• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Subscribe
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

Finding the Forgotten Feast

  • Shop
  • Podcast
  • Wild Game
    • Venison Recipes
    • Duck Recipes and Goose Recipes
    • Rabbits, Hares and Squirrels
    • Pheasants, Turkey, Quail
    • Dove and Pigeon Recipes
    • Wild Pig and Bear Recipes
    • My Best Taco Recipes
    • Wild Game Sauces
  • Charcuterie
    • Homemade Sausage Recipes
    • Smoker Recipes
    • Bacon, Jerky, Hams, etc
    • Salami Recipes
    • Confit, Pate, Terrines
  • Fish
    • General Fish Recipes
    • Salmon Recipes
    • Snapper Recipes
    • Crabs, Shellfish and Squid
    • Little Fish and Oddballs
  • Gathering
    • Preservation Recipes
    • Mushrooms
    • Sweet Things
    • Wild Greens and Herbs
    • Acorns, Nuts, Starches
  • About
    • Public Events
    • Privacy Policy
Home » Wild Game » BBQ Turkey Legs

BBQ Turkey Legs

By Hank Shaw on April 8, 2012, Updated June 22, 2020 - 26 Comments

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Comment
5 from 4 votes
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
barbecued turkey thighs with asparagus and mashed potatoes
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Sometimes everything just works perfectly.

Friday I was out again with my friend RJ from Northwind Outfitters. This time we were turkey hunting, a rarity for me. Turkeys don’t thrill my blood the same way ducks do, although I can understand the allure. RJ said he thought we’d have a good chance at this ranch he knew in Contra Costa County, so I took him up on the offer.

Up at oh-dark-thirty I was, and in my truck by 4:10 a.m. A full Thermos of coffee downed, I was awake by the time I rolled into the ranch at 6 o’clock. RJ was there, too. I got out of the truck to shake his hand when we heard gobbling. Close.

“Get your stuff on!” RJ said. Gobbling already? Must be the full moon.

We were at the base of one of those sweeping green hills that make California’s Coastal Range so pretty. Wide open grass, with a smattering of oaks near the crest of the ridge. RJ’s plan was to hike up to the ridge, set up a turkey decoy or two and wait for the birds to come down from their roost tree.

But with the moonlight so bright, and the turkeys obviously so close, we decided instead to set up just a a few hundred yards from the tuck, at the base of a tree that stood at the bottom of the grassy hillside.

RJ stuck a couple decoys in the ground. I nestled myself against the tree, shotgun at the ready. I brought “tinkerbell,” my little Franchi veloce 20-gauge over-under, loaded with some Hevi-shot No. 6s. Not exactly textbook turkey weaponry, but hell, I figured it’d do the job. RJ started calling, making clucks like a hen turkey.

We didn’t have to wait long before a turkey flew down from the roost tree. A pack of five others waddled after him in single file. Right toward the decoys. Had we hiked up that hill like RJ had initially planned, they surely would have seen us and flown away. He’d made the right call.

I have to admit it was pretty cool to see all these birds approaching the decoys at a dead run. I stayed motionless as the first turkey slowed down and walked right past me at about 15 feet. He was definitely a male — in spring, you can only shoot male turkeys — but he was pretty young. His colleagues waddled past. So close I could smell them; they smelled like dirty chickens.

Then something happened. All the turkeys bunched up. It is illegal to kill more than one turkey per day in California. And while it would be cool to get a double, I could lose my hunting license with such a shot. One bird in the bunch definitely had a long beard, which meant he was the oldest male. But he was directly in front of another bird. Probably how he got so old.

It only took a couple seconds, but finally one separated himself by a few feet. I’d set my top barrel to fire first, and I aimed it just above his head. I wanted to avoid plastering him with shot when he was only about 15 feet away. BOOM! The bird went down like he’d been hit with a hammer. The others stood around, startled. Had it been legal, RJ and I could have killed them all. But we just stood up instead. The turkeys got the message and ran off.

Hunt over.

A dead turkey, ready for plucking
Photo by Hank Shaw

I looked at the time: 7:25 a.m. Well, that was quick! I picked up the bird; RJ and I think it weighed something like 18 pounds in the feathers. For the beard-watchers out there, it’s beard was just under 5 inches. With so much daylight left, I figured I’d take care of the turkey right away.

You can age turkeys like you would hang a pheasant. You can also wet-pluck a turkey the way you would scald a chicken, but a turkey’s skin is far stronger than a chicken or pheasant’s, so dry plucking is a better option in my opinion. Dry plucking a turkey is simple — the tough skin means you will not likely tear it — but it took me 45 minutes to pluck this bird. He looked good when I was done.

