When we were young, trips to Disney World were met with much fanfare:
The time off from school! (I’ll skip out on your multiplication times tables and coloring workbooks, thank you very much!)
The rides! (This is the year I ride Thunder Mountain and actually put my hands in the air!)*
The characters! Mickey Mouse! Goofy! (Mustn’t forget my autograph book!)
And. THE FOOD!!!
Okay, before you label us all, and me in particular, as gluttonous fools, it was really just one food item in particular: The Smoked Turkey Legs. (Because that definitely deserves some capitalization.)
Ahhh smoked turkey legs–those cases full of deliciously salty, slightly hammy turkey legs, smoked to a dark and glossy perfection. We’d pay the astronomical $8 to $10 for one and pass it around like a meaty peace pipe, tearing off hunks of turkey like the tacky ravenous tourists that we were so okay with being at that moment. A lot of the other food in Disney World, Universal, Epcot, etc. etc. is just alright in our eyes…This turkey leg, on the other hand, was one of THE main attractions for us.
So imagine our excitement when a couple of years ago, my aunt started making smoked turkey legs in a charcoal grill in her backyard! The taste is almost exactly the same, and you can make them in a big batch with relative ease. We headed over to their house in Western New York for the July 4th weekend and absolutely INSISTED that we eat these and document the process.
There are some tastes that make such an indelible mark on your memory that you become a tiny bit obsessed, and this is definitely one of those tastes. If you share my crazed ardor for this form of smoked poultry in particular, read on!
*Of course this never actually happened because when Sarah and I were young, we were weak-kneed pansies, and by the time we were old enough to not be weak-kneed pansies, Thunder Mountain was such a snooze that it felt like more of a scenic trolley ride than anything else.
Smoked Turkey Legs Recipe Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large pot and bring to a boil. Let cool. if you’re short on time, you can also start by boiling the brine with just 2 quarts of water and then adding ice to cool to 1 gallon of brine.
While that’s happening, rinse your turkey legs and set aside in a large container (one that will fit into your refrigerator). You may want to use two separate containers.
When the brine has cooled, pour the brine over the turkey legs, making sure they are totally submerged (our container in the photo is probably too small). Cover and refrigerate overnight.
If you want to expedite the process, use a marinade injector, injecting one syringe-full of brine into each turkey leg (1½ syringe-fulls for the larger turkey legs). Then, let brine as usual for 5-6 hours. This way, the turkey legs don’t need to brine overnight. Sounds gruesome, but it really expedites the process, and these marinade injectors are pretty inexpensive!
When the turkey legs are ready, heat your charcoal. Your key tools for this recipe are a charcoal grill, a chimney starter, natural hardwood lump charcoal, and wet wood chips, which provides the smoky flavor. Fill your chimney with charcoal and light the coals with a piece of newspaper.
Let heat for a solid 15-20 minutes or so–until the coals are slightly white hot.
Also, take 1-2 handfuls of wood chips and soak them in water while the coals are heating.
Pour the coals into the grill and scatter the wood chips around the coals. Lay your grill rack over the coals.
Place the turkey legs on the grill rack and close the grill. 1 chimney-full of coal is enough to start for an average-sized charcoal grill. Add another chimney of coal every 20-30 minutes, depending on the kind of charcoal you’re using. Periodically add additional wet wood chips to make more smoke as needed. More wood chips makes more smoke, increasing the “hammy” smoked flavor of the turkey legs. You can cater this to your personal preferences. I like my smoked turkey legs hammy with a good smoke ring; my aunt prefers more of a natural flavor. Take your pick!
The slow cooking method is key here. Periodically check the smoked turkey legs, turning every once in a while, and make sure the grill maintains a temperature of 300-325 degrees. There is some element of trial and error to this if you’re a first-timer; make observations and adjust amounts of charcoal, wood chips, and heat over the course of the cooking time.
Maintain the grill, charcoal, and wood chips, letting the turkey cook for 3 ½ to 4 hours–until the smoked turkey legs have a nice, dark smoky color that a young Chinese girl once thought only existed within the walls of Disney World.
Serve immediately and let your inner caveman / inner Disney World fanatic dig in!
Wrap your smoked turkey legs with a napkin or butcher paper and get medieval with it!
Smoked Turkey Legs (Disney Copycat Recipe)
Ingredients
For the brine:
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons dried sage
- 1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
You'll also need:
- 10 turkey legs
- Natural hardwood lump charcoal
- Smoking wood chips (e.g. apple wood or hickory)
- Charcoal grill
- Charcoal chimney starter
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large pot and bring to a boil. Let cool. if you're short on time, you can also start by boiling the brine with just 2 quarts of water and then adding ice to cool to 1 gallon of brine.
