SmokeBarbecue
Smoked turkey legs
Fairground legs without the brine pump. Salt, a little sugar, 275°F until the tendon sheath goes glossy.
Made it?
3 hr 30 min · 20 min hands-on · pull 185°F · rest 15 min
Ingredients
12 lb on the fire · ~6.6 lb to the table · 13 plates at 8 oz
- turkey drumsticks4 (12 lb)
- kosher salt2 tbsp
- brown sugar1 tbsp
- black pepper2 tsp
- paprika1 tsp
Method
- 1
Mix salt and sugar; coat the legs. Overnight in the fridge if you can.
- 2
Smoke 275°F until 180–185°F in the thickest meat off the bone, 2–3 hours. Dark meat wants that number.
- 3
Rest 15 minutes. The sheath should look lacquered, not leathery. If it is tight, give them more time, not more heat.
If you don’t have it
- Turkey drums → Chicken leg quarters, or a turkey thigh. Chicken finishes faster. Thighs want the same 185°F.
- Hickory → Apple or pecan. Fairground is hickory. Fruitwood is cleaner if you are not chasing that memory.
Same cook, different day
Citrus-pepper
Less fair, more table. Skip the sugar. Salt, pepper, lemon zest. Same 185°F.
Glazed
Sticky legs. A thin hot-honey coat in the last 15 minutes. Not for the whole smoke.
Kettle
No pellet. Indirect 300°F, a chunk of hickory, same probe.
On the plate
With this, try
- With this dish, try making pot liquor collards.
On with a shoulder or a ham. They want time, not a grate. Strip the stems, simmer with a hock until the leaves give and the pot liquor is the sauce.
1 hr 30 min
- With this dish, try making roasted sweet potatoes.
Same oven as a pork roast or ham. 1-inch cubes, oil, salt, 425°F until the edges catch.
40 min
- With this dish, try making corn pudding.
In the oven with a ham or a roast, last hour. Corn, eggs, cream, a little cornmeal, 350°F until it sets.
55 min