Are you tired of turkey breast slices or oven-roasted turkey for the holidays? Do you miss those jumbo turkey legs from Disneyland but don’t want to shell out for a theme park ticket? Well, look no more because this smoked turkey leg recipe will teach you how to make a well-seasoned wet brine to transform plain turkey legs into savory, smokey, and tender drumsticks.
Disneyland’s turkey legs
Disneyland turkey legs are a fan favorite of theme park guests because they’re HUGE (typically over a pound per leg, including the bone) and have a smokey taste like ham. The good news is that you don’t have to buy an overpriced ticket OR wait until the holidays to get a good smoked turkey leg at home. The secret to a flavorful turkey leg is all in the seasoning and smoking.
Where to buy turkey legs
Compared to other parts of the turkey, the legs are more affordable than turkey breast or turkey thighs. Finding turkey legs is probably the most challenging part of this recipe, especially when it’s not near the holiday months.
Sprouts Market is the best place I found turkey legs available throughout the year. Sprouts sell them for $3.99 per pound for turkey legs. If you’re having trouble finding turkey legs, use the InstaCart app to see which stores near you sell them before you stop by. Sometimes, I even had to call the actual stores after cross-checking with InstaCart and make sure they were in stock because it is not always reliable.
Turkey leg brine recipe
Anytime I’m smoking meat, I love using a brining recipe to infuse more seasoning and flavor into the meat. A wet brine is something I also like doing for roasting Thanksgiving turkey.
This turkey leg brine recipe contains savory and sweet spices and herbs. I use kosher salt, dark brown sugar, garlic, onion, bay leaves, rosemary, oregano, smoked paprika, peppercorns, and mustard seeds. To infuse more flavor into the brine, I bring the mixture to a boil over a pot of water and then let it chill on the counter. Don’t forget to add ice to cool down the brine before adding the turkey legs.
How long to smoke turkey legs
Smoke the turkey legs for about one to one and a half hours at 225 °F or until they reach 150 °F internally. Then, crank the heat to 400 °F and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until they get a crisp skin.
Can you overcook smoked turkey legs?
Even with a wet brine to help keep your smoked turkey legs moist and tender, you can still overcook turkey legs. It’s essential to continually check the temperature of the turkey legs every 30 minutes to ensure you don’t overcook them. Otherwise, they will turn tough and chewy. I use a Bluetooth (wireless) probe thermometer to keep tabs on the temperature so I never miss the mark.
How do you get crispy skin on smoked turkey legs?
To get juicy skin on smoked turkey legs, you must crank up the heat to 400 °F on the last 10 minutes of cooking. Make sure to keep track of the internal temperature throughout cooking because you’ll know when to switch to 400 °F once the internal temperature hits 150 °F.
Why are your smoked turkey legs tough?
If your turkey legs are tough, you’ve overcooked the meat and/or the heat is too high while cooking. To prevent this in the future, cook the turkey legs low and slow at 225 °F and keep track of the internal temperature with a thermometer.
Use a thermometer to make sure your smoker is heating to the correct smoker temperature. A dusty or dirty smoker hopper can sometimes cause crazy hot flareups that take the temperatures way beyond what you set.
For more smoker ideas check out my recipes:
- smoked salmon
- smoked turkey breast
- smoked chicken thighs
- best wood for smoking
- pork baby back ribs
- smoked beef ribs
Smoked turkey legs recipe (Disney Copycat)
Ingredients
- 4 turkey legs ~10 oz per leg
Wet Brine Ingredients
- 8 c filtered water
- 1 c kosher salt
- ½ c dark brown sugar
- 4 tsp garlic powder
- 4 tsp onion powder
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 4 c ice more as needed
- oil for brushing
Equipment Used
- smoker
- pellets
- saucepot
- container with lid or cling wrap
- measuring cups and spoons
- sheet pans and wire racks
- tongs
- paper towels
Instructions
- In a small pot, combine all the water and all the wet brine ingredients.
- Bring to a boil and stir until everything dissolves. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes until cool to the touch.
- In a large container, combine the brine and the rest of the water and add ice. Add turkey legs and make sure each leg is submerged. Cover and let marinate in the brine overnight for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Pour out the brine the next day and dry out the legs with paper towels. Place them on a wire rack sheet pan to come to room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Prep smoker for heat of 225 °F.
- Coat the turkey legs with a light layer of oil and place them in the smoker. Cook until the leg's internal temperature reaches 150 °F.
- Bring the heat higher at 400 °F and cook until it reaches 170 °F and has juicy crisp skin. The entire smoking process should take about one to one and a half hours.
- Remove the turkey legs and let them rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes then serving.
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