Hickory Smoked Turkey Legs

Difficulty:
1/5

Ease of preparation: Easy

Yields: 4 servings

 

Ingredients

4 turkey legs

2 tablespoons (30ml) of Bourbon

3 handfuls of hickory wood chips

 

Rub

1½ teaspoons of salt (7.5ml)

1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper (5ml)

1 teaspoon of fresh sage (5ml)

1 teaspoon of dried thyme (5ml)

1 teaspoon of Cajun spice (5ml)

Grated zest of 1 lemon

 

Method

Place 1 handful of the wood chips in water to soak for 30 minutes. If you are using charcoal soak all 3 handfuls.

Combine all of the rub ingredients in small bowl. Rinse the turkey legs and pat them dry.  Apply even amounts of the rub to each leg.  Place the legs into a sealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to 6 hours.

For a gas grill, preheat the grill to high on one side. On the other, leave the heat off.

For a charcoal grill, cook the coal until they are ash on the outside, but still holding their shape.

Prepare the wood chip package. For the gas grill, squeeze the excess water from the chips and place in the center of a large piece of foil.  Add a handful of dry wood chips to the package and sprinkle Bourbon on top of chips.  Fold the edges together and seal the wood chips into a closed package.  Using a fork, poke holes in both sides of the foil to give the smoke room to escape.  Place the smoke packages directly over the heat source.

For a charcoal grill, sprinkle the soaked wood chips directly on top of the coals.

Close the lid and wait for smoke. Reduce heat to 200ºF/100ºC. Place the turkey legs on the cool side of the grill and close the lid. Smoke about 2 hours.