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Smoked Turkey Thighs Recipe

By: Andrea Alden

Sometimes you just bump into a recipe without realizing it. I was doing a smoke which takes most of a day, so I always make sure to get as much out of my Apollo as I can when using it. I was mainly smoking up ribs for a family dinner but I had a few other bits and bobs I wanted to smoke as well. While gathering the ingredients for this flavor adventure, I stumbled upon turkey thighs. I had seen breasts in the market before, legs too, but never just the thigh. So I went for them, remembering the giant smoked turkey legs at Disney World with fondness. I wanted to recapture the feeling, and that is how Smoked Turkey Thighs with Club House La Grille Smokehouse Maple Rub came to be.

Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
180 min
Yield
4
Difficulty
Medium

Smoked Turkey Thighs Recipe

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Ingredients

Method

Photos

Ingredients

large turkey thighs

2 tbsp. 

oil

2 tsp.

sage

1 tsp. 

salt

1 tsp. 

pepper

¼ tsp.

rosemary

1 tsp. 

thyme

½ cup

Club House La Grille Smokehouse Maple Wet Rub

1 bag

apple wood chips or chunks, soaked

Method
  1. Start a chimney full of charcoal, unless using a gas grill with charcoal tray insert. Then add charcoal to the tray and light the burners directly underneath. I recommend using hardwood lump charcoal.
  2. If they’re not already, debone your turkey thighs. Use butcher’s twine to tie them up into neat little packages.
  3. While your charcoal is getting hot, combine the sage, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme in a bowl. Brush the turkey thighs with the oil and then season them with the mixture.
  4. Dump the charcoal into the charcoal basket, set up for indirect grilling, if using a charcoal grill. Turn off the burners if using a gas grill with smoker tray. If you are using an Apollo Smoker, just pour the charcoal into the basket at the bottom of the unit and have the cooking grids in the high position of the lowest chamber. If you’re doing a big smoke like I usually do, it’s quite alright to put them on a higher level in the chamber as well. Add the soaked wood chips.
  5. Smoke the turkey thighs at 225°F to 250°F for 2 hours over indirect heat.
  6. During the final hour of the cook, brush the thighs generously with Club House La Grille Smokehouse Maple Wet Rub every 10 to 15 minutes.
  7. The turkey thighs are done when they’ve reached a temperature of 165°F internally.
  8. Serve with smoky cheddar mashed potatoes and your favorite seasonal vegetables.

Smoked Turkey Thighs with Club House La Grille Smokehouse Maple Rub were amazing. The smoke ring went all the way through the meat without it drying out. The sweet maple rub that I used as a glaze turned into this sticky and crunchy sweet crust that worked unexpectedly well on turkey. I definitely recommend deboning before you smoke. We left the bone in and found the turkey thighs were a little difficult to eat. We ended up eating them like those giant smoked turkey legs and making a mess, although, we had fun doing it. Have you recreated recipes from vacations you have taken? What did you make and how did they turn out?

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Smoke for 2 hours

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Brush on the Smokehouse Maple Rub

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Yeah that's the stuff

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Finish on the grill

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Serve with smoky cheddar potatoes

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Slice to see that smoke ring

AndreaAlden
Andrea Alden

I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.

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Smoke for 2 hours

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Brush on the Smokehouse Maple Rub

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Yeah that's the stuff

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Finish on the grill

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Serve with smoky cheddar potatoes

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Slice to see that smoke ring

Accessories

Feel like a professional griller