This thanksgiving everyone should loves this good old garden barbecue. Open the back fence door, and the smell of sizzling meat immediately greets you. The kids laugh and play in the yard while the adults mingle and sip white wine in the sunny summer setting. Your friend walks up to you, opens a Miller Lite, slips it into your favorite beer koozies, and hands it to you. Just when you start to think this day couldn’t be better, you realize that meat doesn’t cook on a grill at all; the party host decided to cook smoked turkey wings in his smokehouse, just for the occasion.
You can cook all kinds of different types of meat in a smoker, but this smoked turkey wing recipe really takes the cake. As always, let’s answer a few common questions before we move on to the recipe itself:
The Smoker Turkey Wings
The smoked turkey wing recipe you’ve been looking for! Making smoked turkey wings in a smokehouse is one of our Thanksgiving turkey recipes.
These smoked turkey wings are liberally dusted with a bold dry barbecue flavored blend and infused with mesquite smoke. This barbecue turkey recipe is great for anyone who’s tired of eating the same boring old turkey.
Plus, they’re relatively quick to cook, at least for a smoker. These gigantic wings are like the dinosaur version of smoked chicken wings. However, these pterodactyl-sized wings don’t take much longer to cook than their little chicken cousin.
Ingredients
- 6 pieces Turkey Wings/Legs
- Cooking Oil
- Smoker
Marination
- 1/4 cup honey powder
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- Wood chips
- 1 tsp hickory smoke powder
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
If this is your first time making smoked turkey wings, here is a great recipe to follow.
- Overnight, place the turkey wings in brine with water, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- In the morning, dry the wings and leave them uncovered in the refrigerator to dry the rest.
Preheat, the smoker to 275 degrees F.
- Feel free to utilize your favorite wood chips. Any type of orchard wood or hardwood would be your best option.
- Combine all the ingredients to rub the spices in a large bowl. Stir well to make sure they are well combined.
- Rub the turkey wings with cooking oil to make sure the skin rolls up tightly.
- Dip the oiled turkey wings in the spice blend. Make sure you get good, even, even coverage. Place the wings on the smoker rack.
Smoke the turkey wings for about 2- 2:30 hours, or until the core temperature reaches 165 F.
- Serve with your favorite sides; one of the easy to digest meals
Steps: How To Cook?
1st: Overnight
Prepare
Place them overnight with water, garlic salt, and pepper.
2nd: Spices
Coat them, bake, flip’ them and eat!
All of this in a nutshell. Turkey wings are naturally bland, so selecting a condiment and/or BBQ sauce is important to flavor your smoked meat.
3rd: Preheat Oven
Start by preheating your smoker to 250 F degrees.
You don’t want to use high heat as it will cook too quickly, not only will it make the wings harder, but it will limit the amount of smoke flavor absorbed.
4th: Place Smoker
While the smoker is heating
Mix all the seasonings for your dry rub in a small bowl. Then generously sprinkle each side of the turkey wings until they are completely covered.
5th: Best Wood For The Recipe
Wondering what wood to use for smoking turkey? Some work well. Pecans are one of our favorites for smoking poultry. It gives a nice sweetness to the meat. Cherry wood and applewood are also great options. Hickory is a classic choice for a whole turkey, but it outperforms barbecued smoked turkey.
6th: Add Woodchips
Once the smoker is preheated, add the wood chips and place the turkey wings directly on the grates. Close the smoker and let it smoke for two hours, or until the turkey meat reaches 165 degrees.
Easy To Cook Recipe
You need to keep in mind several things when smoking turkey wings; including
- The spices you choose.
- The temperature you use.
- Make sure you have the right grill or smoker for the job, and
- How long it will last.
- In summary, making smoked turkey wings starts with the right spice dressing.
- This spice seasoning is made with honey powder, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, walnut smoke powder, and salt.
- Season the turkey wings with the spice blend and place them in the smoker for 2 hours at 275F.
Spices
The first thing you’ll want to figure out before you smoke your turkey wings is what type of spice you want to put in it. You can use just about anything your heart desires, from simple salt and pepper to curry or chili powder.
No matter which spice you prefer, be sure to coat the wings completely before smoking them.
This will help the skin to cook well, giving it a pleasantly crunchy taste.
Temperature
Once your wings are ready to smoke, you need to bring your smoker to around 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also use a pipe if you don’t have a dedicated smoker.
It will be hot enough for them to cook well but not hot enough to dry on. You want to cook them at this temperature for as long as they are in the smoker, so check the thermometer carefully.
Timing
If you bake your wings at 275 degrees Fahrenheit, you will need to smoke them for two hours or a little longer. You want to cook them until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees and their skin is brown and crisp.
Be sure to use your meat thermometer to probe the thickest part of the wings to confirm they are cooked before digging.
Of course, an infrared thermometer, like this offering from the market, also works well for this.
How Long It Take To Cook Turkey?
The smoked turkey recipe rivals our instant pot turkey recipe. We’re always looking for easy, hands-free recipes to spend more time with family and friends this holiday season. This smoked turkey recipe works perfectly. It only requires 4- 6 ingredients and 2 hours of cooking.
If you want even crispier skin, bake the turkey wings in the oven for a few minutes. Watch very carefully to avoid burning the meat.
Is This Delicious Recipe Healthy?
Turkey’s wings are nutritionally almost identical to chicken wings. Both are rich in protein, iron, calcium, and selenium. However, turkey wings contain a lot more meat.
Are you looking for healthier smoked poultry recipes? Check out my awesome smoked chicken breast or try my fan favorite smoked chicken thighs. Better yet, go for the whole smoked chicken recipe!
Do you want to try more meat to smoke? Try my smoked pork roast or my delicious smoked corned beef recipe!
Benefits Of Turkey
| Protein-rich meat | Rich in vitamin B – Particularly B1 B3, B6, and B12 | Plentiful zinc |
| Good HDL cholesterol | Has essential minerals (for thyroid hormone control, metabolism, and immune system booster) | Low in fats (saturated) |
| Protection from bladder cancer | Mood-enhancer | Treats chronic insomnia |
| Defend breast cancer | Low glycemic index | Bad LDL cholesterol |
| Saves from lung cancer | Control blood sugar (Diabetes) | Decline Alzheimer’s disease ( Dementia) |
| Protection from stomach cancer | Suitable for psoriasis | Skinless turkey (best for dietitians) |
| Sufficient amount of amino acid | Manageable calories | Zero carbohydrates |
| Reduced fiber | A good amount of folate | Contains phosphorus |
| Has selenium | Holds in choline | Carry magnesium |
| Avoid frying | Use minimum sodium (salt) | High omega-3 |
