Smoked Turkey Recipe
Turkey on the smoker — Smoked Turkey Legs, Honey Brined Smoked Turkey, smoked turkey breast — for holidays and any weekend you want leftovers.
★ lunch
lunchSmoked Turkey Legs 🦃
Not trying to cook a whole turkey this Thanksgiving? Smoked Turkey Legs are a great alternative and are super easy to make!
Breanna StarkIngredients
- 4 Turkey Legs
- 8 tbsp Creole Butter Injection
- 8 tbsp Mild BBQ Rub
Instructions
- 1Always start by brining your turkey overnight. My simple brine recipe is posted on my page!
- 2Rinse your turkey legs under water. This will take the brine off and prevent your turkey from being too salty.
- 3Inject the turkey legs with Creole Butter injection. I really love the Tony Chachere brand injection, but use whatever you like best!
- 4Season with a mild BBQ rub. I used the Beard-B-Q Mild rub on these but, again, use whatever you like best!
- 5Smoke at 250°F for 2-3 hours, or until they hit 165°F internal temperature.
- 6Serve & enjoy!
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Open in Pepper →Turkey Tastes Better Off The Smoker
Turkey has a reputation for being dry, and the smoker is how you fix that. Low heat, a little smoke, and a good soak in salt water turn a plain bird into something people stand around picking at.
Cooks on Pepper reach for these when the oven is already full at Thanksgiving, when the fair-style turkey leg craving hits, or when they want a big cook on Sunday that feeds sandwiches all week.
Every recipe here is real smoker cooking: Smoked Turkey Legs with a creole butter injection and mild BBQ rub, Honey Brined Smoked Turkey that starts in a saltwater brine, a smoked turkey breast brined with brown sugar, and a simple smoked turkey with butter and rosemary.
Quick Tips
- 1
Brine the bird overnight
Give the turkey 12 to 24 hours in salted water in the fridge. It seasons all the way through and holds onto moisture during the long cook.
- 2
Hold the smoker at 250
Steady 250°F gives you smoke flavor without drying the meat. Plan roughly 30 to 40 minutes per pound for a whole bird.
- 3
Pat the skin dry
After brining, rinse and pat the turkey completely dry, then leave it uncovered in the fridge an hour so the skin crisps instead of turning rubbery.
- 4
Pull at 165 degrees
Check the thickest part of the thigh with a thermometer and pull at 165°F. Rest it 20 minutes before carving so the juices settle.
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