SMOKED WILD TURKEY LEGS
These smoked wild turkey legs are first braised in seasoned stock until fork-tender, then finished in the smoker with barbecue sauce for a richer, juicier result than smoking alone. It is a practical wild turkey leg recipe when you want smoky flavor without ending up with tough, stringy legs.
Ingredients
- 2-4 turkey legs or wings
- turkey or chicken stock (enough to cover meat)
- 1/2 of an onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 garlic cloves
- salt as needed (to season the stock)
- BBQ sauce of choice
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except the turkey to a large pot or slow cooker. Season the stock with salt to your liking. Add the turkey and bring to a simmer. Cook them until they are fork tender (this can take between 1 to 3 hours). Remove them from the pot and set them aside to chill or dry them off and place in the refrigerator for an hour or so as stated above in the notes section. If using a slow cooker, cook on high covered with the lid until fork tender. This can take between 6 and 8 hours (I've seen them take longer, so be prepared).
- Heat your smoker between 200 and 215 degrees F. Glaze the turkey with your favorite bbq sauce now or wait until the last 30 minutes of smoking. Smoke the turkey legs for about 1.5 hours. If you're worried about drying the legs meat out, baste them with some of the cooking liquid around every 20 minutes.
NOTES
- Braise the turkey legs first until they are fork-tender before smoking. On the stove this can take 1 to 3 hours. In a slow cooker on high, plan on about 6 to 8 hours, and sometimes longer.
- After braising, dry the legs well and refrigerate them uncovered for about 1 hour if you have time. That helps the smoke cling better.
- Smoke at 200 to 215 F for about 1 1/2 hours.
- Baste with some of the braising liquid every 20 minutes if you want to reduce the risk of drying them out.
- You can glaze with barbecue sauce at the start of the smoke or wait until the last 30 minutes.
- Wings can be used too, not just legs.
- For even juicier results, braise the legs a day ahead and let them cool in the cooking liquid overnight before smoking.
Nutrition
Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 66g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 240mg | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 953mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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