Better-Than-Disney Smoked Turkey Legs

Step 1

Make the brine. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil on the stove. Stir in salt, brown sugar, and all the herbs and spices. Turn off the heat, and let sit for 30 minutes. Pour the mixture into a large container and add 3 quarts of cold water. Put in the fridge until cold.The brine should be cold when the turkey legs go in, so if you need to speed up the process, fill the sink 3/4 of the way full with cold water and ice and let the container sit in it for a while, stirring occasionally.

Step 2

Brine the turkey legs. Add the turkey legs to the cold brine so that they are completely submerged. Cover tightly and return to the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 3

Preheat the smoker. Set the smoker to 225-250°F. This may take 30 minutes to an hour. Then, add the wood chips. Continue adding woodchips throughout the cooking time every 30 minutes or when you stop seeing smoke coming out of the smoker.

Step 4

Smoke the turkey legs. Take the turkey legs out of the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Place them directly on the grates in the smoker for 2.5 hours, flipping halfway through.

Step 5

Braise the turkey legs. Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the turkey legs from the smoker. Create two foil pouches and place 3 turkey legs in each one. Pour half a cup of unsalted chicken stock in each pouch and seal the pouches. Place the pouches in a high-walled baking pan or braising pan (even two 9x9 square cake pans is fine) and braise for 1 hour.

Step 6

Enjoy! Carefully open the pouches (be cautious of hot steam escaping!) and discard the juices or use them to make a smoky pan sauce. Remove the skins from the turkey legs before serving — they're gross and tough and hard to eat. No one wants that!