Score the skin of the turkey thighs. Prepare this turkey outside on the Traeger to free up oven space for all the sides. Carve or pull the meat of the smoked turkey thighs and serve hot. 4 turkey legs 3 When ready to cook, set the Traeger temperature to 250 and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes. Once smoke is being produced and the grill or smoker is at 220F, put your turkey thighs on the indirect side, skin side UP, and close the lid. Smoking a turkey thigh at 225F (or lower) will not only add unnecessary cooking time but will also increase the amount of moisture loss in your thigh. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, then arrange them in a single layer on a wire rack over a baking sheet. On our Pit Boss pellet grill we used these apple pellets and got a nice mild smoke flavor on our smoked turkey thighs. What kind of ingredients should you put in your spice rub? Once hot, add the chicken thighs to the grill and cook for 30 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 160F. Pretty much whatever you want. Perfect for your pellet grill or other smoker, this how to recipe is easy to follow with lots of step by step photos to show you how it's done. Place the turkey, breast side down, in the bucket with the brine, making sure the turkey is completely submerged. Anyone can smoke a great turkey. Now you have your cleanly separated turkey thigh and leg. The joint will actually be more into the leg meat than the thigh part. Fill your firebox or lower charcoal basin with about two chimneys worth of unlit charcoal and create a small hollowed out depression in the center where you can add your lit briquets. Common poultry spice rub ingredients such as kosher salt, pepper, paprika, brown sugar, onion powder, and a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper. Use your boning knife to cut right through where the two bones meet. Once your chicken is looking good and at the right temp, remove them from the smoker. 12 Cups Water. Mine will sound an alarm when the temperature reaches the desired level. 1 tsp ground bay leaf. You can prepare smoked turkey thighs with a smoker, charcoal grill, or even a gas grill. Here I smoke a pair of Turkey Thi. SMOKE: Smoke-cook at 225F for 2 hours. Then in that case, skip the breast a go for some smoked turkey thighs! The smoked chicken in the Sip Bite Go demo was cooked at 250F for a couple hours). Need a refresher? Give the turkey thighs a good rinse and pat them dry with a paper towel and place them on a cutting board. With all the extra juiciness added from the brine, you will have a little bit of play, and you shouldnt need to worry about it overcooking and becoming too dry. We didnt brine Smoked Spatchcock Turkey but you certainly can! Instructions. Refilling wood chips is one of the major drawbacks, besides cooking area and temperature range, of electric smokers compared to pellet grills like Traegers and Pit Bosses. Add the Traeger rub, sugar, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Enjoy! The differences in meat texture between turkey thighs cooked to an internal temperature of 165F and those cooked to 180F are perfectly illustrated in the videos in my post on Oven-Roasted Turkey Thighs. Assume those links are affiliate links which means we may earn a small commission if you click and buy. Sprinkle the dry rub on the turkey thighs, covering the top, bottom, and sides. Hi, I'm Jenn! The brine is mild yet yields impressive results. Cover the bowl and let the brine do the work in the refrigerator for about eight hours. www.traegerforum.com, trend Become an (even) better griller. Let the thighs rest for 5 minutes before serving. Step Four: Let the turkey thighs rest for at least ten minutes before serving. Rotate the smoked turkey thighs as needed and cook at this temperature for about another hour, or until the internal temperature has reached 175F. But today we are keeping it simple with some smoked turkey thighs that can be prepared on almost any grill or smoker. More on how exactly to do this on various grills and smokers below. Poultry Turkey Thighs. Gluten Free. Check our our Complete Guide to How to Use a Propane Smoker HERE. Place apple halves and fresh herbs inside the cavities. Turkeys stronger flavor can take a more aggressive smoke flavor. Close the lid and smoke thighs for 20 minutes (without sauce). Cut the lemon and orange and add all ingredients to a large bowl. When ready to cook, set the Traeger temperature to 400 and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes. ThermoPro Lightning Meat Thermometer Review, Maverick PT-51 Instant-Read Thermometer Review. Preheat your grill or smoker to a temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Flip the turkey thighs skin side down and trim any excess skin hanging off the sides of each turkey thigh and also remove the small triangular tail bone at the bottom of each thigh if present. Add your wood chunks directly to the firebox of a smoker, or use chips in a smoker box, or pellets in a tube smoker or pellet grill. Read our Ultimate Guide to Pellet Grills to learn why they are so easy and how to set one up for success every time. Youll need to set up your grill or smoker a little different depending on whether you are using a grill, smoker, or a pellet grill like a Traeger or Pit Boss. Step Six: Add the poultry seasoning to the thighs. Cutting into them too early will allow all the juices to drain out, and you just spent a lot of time adding them through the brining process. we put it on our upside down turkey cooker device now. We also like to always set some smoked turkey aside to pull for smoked turkey soup so keep that in mind when choosing your flavor profile! 