Skip the whole bird and smoke the best part instead. These smoked turkey legs are brined overnight, then slow-smoked at 250°F until the meat is tender and pulls clean off the bone.
They’re finished with a sweet BBQ glaze that forms a glossy, tacky crust, perfect for backyard cookouts or a no-fuss Thanksgiving alternative that’s done in under two hours.
These Aren’t Your Fairground Turkey Legs
Smoked turkey legs have become a fairground icon. Whether you’ve had one at Disney World, a Renaissance festival, or your local state fair, there’s something satisfying about walking around with one of those giant drumsticks in hand.
Most theme park versions start with a curing solution made with Prague Powder #1, the same pink curing salt used for ham. That cure gives the meat its rosy color and a distinctly salty, ham-like flavor.
There’s nothing wrong with that approach. I recommend this recipe from Hey Grill Hey if you’re after the nostalgic theme park flavor. My version leans toward true barbecue instead. There is no curing salt, no hammy taste, just brined turkey slow-smoked for deep, authentic BBQ flavor.
Ingredients for Smoked Turkey Legs
- Turkey legs – Whole, raw turkey legs. You can use pre-smoked turkey legs if you prefer, but you will get a lot more flavor from smoking them fresh.
- Turkey brine – I used our Easy homemade turkey brine recipe, but you can use a store-bought brine if preferred.
- Smoked turkey rub – I used our Homemade smoked turkey rub for these legs, but you can use a store-bought rub if you don’t want to hassle with making it yourself.
- Binder – I like to use olive oil. You can use a spray or regular oil. You just need to be able to coat the legs in a light layer.
- BBQ sauce – We’ll be using this as a glaze to finish off the drums. You can make your own BBQ sauce or use a bottle of your favorite store-bought sauce.
Pro tip – You’ll need to shop for male tom turkey legs if you want to cook those super-sized, caveman-friendly turkey legs you find at Disneyland. These can weigh 1.75 – 2 pounds each. They’re hard to source, so you’ll probably need to place a special order with your butcher.
Equipment you’ll need
- Smoker or pellet grill – You can use any style of smoker or pellet grill as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 250°F for two hours. These can also be smoked on a charcoal grill with an indirect heat setup.
- Wood or pellets – I recommend oak, hickory, or pecan for smoking turkey. Avoid harsh woods like mesquite, as they can overpower the meat’s flavor.
- Large brining container – I like to use my Cambro CamSquares for brining turkey, but you can also use a large bucket or prep tub. You want to use something that will allow you to fully submerge the turkey in the brine while it sits in the fridge.
- Small pot or pan – Oven-safe so you can place it on the smoker to warm up the BBQ sauce.
- Basting brush
- Instant read thermometer – One of these is your best option for checking the internal temperature of the turkey as it cooks. I recommend the Thermoworks ThermaPen One, but any instant-read probe will work.
Testing these smoked turkey legs
I’ve smoked a lot of turkey legs over the years and picked up a few tricks along the way. This version builds on what worked in earlier tests and refines a couple of key steps for even better flavor and texture.
- Brining turkey legs – Adding a brine before smoking makes a noticeable difference in flavor and texture, especially with dark meat. It’s optional, but worth the time for juicier, more seasoned turkey.
- Internal temperature – Instead of stopping at 165°F, I now take the legs to 175–185°F. Dark meat holds up better at higher temps, staying juicy while the connective tissue breaks down for a tender finish.
Can you use pre-smoked turkey legs?
Yes, but smoking them fresh will give you the best flavor and texture. With pre-smoked legs, you’re mostly reheating and layering in more smoke flavor.
If you plan to use pre-smoked legs, you can add a mustard binder before applying the seasoning to help the seasoning stick to the meat.
You’ll only need to smoke them at 250°F for about 30 minutes until they’re heated through, then proceed with adding the sauce and letting them smoke until the sauce is tacky.
Do you have to brine turkey legs?
No. Most store-bought turkey is already pre-brined or injected with a solution to help keep them moist, but taking the time to brine them will help add a lot of flavor.
I’ve found that especially with turkey dark meat (like legs), the brine can help keep the meat extra juicy and add a lot more flavor.
Another trick, if you want to save time, is to use an injector to inject the brine into the turkey legs. This will allow you to brine the turkey for half the time (12 hours) and still allow the flavor to penetrate the meat fully.
