Delicious Smoked Turkey Neck Recipe (7 Simple Steps)

We’ve all heard of roasting or smoking whole turkeys during the holiday season!

But what about the turkey necks? 

This part of the bird usually get discarded during the prepping process.

But what if we told you that it’s actually one of the best parts to cook and eat?

The necks actually contain a substantial amount of meat and make an excellent dish.

As a result, in this article, we’ll go over how to best smoke some delicious turkey necks.

Why Use Turkey Neck?

Fresh turkey necks have a high nutritional value and contain more minerals than chicken necks.

They also have more meat than chicken necks and pork neck bones.

And if you’re curious as to what vitamins and minerals it has, the necks provide for a great source of:

• B vitamins
• Iron
• Copper
• Selenium
• Zinc

So, it’s especially great for people who have a low count of red blood cells or are anemic. 

They also prove to be the perfect comfort food because the meat is actually incredibly tender and just fall off the bone when it’s cooked right!

How to Make Smoked Turkey Neck

Smoking turkey neck is actually one of the many great ways to cook it. You can literally smoke it in anything.

So, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got an electric smoker or a commercial smoker; like a ceramic Komado-style or offset smoker.

All you need to do is just cook it for a couple of hours and you’ll be left with meat that’s so delicate that it’ll just fall off the bone nicely!

What You Will Need

• Turkey necks
• Wood chips
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Brown sugar
• Garlic powder
• Cayenne pepper and/or pepper flakes
• Malt vinegar
• Your favorite hot sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce

What Side to Have With This?

 While your turkey neck dish could certainly be enjoyed by itself, you should also know that it actually pairs quite well with other dishes.

For example, smoked turkey necks pair really well with Texas sides dishes like southern-style collard greens and nicely roasted potatoes.

Or see the what sides go with turkeys necks here.

7 Easy Steps for Smoked Turkey Necks

See our 7 super simple steps below for smoked turkey neck. You’ll master this in no time!

Step 1: Prepping the Turkey

Clean and prep your turkey necks.

Step 2:  Create your Marinade

Combine all of the liquid and dry ingredients together to form a nice batch of marinade.

Just make sure that you’ve got some paper towels nearby because the mixture has quite a runny consistency.

Then just let the necks marinate in the concoction overnight.

Step 3: Preheat your Smoker

Go ahead and preheat your smoker at 265 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to close the lid of the smoker. This will help it heat up faster.

Step 4: In the Smoker, They Go

Next place the necks in the smoker.

If the necks have been cut up too small, then place the meat on a smaller rack and allow that to sit on top of the grates.

Step 5: Cook

After about half an hour into the cook, just check up on the necks.

You will then want to switch your smoker to medium heat.

We recommend lowering the internal temperature of your smoker to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Step 6: Keep an Eye on Them

Then you just need to keep an eye on the meat.

We suggest that you give it a proper check at least every 30 minutes.

As soon as it looks like the meat could just fall off of the bone, you’ll know that it’s done. You don’t want to keep it cooking for any more than two hours.

Step 7: Rest and Serve

Take it out, let it rest for at least five minutes, and then serve it!

Here Are Some Other Turkey Neck Recipes

You should also keep in mind that you’re not solely limited to smoking your turkey necks. They are great in soups, stews, and you can even just cook it in an iron skillet.

Just marinate the meat, then place them in a hot iron skillet on the stove. Cook them until they have browned nicely, then place them in a baking pan or dish with some onions, carrots, and even potatoes!

After that, just put the whole thing into the oven for about an hour and thirty minutes, and it’s done!

Here are some of our top favorites that we would definitely recommend you try out for yourselves:

• Slow Cooker Turkey Necks
• Jamaican Brown Stew Turkey Neck
• Braised Turkey Neck

If you’re ever worried about the turkey necks drying out too much in the smoker, just fill a water pan with a couple of inches of water.

And place it next to the meat in the smoker. This will make sure that the turkey stays moist and tender throughout the entire smoking session.

Smoke On!

Charlie

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