Smoked Turkey Legs

Ingredients

• 6 turkey drumsticks, about 1 1/4 pounds each
• 1 gallon cold water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons pink curing salt no. 1
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 4 chunks hickory wood

Before you cook

• Heat one quart of the water in a large pot with the kosher salt, brown sugar, curing salt, peppercorns, bay leaves and garlic.
• Stir until the salts and sugar dissolve, then take the pot off the heat.
• Pour in the remaining three quarts of cold water and cool the brine to refrigerator temperature.
• Submerge the drumsticks in the cold brine, weighting them with a plate so they stay under.
• Refrigerate for 24 hours, no longer.
• Take the legs out, rinse them well under cold water and pat them dry.
• Rub the legs with oil and season with the coarse pepper, paprika and garlic powder.
• Rest the legs uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator for 2 hours to dry the skin.

Steps

1. Bring the smoker to 275 degrees Fahrenheit and put two chunks of hickory on the fire.
2. Arrange the drumsticks upright or on their sides with space between them.
3. Smoke for 2 hours, adding the last wood chunks after the first hour.
4. Rotate the legs so the sides that faced the firebox now face away.
5. Continue smoking for about 1 1/2 hours more, until the skin is dark bronze and pulls tight over the bone.
6. Check the thickest part of a leg with a thermometer, avoiding the bone, and look for 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Brush the legs lightly with oil for the last 10 minutes to bring up the shine.
8. Take the legs off and rest them on a tray for 10 minutes.
9. Wrap the exposed bone end of each leg in a square of foil for a handle.
10. Serve them hot and eat them with your hands.