Smoked turkey wings are a real winner, they are just like chicken wings – only bigger!
Crispy smoked turkey wings coated in a glorious rub are perfect for a backyard barbeque, appetizer, or party food. The magnificent smoky scent of meat coming from the backyard is sure to draw in the neighbours!
Turkey wings are not only tasty but are rich in protein, calcium, and iron and turkey wings are a great alternative to chicken wings. You don’t need as many satisfied, so very economical and convenient.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for a great snack the next day! Let jump into it
Table of contents
Preparing Your Turkey Wings
Cut and remove the wingtips by cutting through the joint at the top with a sharp knife.
Slice through the second joint between the two to separate the remaining sections.
Wings can be cut into portions if you prefer a smaller portion or quicker cooking time.
Avoid using high heat, as this will seal the skin, make the wings tough and limit the amount of smoke flavor that can be absorbed.
Which Flavor Wood Chips Are Best For Turkey Wings?
The wood chips you choose for smoking turkey wing are just as important as the seasoning you apply.
Find something compatible, but don’t be afraid to experiment with different flavor combinations.
Wood chips such as cherrywood or applewood chips both work well with turkey.
What You Need for Smoked Turkey Wings
- Turkey wings – If you can’t find turkey wings, you can use turkey legs or chicken wings
- Salt
- Brown sugar
- Garlic granules
- Onion powder
- Pepper
- Wood chips
How to Smoke The Wings
Step 1: Fire up the Smoker
Pre-heat the smoker box to around 250-275 degrees Fahrenheit. Add your favorite smoking wood chips to the smoker.
You want to aim to keep the smoker stable at this temperature for the full cook time, so keep an eye on the thermometer.
Step 2: Prepare the Wings
While the smoker box is heating up, prepare the dry seasoning spice mixture for the wings. Completely coat each wing with a liberal amount of seasoning, this is how to crisp up the skin on a smoked turkey.
If using a wet marinade, prepare and soak the wing portions a few hours ahead of cooking.
Step 3: Load up the Smoker
Spread the seasoned wings straight out along the smoker rack, leaving enough space for the smoke to permeate around each wing.
Step 4: Leave to Smoke
Once the turkey wings are in the smoker, cook until the internal temperature reaches 165-170F. This should take around 2 hours of smoke time.
Step 5: How to Tell When They’re Ready
When the meat is tender, but not quite falling off the bone, and has absorbed all the wonderful smoky flavor of the chips, remove it from the smoker. The skin should be rendered and crispy brown.
Step 6: Serve and Enjoy!
Coat with an extra layer of BBQ sauce and let rest.
Serve with collard greens, coleslaw, or your favorite barbecue side dishes.
3 Tips for a Crispier Turkey Skin
The best bit of the smoked turkey wings are the crispy turkey skin. Low and slow cooking is great for flavor and tenderness, but not great for crisping up the skin.
While a little challenging in a smoker, but you can help achieve this in a couple of ways:
1. Pre-heat the Smoker
Get your smoker up to a high temperature before placing the wings in, don’t place them in while it’s warming up. Once at temperature, place wings in and reduce the heat to the smoking level to prevent burning.
2. Prepare the Skin
Pat dry the skin with a paper towel as much as possible before adding a layer of kosher salt or baking powder to draw out the moisture. Let sit for a few minutes, then pat dry again to remove the drawn-out fluid. Coat with desired dry seasonings.
3. The Cooking Process
The key element to crispy skin is to retain as much moisture as possible in the flesh of the wing during the cooking process while keeping the skin dry.
Make sure to balance the temperature at a level that cooks and renders the skin, but doesn’t overcook and dry out the meat.
Use a temperature probe in the thickest part of the flesh to check the temperature, to avoid opening the smoker box too much and letting the smoke and heat out interrupting the cooking time each time you check.
What to Serve With The Wings?
Serve with collard greens, coleslaw, or your favorite Texas barbecue side dishes.
Smoked Turkey Wings
Equipment
- smoker or gas grill
Ingredients
- 18 turkey wings
- Dry rub
- BBQ Sauce
- Woodchips
Instructions
- Pre-heat the smoker box to around 250-275 degrees Fahrenheit. Add your favorite smoking wood chips to the smoker.
- You want to aim to keep the smoker stable at this temperature for the full cook time, so keep an eye on the thermometer.
- While the smoker box is heating up, prepare the dry seasoning spice mixture for the wings. Completely coat each wing with a liberal amount of seasoning.
- If using a wet marinade, prepare and soak the wing portions a few hours ahead of cooking.
- Spread the seasoned wings straight out along the smoker rack, leaving enough space for the smoke to permeate around each wing.
- Once the turkey wings are in the smoker, cook until the internal temperature reaches 165-170F. This should take around 2 hours of smoke time.
- When the meat is tender, but not quite falling off the bone, and has absorbed all the wonderful smoky flavor of the chips, remove it from the smoker. The skin should be rendered and crispy brown.
- Coat with an extra layer of BBQ sauce and let rest.
Do you prefer smoked chicken wings or turkey wings? My kids love turkey wings as they are packed with more meat!
Smoke On!
Charlie
Author: Charlie Reeves
Hi, I’m Charlie, I am head taste tester at Simply Meat Smoking! I love it grilling, smoking, and getting out in the yard with the kids! The family also love to test all my recipes (especially my EXTRA CRISPY pulled pork, smoky pork loin, and ANY SEAFOOD I grill)
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 adventures with you!
You can read more on our About Us page.
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