Smoked Wild Turkey Legs

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Tender pulled smoked wild turkey legs anyone will enjoy. Perfect for using in recipes that call for pulled beef. One wild turkey leg will yield around 12oz-1 lb of pulled meat, scale as needed.

Prep Time15

Cook Time4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: wild turkey leg recipe

Servings: People

Calories: 207kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 5

Equipment

1 Wide oven-safe pan with lid, about 12 inches in diameter.
1 Smoker optional

Ingredients

1 whole wild turkey leg ~1.5-2 lbs each
1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
1 tablespoon spice rub like cajun seasoning or another blend you like
4 cups water or chicken stock be careful with chicken stock as it's salty
8 oz Aromatic vegetables like carrot, onion and celery, diced
3 Tbsp duck fat, pork lard, or cooking oil
½ Cup dry red wine optional

Instructions

Inspect the turkey leg for any injuries, if there are any, inspect the legs for shot. Remove any remnants of feathers. Rinse with warm water and pat dry if needed.
Season the leg all over with salt and the spice rub. If possible, refrigerate covered overnight before cooking.
Prepare the smoker. Smoke the legs at 200-225 F for one hour, then remove.
Meanwhile, sweat the vegetables in one tablespoon of the fat or oil until softened, then add the tomato paste and cook until the bottom of the pan is starting to brown.
Add the wine, reduce by half, then the smoked wild turkey leg(s) and the water or stock, bring to a simmer and bake, covered at 325F until the meat shreds with a fork, 2-3 hours. Turn the leg over ever hour or so to help it cook evenly and keep it wet.
If you don't want to use the oven, you can use a crock pot, just sweat the vegetables in a pan beforehand.
Remove the pan from the oven and cool until you can handle it.
While the leg is still warm, pick the meat off, carefully looking it over for any pin bones, cartilage, or anything else that wouldn't have a pleasant texture to eat. Put the meat in a bowl and cover with clingfilm so it doesn't dry out.
Meanwhile, strain the cooking liquid and return it to the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce by ¾. Add the reserved turkey meat, heat through, then shred with a fork.
Finally, season the meat to taste with salt and fat. The meat is very lean, so adding the fat is extremely important. If you don't add extra fat here, it may taste dry. Duck fat is ideal, but even cooking oil works in a pinch.
Continue adjusting the seasoning with salt and fat, mixing until incorporated and it tastes good to you. It'll last for a week in the fridge in a tightly covered container.

Video

Notes

This recipe is easy to scale up to use two legs or more if you want. You'll want to adjust the water accordingly to make sure the legs are at least half covered by liquid during the cooking process.

Nutrition