- While that's happening, rinse your turkey legs and set aside in a large container (one that will fit into your refrigerator). You may want to use two separate containers. When the brine has cooled, pour the brine over the turkey legs, making sure they are totally submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- If you want to expedite the process, use a marinade injector, injecting one syringe-full of brine into each turkey leg (1½ syringe-fulls for the larger turkey legs). Then, let brine as usual for 5-6 hours. This way, the turkey legs don't need to brine overnight. Sounds gruesome, but it really expedites the process, and these marinade injectors are pretty inexpensive!
- When the turkey legs are ready, heat your charcoal. Your key tools for this recipe are a charcoal grill, a chimney starter, charcoal, and wet wood chips, which provides the smoky flavor. Fill your chimney with charcoal and light the coals with a piece of newspaper. Let heat for a solid 15-20 minutes or so--until the coals are slightly white hot. Also, take 1-2 handfuls of wood chips and soak them in water while the coals are heating.
- Pour the coals into the grill and scatter the wood chips around the coals. Lay your grill rack over the coals. Place the turkey legs on the grill rack and close the grill.
- chimney-full of coal is enough to start for an average-sized charcoal grill. Add another chimney of coal every 20-30 minutes, depending on the kind of charcoal you're using. Periodically add additional wet wood chips to make more smoke as needed. More wood chips makes more smoke, increasing the "hammy" smoked flavor of the turkey legs. You can cater this to your personal preferences. I like a very hammy smoked turkey leg; my aunt prefers more of a natural flavor. Take your pick!
- The slow cooking method is key here. Periodically check the turkey legs, turning every once in a while, and make sure the grill maintains a temperature of 300-325 degrees. There is some element of trial and error to this if you're a first-timer; make observations and adjust amounts of charcoal, wood chips, and heat over the course of the cooking time.
- Maintain the grill, charcoal, and wood chips, letting the turkey cook for 3 ½ to 4 hours--until the turkey legs have a nice, dark smoky color that a young Chinese girl once thought only existed within the walls of Disney World.
- Serve immediately and let your inner caveman / inner Disney World fanatic dig in!
What do you think about using this brine on a whole smoked turkey?
Hi Steve, sorry we missed your comment back in November! We’ve never attempted a whole smoked turkey so your guess would be as good as mine! That said, it’s very important to proportion the salt accordingly by poundage so you’d probably need too do a bit of math there.
Postscript: I used your brine for the turkey at Thanksgiving last year. I brined the turkey for about 36 hours, applied a rub and smoked it for about 4 hours. The entire family loved it and I have now been designated the family Thanksgiving turkey chef moving forward.
While this could be a good recipe, the cooking time is way off. I had my grill at a consistent 300-325 and they reached an internal temp of 165 in about 1.5hrs which resulted in a huge disappointment with the exterior.
Hm, thanks for sharing, Brenden, we’ll have to make these again to see what’s up!
Can we do the same smoking in an electric smoker?
Hi Edward, we’ve never tried this with an electric smoker, unfortunately, but I can’t see why not!
Did you put the cooked turkwy legs in the same tray as the UNcooked turkey legs or is it just me?
Hi Lydia, we did not.
Cut the salt in half!
Hi Dan, salt is very much a matter of personal preference. An important thing to remember is the quantity of turkey legs and the type of salt you are using which can make it less/more salty.
We just made these and they were delicious. We did find them to be extremely salty. We only put in 6 legs and used Kirkland’s sea salt. Should we have used regular salt and/or cut recipe for brine in half? Once we got the skin off, these absolutely amazing!
Hi Robert, yeah it’s best to cut in half, and kosher salt and sea salt can actually be saltier than regular table salt. Best to use the cheap stuff when making brine!
If I use say 4 drumsticks instead do I cut the brine recipe say roughly in half using less water and salt or keep the brine the same even thou I have less drumsticks?
Hi Sid, you can reduce the recipe accordingly!
Love this recipe!
Quick question: Do you any suggestions for keeping the skin soft? I’ve made these twice and both times the skin was so tough that you couldn’t bite through it.
Going to smoke 24 Tom drumsticks for our Christmas party tomorrow.
Thanks!
Andy
Hi Andy, keeping a tray of water while in the smoker is key to keeping things moist. Also, the skin should be submerged in liquid during the brining. Basting could also help with not drying the skin out.
Thanks!!! 👍🏾 Mine are ‘brineing’ in the frig, now!!!
You’re welcome and hope they turn out delicious!
Would this ever work if we bake it instead?
If so, what would be the oven temperature?
Hi Cathy, we have never tried baking them, so not quite sure about baking temp and time, but baking them at a low temp like 300 degrees and using the broiler at the end to brown them should work.