4.9. Breaking down the collagen in a 4-month old turkey that weighs between 15 to 25lbs doesnt require as much time as is required of those much larger animals. You can add your preferred barbecue sauce or glaze to the outside of your turkey thighs about 15 minutes before you pull them off the grill. See the above instructions for a Traeger grill. With a paper towel, pat dry the turkey and place it on a large cooking sheet. Add Cherry wood chips to create a slight smoke. Sprinkle poultry or BBQ seasoning over wings to coat. Preheat your pellet grill to 180-200, on the smoke setting, if you have one. Ingredients 1 Gallon water 1/2 Cup Sugar 2 dried bay leaves 2 Large thyme sprigs 6 peppercorns 1/2 Cup Salt 2 Add the turkey thighs and let brine overnight or for at least 4 hours. Step One: To prepare the brine, cut the lemon and orange into slices and add all of the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Step 1 - Remove any giblets and neck from the turkey's cavities. This meaty turkey thigh recipe can hold up to some equally flavorful side dishes. Grill turkey over medium heat on natural gas barbecue until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thighs registers 180 - 185F, about 15 - 20 minutes per side. Pour in the cooking liquid and stir the pot firmly with a wooden or plastic spoon to loosen any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pot. Sure, theyre fun to eat, but flavor-to-flavor, I challenge those legs to one of these smoked turkey thighs. Smoke the turkey thighs for about 2 hours or until the internal temperature comes to 165-F on a digital thermometer. It basically burns new fresh wood chips at a constant rate, much like how a pellet grill works, freeing you up to do other things while getting your food nice and smoky! As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'madbackyard_com-large-billboard-2','ezslot_15',186,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-madbackyard_com-large-billboard-2-0');report this ad. 2023 Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation. Stronger woods like hickory or mesquite might have worked fine, but the Cherry left a mild, smoky flavor that didnt overpower the flavor of the turkey or the beer brine. Smoked turkey thighs are simple to make and a delicious way to enjoy smoked turkey without making a whole bird! Set up your gas grill for INDIRECT cooking with a single burner lit on one side and plan for your turkey thighs to be on the other side. Once lit, add the briquets to the center depression you created, replace the grill grates and oil them up with a paper towel.. Add 1 chunk of smoking wood once the grill is up to temperature, put the turkey thighs on the grill grates opposite of the charcoal, with the skin side UP. If you are unfamiliar with these gas grill smoking devices mentioned above, no worries, we have you covered! Add the turkey thighs and make sure they are completely covered by the liquid. Stir continuously until well combined, and allow to simmer. STEP 2: Dip the chicken thighs, one at a time, into the marinade and transfer them to a large gallon-sized bag. For optimal flavor, use Super Smoke, if available. Plug in the pellet grill, let it run through its start up process, and then turn the temperature to 220F. greenhornbbqbeer.com, trend RecipesChoice is a website that provides everything related to recipes and cooking tips to help people have great food and feel happier every time standing in their beloved kitchen. We are going to bring the internal temperature of our smoked turkey thighs up to at least 175F. Smoked turkey thigh with skin removed revealing a nice pink smoke ring. SMOKED TURKEY THIGHS with butter injection, on the Traeger pellet grill sound good to you? On day 2, use a marinade injector to inject the brine 4-5x in different spots around the turkey leg. 1 tsp finely ground black pepper. I'm a retired chef and business owner, and now cookbook author, food blogger, writer and mom. Then add the cold water. The salt is absorbed into the meat along with the beer and other flavors. Use the techniques from these classes to spark up your skills. Dry the entire turkey with paper towels. By the way any links on this page that lead to products on Amazon or other sites are affiliate links and I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no cost to you. 4. Liberally rub the chicken thighs with the homemade rub or your favorite dry rub. :-). Sprinkle the thighs liberally with salt and the chicken rub. Turn occasionally. 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