Today I’m sharing my tips for cooking the best BBQ smoked turkey legs. I’ll show you how to smoke turkey legs on the Traeger pellet grill on TWO different temperatures – to get tender meat and crispy skin. Let’s smoke ‘em…
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See the video
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to cook smoked turkey wings.
- turkey wings
- BBQ or Poultry rub seasoning
- olive oil
- melted butter
See the best game day smoker recipes…
Whole or split turkey wings?
You can choose to smoke whole or split (drum & flats) turkey wings. I kept the turkey wings whole (ie, the flat and drum attached). That’s how I got them at the grocery store. Keep in mind that when you smoke whole turkey wings, the smoke time will take a little longer.
Smoking flats and drums separated will speed up the smoking time. The flats will cook faster since they are smaller, so watch for those to finish first then the drums after.
How long to cook smoked turkey wings?
In this recipe, they are fully cooked in 3.5 – 4 hours. Since the wings were left whole and not split (flat & drum) the cooking time was longer.
How do you know when turkey wings are cooked?
Remove the wings when they reach at least 165 degrees F internally.
Since turkey wings are dark meat, you can let them cook until the internal temp reaches 175 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat. At 175 degrees F, the wing meat will fall apart more.
How do you season turkey wings?
Seasoning turkey wings is pretty simple. See my review of the Traeger Fin And Feather Rub, which I used in this recipe.
If you don’t brine them, like I did in this recipe, I recommend that you coat the wings with a little bit of olive oil to start. Then sprinkle either BBQ rub or a poultry dry rub as seen in this recipe.
If you want your wings to taste a bit sweeter, then I recommend you add brown sugar to the dry rub that you’re using or making.
With any seasoning, you will need to let the rub adhere to the wings for at least 30 minutes at the bare minimum.
Looking for your next thing to smoke? This smoked spaghetti squash is so tasty!
Do I need to cover the turkey wing tips?
While that’s not completely necessary, covering the wing tips in foil will help prevent them from burning. I did not cover the wing tips and they turned out just perfect. Covering the wing tips in foil is more precautionary.
What kind of wood pellets / wood chips should I use?
You can use a lot of different pellets for smoking meats. Try something fruity like cherry or apple pellets. Or for serving smoked turkey wings for Thanksgiving, try the Traeger turkey pellets.
How to cook Smoked Turkey Wings
Now I’ll walk you through it…
Try making your own cranberry BBQ sauce…
The seasoning used is this is the Traeger Fin and Feather Rub on Amazon…
Detailed recipe steps
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 250 degrees F.
- Prep turkey wings for smoking. Pat the turkey wings with a paper towel then drizzle olive over and massage in with your hands.
- Season turkey wings. Sprinkle either poultry or BBQ seasoning over the wings to coat.
- Let seasoning adhere. Place seasoned turkey wings in the fridge for at least an hour to let the seasoning marinate with the wings.
- Smoke turkey wings at 250 degrees F for 3.5 – 4 hours until the internal temperature reaches 165 – 175 degrees F.
- Baste turkey wings with melted butter after 3 hours into the cooking time. The internal temperature should read 150 – 155 degrees F.
- Remove turkey wings when they reach 165 – 175 degrees F as measured with an internal read thermometer.
- Rest smoked turkey wings for 10 minutes to cool down then enjoy.
For a smoked side dish, try smoked mac and cheese or smoked mashed potatoes...
How do you store cooked smoked turkey wings?
You can store cooked smoked turkey wings in an airtight container that’s kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 – 4 days.
What goes well with smoked turkey?
Checkout my full Thanksgiving smoker recipes list for great sides that go with smoked turkey wings or smoked turkey.
Next, try smoking a pork tenderloin…
Another easy recipe to try is smoking a tri tip…
See more on smoked foods for the holidays
1 – See the Sip Bite Go review of Traeger Turkey pellets.
2 – See what’s in the turkey brine kit.
3 – Check out these tasty holiday dishes to smoke on the pellet grill…
- Smoked ham
- Smoked turkey breast
- Smoked turkey legs
- Smoked turkey wings
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked mashed potatoes
- Smoked asparagus
- Smoked apple pie
- See more turkey recipes
- Check out the best smoked foods for a Traeger Thanksgiving dinner
- See all of Sip Bite Go’s Thanksgiving turkey recipes…
- Also check out how to cook a turkey in the oven and this turkey brine recipe…
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about Smoked Turkey Wings.
See how to get more smoke flavor from your favorite pellet grill recipes…
Connect…
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- Browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection
See 9 EASY chicken wing recipes to make at home >
Traeger Smoked Turkey Wings Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 turkey wings about 1.5 – 2 lb each
- 2 tbsp BBQ or Poultry rub seasoning
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 250 degrees F.
- Prep turkey wings for smoking. Pat the turkey wings with a paper towel then drizzle olive over and massage in with your hands.
- Season turkey wings. Sprinkle either poultry or BBQ seasoning over the wings to coat.
- Chill and let seasoning adhere. Place seasoned turkey wings in the fridge for at least an hour (up to overnight) to let the seasoning marinate with the wings.
- Smoke turkey wings at 250 degrees F for 3.5 – 4 hours until the internal temperature reaches 165 – 175 degrees F.
- Baste turkey wings with melted butter after 3 hours into the cooking time. The internal temperature for turkey wings smoked in the Sip Bite Go demonstration read 150 – 155 degrees F at this time.
- Remove turkey wings when they reach 165 – 175 degrees F as measured with an internal read thermometer.
- Rest smoked turkey wings for 10 minutes to cool down then enjoy.
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