We’ve all heard of roasting or smoking whole turkeys during the holiday season!
But what about trying a smoked turkey necks recipe?
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.
Table of contents
Why I Love This Smoked Turkey Neck Recipe
Firstly, their delicious taste and ability to enhance the flavor of any dish make them irresistible. Additionally, turkey necks are surprisingly nutritious and offer more meat compared to chicken or pork neck bones. .
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!
Creating a Delicious Marinade for Your Turkey Necks
To prepare the marinade, combine olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl . Next, generously pour the marinade over the turkey necks, ensuring they are thoroughly coated.
For optimal flavor , cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate, allowing the turkey necks to marinate for up to 24 hours. This marinating process will enhance the taste and tenderness of the turkey necks, ensuring a delectable outcome when smoked.
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 Need for Smoked Turkey Neck
- Turkey necks
- Wood chips
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Brown sugar
- Worcestershire Sauce
What Temperature to Smoke Turkey Necks At?
You should smoke your turkey necks at 250°F.
How Long Does it Take For Turkey Necks to Cook?
You want the internal temperature of the turkey neck reaches 165°F, this takes around 2-4 hours.
What Side to Have With Smoked Turkey Necks?
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 250°F. 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, I would reccomend moving them around to ensure they cook evenly. 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!
Smoked Turkey Neck
Equipment
- Smoker
Ingredients
- Turkey necks
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Brown sugar
- Garlic powder
- Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
- Clean and prep your turkey necks.
- Mix olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.cy. Then just let the necks marinate in the overnight.
- Go ahead and preheat your smoker at 250°F. Make sure to close the lid of the smoker. This will help it heat up faster.
- 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.
- After about half an hour into the cook, just check up on the necks. I recommend moving them around to ensure an even cook
- 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.
- 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 favourites that we would definitely recommend you try out for yourselves:
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
Author: Charlie Reeves
Hi, I’m Charlie, I have been meat-smoking and grilling for the past 15 years. I have an array of different smokers, thermometers, and have a love for finding the right wood and charcoal combo My favourite recipes are my EXTRA CRISPY smoked pork belly, juicy pulled pork, smoked brisket, duck poppers, and ANY SEAFOOD I grill).
I loves sharing his tips with beginners, helping them navigate the world of smoking. I find it’s not just about cooking; it’s a quest for that perfect smoky flavor.
You will usually find me playing with the kids, perfecting my brisket bark, or sipping beers with boys around the fire. Can’t wait to share all my delicious smoking and grilling recipes with you!
You can read more about me on our About Us page.
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