These smoked turkey legs are brined overnight and smoked for 2-3 hours. You spritz them every 30 minutes with an easy garlic apple juice spritz that keeps the skin tender and leaves you with flavorful smoked turkey legs.
Are you making a meal for a bigger group? We have a whole smoked turkey recipe as well as other easy Thanksgiving recipes that are made with whole and easy ingredients.
Smoked Turkey Legs
Say hello to a juicy, dark meat turkey recipe; smoked turkey legs. These smoked turkey legs are easy (and fun) to make. They make a great alternative to a whole smoked turkey if you are cooking for a smaller group. This recipe is also great for a BBQ recipe for turkey lovers all summer long.
- Turkey legs– this recipe calls for 6 turkey legs (all about 1-lb. per leg). Be sure you find turkey legs that are untreated. Some turkeys come pre-brined and we don’t want that.
- Brine Ingredients- you are going to brine the turkey legs in this smoked turkey brine which consists of water, salt, rosemary, thyme, peppercorns, garlic, and onions. If you want more information on the smoked turkey brine, check out this post.
- Apple juice- we use apple juice as the sprtiz for this recipe. It is sugary and compliments turkey meat.
More of our Favorite…
Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes
Looking for more healthy Thanksgiving recipes to fill your holiday table with? Check out all of our best turkey day recipes in one spot!
How to Cook Smoked Turkey Legs
We highly suggest brining the turkey before you smoke it. Prepare the brining liquid and submerge the turkey breast in the brine after it has cooled off. You do not want to put your turkey in a warm brine.
Remove the turkey legs from the brine and carefully rinse the turkey under cold water. Pat the legs completely dry before
This is also the time to prepare the spritz. Add the olive oil to a sauce pan and heat over medium/high heat. Add the garlic to the olive oil and saute for a few minutes. Add the orange juice to the saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.
Remove the spritz from the heat and pour the spritz through a fine sieve to remove the garlic. Add the apple juice to a spray bottle to spritz the turkey legs during the cook time.
Place the turkey legs on the smoker and smoke the turkey legs for 2 – 3 hours, spritzing the turkey legs with the apple juice spritz every 30-45 minutes.
Remove the turkey legs from the smoker and let them rest for 10-15 minutes before eating.
Top Tips for a Juicy and Flavorful Smoked Turkey Leg Recipe
Try it!
Smoked Turkey
This smoked turkey recipe is exceptionally juicy. It is brined overnight and seasoned with a delicious turkey seasoning. It may take a bit of time, but it is so worth it.
Get Recipe
Let’s talk about smokers. If you have a smoker that you love, you can skip this section. We have smoked many different types of meat on many different smokers. Automatic pellet grills or smokers, manual smokers, and even regular grills.
Our favorite smoker is the Traeger electric smoker because (like a slow cooker) there is minimal work required once you set the Traeger. This smoker uses pellets rather than wood chips and it automatically feeds the smoker to adjust the temperature
That’s right, nobody has to add wood chips or wood pellets themselves to keep the temperature up.
Smoker Essentials
Check out all of our favorite smoker products, including what smoker we use in the Fit Foodie kitchen for testing recipes!
Traeger Pro Series 575
OXO Thermometer
OXO Tongs
Traeger Signature Pellets
How long do you cook already smoked turkey legs?These turkey legs are smoked for 2-3 hours or until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165ºF.
How do you make fall off the bone smoked turkey legs?This recipe leaves you with fall off the bone turkey. The meat is dark and juicy and is smoked long and slow.
Can I add a dry rub to smoked turkey legs?Yes, you can rub these turkey legs with this turkey seasoning before smoking them. You will end up with turkey legs that have a crust rather than a classic leathery smoked turkey leg skin.
Can I use giant turkey legs for this recipe?Yes, you can use giant turkey legs or drumsticks for this recipe. You may just need to smoke them longer than regular sized turkey legs.
Store your turkey leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Yes, you can freeze leftover turkey for soups, salads, or any other recipes. Let the turkey legs cool completely and then place it in a freezer-safe bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
- Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Healthy Green Bean Casserole
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Turkey Gravy
- Sausage Stuffing
More of our Favorite…
Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes
- Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey
- Ultimate Smoked Turkey
- Baked Turkey Tenderloin
- Spatchcock Turkey
- Smoked Turkey Breast
- Sous Vide Turkey
- Smoked Turkey Legs
- Ranch Roasted Turkey Breast
- 12 cups water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ½ large white onion chopped
- 6 large turkey legs ~6 lb. total or 1 lb. per drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 cups apple juice
- Remove the packaging from the turkey legs and discard any extra turkey parts that came with the turkey legs. Set the turkey aside.
- First, prepare the turkey leg brine. Add 12 cups of cold water to a large 5 gallon bucket or pot.
- Remove 2 cups of water from the bucket and add it to a small saucepan. Add the salt to the water and whisk. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and allow the mixture to boil until the salt has dissolved completely.
- Add the salt water to the bucket and stir to combine. Add the thyme, rosemary, and half of the white onion to the bucket of water. Place the turkey legs in the bucket of water. Be sure the turkey legs are submerged in water. Refrigerate the turkey legs overnight to brine.
- The next morning, preheat the smoker to 240ºF and remove the turkey legs from the brine and rinse the turkey legs under cold water. Then, pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Next, prepare the apple cider spritz. Add olive oil to the small saucepan and over medium/high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant add the garlic. Sauté the garlic until fragrant and golden brown. Pour the apple juice into the saucepan and to a gentle simmer.
- Remove the apple juice from the heat and pour it through a fine sieve to remove the garlic from the apple juice.
- Let the apple juice cool and then transfer the apple juice into a clean spray bottle.
- Place the turkey legs on the smoker and smoke the turkey legs for 2 – 3 hours, spritzing the turkey legs with the apple juice spritz every 30-45 minutes.
- Remove the turkey legs from the smoker when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Let the turkey legs rest for 10-15 minutes before eating.
- Turkey legs can be hard to find outside of the holiday season. You can usually find turkey legs at your local butcher or in the frozen section of specialty grocery stores.
- We used Traeger Signature blend smoking pellets.
