Smoked Turkey Thighs

Juicy and easy smoked turkey thighs.

Turkey hunting happens in May and October in our district in Ontario, however this does not stop our cravings for this meat the rest of the year. Turkey thighs or breast are normally cheaper than chicken, as a result we pick these up quite often. The big complaint I have always heard about turkey is people drying it out or being tasteless.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

The last thing you want is dry and tasteless meat, of any kind. With turkey wild or from the grocery store, I have found it is all brine and cooking it low and slow. The brine tenderise the meat, followed by a low and slow cooking method that keeps it juicy and full of flavour.

Smoker Sunday is our meal prep day for the week. Presmoking all the meats for the week and locking in the amazing smokieness and flavour. This is one of our favourite brines and cooking methods for Turkey thighs.

---

Smoked Turkey Thighs

Ingredients

• Turkey Thighs

• 1 tbsp of Oregano

• 1 tbsp of Chili Flakes

• 1 tsp of Seasoning Salt

• 1 tbsp of Paprika

• 1/2 can of beer - of your choice

• BBQ Sauce - pick your favourite BBQ sauce to top it off!

Photo Credit:V.Gray

Prep time: 5 minutes

Fridge time: 24 hours

Smoker Time: 3 hours

BBQ Time: 20 minutes

Rest Time: 5 minutes

Step 1: Let’s Get Started

In a container dust your turkey thighs with oregano, seasoning salt, paprika and chili flakes. Gently pour 1/2 a can of beer into the container beside the turkey, leaving all the spices on top. Put the lid on and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Step 2: Smoke It!

With your favourite pellets, we used True North blend from Furtado Farms to preheat your smoker to 190C degrees. Put your turkey thighs on the smoker and walk away for 3 hours.

Step 3: Crisp Up

If this is meal prep after 3 hours, let them cool down on the counter and you can store them in the fridge for 5 days before reheating. Otherwise you can either crisp up the skin on the smoker or BBQ.

Turn the smoker up to 350C degrees or preheat the BBQ to 350C degrees. Skin side down drizzle some bbq sauce on top and let them sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes flip them (skin side up) and drizzle more BBQ sauce. Leave them for another 10 minutes.

Step 4: Indulge.

Let the turkey rest for 5 minutes before serving and pair with your favourite side dishes!

Photo Credit: V.Gray

---

Nothing beats wild turkey or even Thanksgiving turkey, however if you are looking for something different throughout the week this is a great option. It's light, full of flavour, the smokeyness lingers and juicy.

Cheers!

**Please note that all opinions and views expressed in this post are my own, from my own experiences. If you would like to see more pictures follow me on Instagram vikki.gray **