Smoked Turkey Thighs

You don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving dinner to enjoy delicious crispy smoked turkey thighs. With my easy recipe, you can enjoy juicy, perfectly seasoned turkey thighs any time of the year.

There is no reason to wait for the holiday season to enjoy delicious smoked turkey thighs. The turkey meat is juicy and tender with an incredible smoky flavor that your whole family will love!

The smoking process adds a lot of flavor to the thighs, and I’m sure after one bite, you’ll agree that this is the best smoked turkey thigh recipe you’ve ever tried!

If you love turkey, make sure to try my smoked turkey legs, smoked turkey wings, and smoked turkey breast.

Ingredients for Smoked Turkey Thighs

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Smoked Turkey Thighs. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

Turkey thighs are typically available at your local grocery stores from September through December. Check with the manager of the meat department or a local butcher to order them during the rest of the year.

Made with simple ingredients

I didn’t use a lot of seasonings for the dry rub, just black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Most of the flavor will come from the wet brine.

Feel free to add your favorite seasonings to the dry rub. Sweet paprika and poultry seasoning would make nice additions. For a touch of sweetness, add a little brown sugar, and for a touch of heat, add a little bit of cayenne pepper.

How to make a Wet Brine

• Add the vegetable stock and seasonings to a saucepan and bring the brine ingredients to a boil (make sure all the kosher salt has dissolved). Remove from the heat.
• Let the brining mixture cool for 15 minutes.
• Add the ice to the mixture and pour into a container large enough to hold the turkey thighs (that will fit in your fridge). A large ziplock bag will work nicely.

For additional flavor, you can add your favorite herbs and aromatics to my simple brine. Bay leaves, sage, cut orange wedges, or lemon wedges would be good additions to the wet brine.

How to Smoke Turkey Thighs

• Add the turkey to the brine solution, then add enough cold water to cover the thighs.
• Cover the container with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours (overnight is best).

• Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees. Let the thighs come to room temperature while the smoker preheats. This will help them cook more evenly.
• When the smoker has reached 275 degrees F., add your favorite wood chips to the smoker tube. I used cherry wood chips for this recipe.

I use an electric smoker for smoking meats and seafood; it’s easy to use and takes all the work out of using a smoker.

If you don’t have a smoker, you can use a pellet grill, charcoal grill, or propane grill to make my smoked turkey thighs. Place the turkey thighs directly on the grill grate and use indirect heat to smoke the meat. Just make sure the grill temperature reads 275 Degrees; high heat is not your friend.

• Remove the turkey from the brine, making sure to get rid of any excess liquid. Pat the thighs dry using paper towels.
• Mix the seasonings in a small bowl, then season the thighs on both sides with the dry seasoning mixture. I didn’t use a lot of spice rub for the seasoning; the brine will give most of the flavor to the turkey, but the dry seasoning will add additional flavor.
• Place the turkey thighs, skin side up, directly on the smoker rack with a drip pan underneath to catch all the drippings from the thighs. Place a temperature probe in the thickest part of the thighs.
• When the internal temperature of the smoked turkey thighs has reached 165 degrees F., remove them from the smoker.

*Remember we are cooking for an internal temperature of 165 degrees; cook times will vary depending on the size of the turkey and type of smoker. Dark meat turkey can cook up to 180 degrees; the higher temperature will break down the connective tissues of the dark meat.

Let the thighs rest for 15-30 minutes before serving to give the juice time to redistribute throughout the flavorful meat.

Serve the Smoked Turkey Thighs with your choice of roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, turkey gravy, and cranberry sauce.

Store any leftover turkey in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5 days or keep frozen, well sealed for 2-3 months.

Smoked Turkey Thighs Cooking Tips

Brine overnight: If time permits, brine the turkey thighs overnight, but don’t brine any longer than 24 hours, or the turkey will get mushy.

Don’t forget to thaw: Make sure the turkey thighs are completely thawed, before you start the brining process.

Let the meat come to room temperature: It’s important to let the meat sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before cooking. It will help the meat to cook quicker and more evenly.

Use a digital thermometer: It’s important to keep watch on the internal temperature of the meat, and a wireless digital thermometer will make your life much easier. I like probe thermometers, and most have apps for your phone, which makes monitoring the internal temperature much easier.

Let the meat rest after cooking: Letting the smoked turkey thighs rest for at least 15 minutes will give the juice time to redistribute, giving you tender, juicy thighs. Cutting them too soon will result in a puddle of juice on your plate and dry, tough thighs.

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