say quite honestly it was the best turkey and chicken I have ever had. Kids and wife scarfed it down like they hadn’t eaten in a year. Awesome A++ recipe thank you.
Amazing.
I never leave any reviews, but I have used this recipe so many times the least I could do was pay Jeff the respect he deserves and give this 5 stars!!! I love to BBQ, smoke, and grill…and this is hands down THE BEST recipe I have ever come accross. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe we everyone!!!
One comment I would make. I would not brush these with olive oil. Olive oil is delicate and high or sustained heat will burn it/ruin the flavor. While it certainly isn’t ruining the flavor of the turkey legs it at the very least isn’t adding the flavor of good olive oil. I would use a more appropriate flavorful oil that does well with heat like peanut oil.
If you use NON extra virgin olive oil, it won’t burn.
Two weeks ago I bought a 30#box of turkey legs.Did 8 in the smoker and one on the grill.The kids and grand kids loved them.
I doubled the brine and it was just the right amount. I’m mixing up another batch of brine tonight so I can smoke the other 7 this weekend—Thanks for a great recipe.
Yesterday, I tried three smoked turkey leg recipes and this recipe was our favorite (followed closely by Smoker-Cooking and then DFW Weekend Chef). For our tastes, next time I plan to reduce the salt by half and perhaps add more sweetness/depth (sugar and/or molasses).
I found Tony Chachere seasoning at Kroger. It read “Creole” rather than “Cajun” seasoning. Good stuff.
Thank you for a great recipe that makes turkey legs fun to make and satisfying to eat!
Absolutely amazing recipe, and now I pay $2 a drumstick rather than $9 at the fair. My only variations were I went half on the red pepper & tabasco (my wife is a wimp at hot foods). I also left it in the brine for about 18 hours, which got every last morsel that delicious salty flavor. I think I had the temp up on my grill to 300 for the first hour or so(til I finally checked it) so it actually only took me 2 hours to cook, flipping a few times, and the internal was 190. Next time I will check internal earlier, it was juicy and delicious but next time I think I can get juicier. Either way amazing recipe thank you
We made these legs this past weekend. We have our next campout scheduled for August. Our group was so impressed they have already decided this was one of the dishes for our pass a dish. The legs are great!
Tony Chacere’s Cajun rub also comes in a “Lite” version. All the flavor, much less sodium.
This recipe sounds so good it made me hungry for turkey legs right now!!!!
So I went out to the HEB got me six T. legs they are braineing now. Can’t wait until tomorrow to smoke them.
Here in Beaumont, TX. Every grocery sells Tony’s
I will let you know how they turn out. Thanks for the recipe.
This is the most detailed recipe I have ever read. It sounds terrific. I will try it this weekend. I wish more people will give details like this to the rookies.
Great recipe ..it was my first time smoking, a little spicy for the kids but great never the less. I will be making them again. Thanks.
Was tired of going to the state fair every year just to get a good turkey leg in pay so much for them google your recipe in try it today and I have to say they were the best so good bye State fair I will be cooking this at home from now on thanks
Looked at different recipies and this looks great. Made the brine tonight x3 and are going to do 22 turkey legs on Sunday. My crew at work at work will really enjoy these and will be smokin these bad boys on my Traeger pellet grill. Will let you know how they turn out.
can i use mortons tender-quick for the salt have used it in other brine works well
Yes, You can use Morton’
s tender quick for any smoked meat. I use it all the time. I have made smoked turkey legs dozens of times. I made my own recipe using Morton’s for the curing salt, add brown sugar & a little liquid smoke. That’s it. I inject the brine several times into each leg. Soak 1 or 2 days in brine. The brine must cover the tops of legs. I smoke them by hanging individually by kitchen string. Make the strings about 12 or 13″ long, fold them in half, put loops around the end of the turkey leg w/a half hitch & hang with wire S hooks on the racks. I smoke with mesquite chips, or combination mesquite & pecan or apple. I finish in the oven 250^ ’til internal temp is 165^. Cool quickly. Leave them to flavor a couple days before freezing in vaccuum bags. Brine recipe: 10 Cups water 1 cup brown sugar, 2 Tlbs liquid smoke. You may have to make more than 1 batch of brine. I usually 4 X the recipe in order to cover the legs.
They are Delicious!
Fantastic recipe. I haven’t done much brining, but this was perfect. I brined legs about 5 hours, but they still turned out juicy and flavorful. Figuring out the right dial combination on my gas barbecue took about 15 minutes to lock in at around 240-250 degrees. I had put a dry rub on the legs before putting them on grill, and flipped them every 20 minutes, to put different parts closer to the heat source. To generate smoke, I put soaked mesquite chips in a pie pan with a couple of holes poked in bottom, directly over heat source, and legs off to side. Best legs ever. Thanks.
Incredible legs. This recipe is phenominal. I dont typically take time to leave reviews but had to on this one. Now we dont have to wait for the fair we can have turkey legs year round. Im going to try wings with the same recipe. Thank you for posting this.
Followed this brine recipe to the letter, we used a combination of Jack Daniel’s oak and apple and added wood to the electric smoker every hour. Brushed with olive oil after 2 hours. They were moist and very flavorful. Used some of the leftovers to make turkey soup. YUM!!! Thank you for posting this. Definitely going in my personal cookbook under “family favorites”.
The leg was I said was good (-; thxx
My husband just bought an electric smoker. He bought enough turkey legs for the neighborhood. Now I need directions. My question has to do with the brine. He is very sensitive to salt, we do not cook with any salt or substitute, can I leave the salt out??
To Pat from 3/16. I also cook with little to no salt. I recently bought a book from a champion bbq team and their section on brining suggests 1/2 cup Kosher salt (lower sodium) to one gallon of water with one cup of salt maximum so as not to over flavor with salt. From what I know, some salt is needed to penetrate into meat to break down muscule fibers there for enabling meat to hold more moisture/flavor. I will be trying this recipe out 1st time this weekend.
Great recipe I let them in brine overnight smoke them for 4 hours
put them in a 350 oven for 15mn. They were the best going back
to store to buy more legs,my boys are comming over.
What should I do, if I forgot to stir the mixture “several times” during the 9 hour brining process?