How to make smoked turkey legs
1. The brine
For the best results, brine the turkey legs for 24 hours before smoking them.
Add your brine to a large container, then add your turkey legs. Make sure the legs are fully submerged in the brine.
Place the container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
If you’re working with frozen turkey legs, you want to let them defrost in the fridge before you brine them, but if they’re still a little frozen that’s okay. They can finish defrosting right in the brine if you’re pressed for time.
2. Season the legs
Remove the legs from the brining liquid and pat them dry.
Our homemade turkey brine doesn’t require you to rinse the legs with water prior to seasoning, but if you’re using a store-bought brine that has a higher salt content, you may want to rinse them under cold water to avoid an overly salty end product.
Once dry, give them a light coat of olive oil as a binder. I like to use spray olive oil for this because it’s an easy way to add a light layer of oil. If you use regular olive oil, rub a small amount on the legs until they are coated on all sides.
Season them liberally on all sides with the turkey rub. I like to use our homemade turkey rub. It’s a great all-purpose rub with a combination of spices and herbs that taste great on turkey, and the paprika in the mix gives it a great color.
A shaker is my secret weapon for getting an even seasoning coverage.
Pro tip – If you don’t want to make your own rub, any store-bought poultry rub will work. I recommend something made for turkey if you can find it.
3. Smoke the turkey legs
Preheat your smoker to 250°F.
I smoked these on my Weber Searwood XL pellet grill, but any smoker or pellet grill you have available will work fine as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 250°F for 2-3 hours.
Place your turkey legs on the grates of the smoker and let them smoke for 1-½ hours. At this point, the internal temperature should be up around 165°F. If it’s still a bit lower, you can let them continue to smoke until they reach 165°F.
Having a good instant-read thermometer is a must, as it ensures that you are cooking your food to the correct temperature.
4. Glaze and finish
After your turkey legs have been on the smoker for about one hour, fill a small pot or pan with BBQ sauce and place the sauce on the smoker next to your legs to heat up.
Heating the sauce thins it out a bit, resulting in a more even coating of sauce on your turkey.
When your turkey legs reach an internal temperature of 165°F (which takes about 1 to 1.5 hours of cooking time), use a basting brush to apply the sauce evenly to them. Aim for a light layer of sauce.
Once they are well-coated, let them smoke for an additional 20-30 minutes to allow that sauce to tack up.
The final internal temperature should be between 175°F and 185°F.
Remove them from the smoker and serve immediately alongside the remaining barbecue sauce for dipping.
These smoked turkey legs are a fun, flavorful way to bring fairground nostalgia to your backyard. Serve them hot off the smoker and enjoy every juicy, smoky bite.
If these turkey legs made it to your table, we’d love to hear about it. Leave a rating and let us know how they turned out.
More Thanksgiving turkey inspiration
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Smoked Turkey Legs with BBQ Glaze
Smoked turkey legs brined, seasoned with BBQ rub, and finished with a sweet glaze for tender, flavorful, fall-off-the-bone meat.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 2 hours hours
Brining 1 day day
Total Time 1 day day 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Servings 3
Calories 462kcal
Prep your turkey brine and transfer it into a large container.
Submerge your turkey legs in the brine and store them in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Remove your turkey from the brine and pat dry.
Coat the turkey legs with olive oil as a binder, then season them liberally on all sides with the turkey rub. Lift the skin to season the meat underneath for extra flavor.
Preheat your smoker to 250°F and place your turkey legs directly on the grates.
After one hour, add the BBQ sauce to a small pot and place it on the smoker alongside your turkey legs to warm up.
Let the turkey legs smoke for 1-½ hours, or until the internal temperature reaches around 165°F to 170°F.
Use a basting brush to glaze the turkey legs in the BBQ sauce, then let them smoke for an additional 20-30 minutes until the sauce is tacky and the internal temperature reaches 180°F.
Remove the turkey legs from the smoker and serve immediately alongside the remaining BBQ sauce for dipping.
Wood or pellets – I recommend oak, hickory, or pecan for smoking turkey. Avoid harsh woods like mesquite, as they can overpower the meat’s flavor.
Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 178mg | Sodium: 433mg | Potassium: 780mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 214IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 7mg
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