Crazy shape, eh? Incidentally, my plan succeeded: The turkey had several hits to the head, and one in the back that went through some important artery. But that was it. RJ said I got lucky. I think he’s right.

Hank Shaw holding a plucked wild turkey
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Now I know everyone loves their whole roast turkeys, but I don’t. I prefer to cook the breasts one way and the legs, thighs and wings another. And I make turkey broth with the carcass. Here’s a test for you: Ask someone you know which part of a chicken or turkey they like best — breast meat, or thighs and legs? My money is that anyone who chooses thighs likes food, anyone who like breasts counts calories. I am a confirmed thigh man.

So that’s what I cooked first. BBQ turkey legs, thighs really, as they barbecue better, with a maple-bourbon sauce. It is as awesome as it sounds, and it was a perfect way to end a perfect spring day.

barbecued turkey thighs
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

BBQ Turkey Legs with Maple Bourbon Sauce

This recipe works with either domestic or wild turkey. I've found that of all the animals with a wild and domestic equivalent, turkey is the closest in flavor. A good heritage breed turkey is very similar to a wild one. But even a butterball would work well here. They key is low and slow. This is barbecue, not grilling. Set your grill up where the fire is on one side of the grill, and the turkey thighs are on the other. Cook the turkey, flipping and painting with the BBQ sauce, every 15 to 30 minutes until the meat wants to fall off the bone. This should take between 2 to 4 hours, depending on how old your bird was; and old tom could take 4 hours.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time3 hrs
Total Time3 hrs 10 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 482kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 turkey thighs
  • Salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, grated
  • 1 cup bourbon
  • 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon molasses (for color)
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • Tabasco sauce to taste
  • Smoked salt (optional)

Instructions

  • Get your grill ready as described above. Coat the turkey thighs in the vegetable oil and salt well. Lay them skin side down on the cooler side of of the grill. Cover and cook until the meat is just starting to fall off the bone, flipping every 30 minutes or so to paint with the maple-bourbon BBQ sauce. Let the turkey cook without sauce while you make it.
  • Once the turkey is on the grill, make the sauce by sauteing the grated onion in the butter for a few minutes. You don't want the onion to brown, but you do want it to cook enough to lose that raw onion smell and flavor. This should take 5 minutes or so on medium heat.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Boil this down by 1/3. Adjust for heat and salt. If you want, puree the sauce in the blender. I prefer to puree my sauce because it will be thicker that way. Return it to the stove top over very low heat. Stir from time to time.
  • When the turkey is done, shift it to the ho side of the grill, skin side down, for a few minutes to caramelize the sauce. Paint with a little more BBQ sauce right when you serve.

Notes

Serve with a veg and starch. Since it's spring I chose mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Oh, and beer is my choice here, not wine.

Nutrition

Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 551mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 433IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @HuntGatherCook or tag #HankShaw!

 

Thanks for Sharing This!

199 shares

Filed Under: American Recipes, Essays and Stories, Recipe, Wild Game

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar for BenBen says

    February 11, 2022 at 1:41 pm

    Could this recipe be modified successfully with skinless turkey thighs? I have a couple thighs from a 3 year old tom in the freezer and didn’t keep the thicker, tougher skin with him being older.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      February 20, 2022 at 10:40 am

      Ben: Yes, but they might be tough. One option is to gently braise them — think of it like making some turkey stock — in salted water until they are tender, then slathering them with sauce and barbecuing for an hour or three.

      Reply
  2. Avatar for MattMatt says

    March 22, 2021 at 4:04 pm

    Made this on the treager. Wet brined the night before. Smoked at 225F for 3-4 hours till it reached 165F internally. Used pit boss champion pellets and a smoke tub. Rested for 15 minutes afterwards. My sauce was similiar, but not close enough to say I followed the recipe. While it tasted good, it was really tough. Thankfully the sides of asparagus and mashed potatoes made up for it. Next time I have wild turkey thighs, I will be braising them.

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, My name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

More about Hank...

Featured Recipes

Cucumber sauce for salmon on a pretty plate
Cucumber Sauce for Salmon
Wild purslane growing in my garden.
All About Purslane
A cherry tomato tart ready to serve.
Cherry Tomato Tart
red snapper with cherry tomatoes recipe
Red Snapper with Cherry Tomatoes
A platter of okra salad with serving plates
Lowcountry Okra Salad
Mexican aguachile recipe on a plate, ready to eat
Mexican Aguachile

As Seen In

As seen on CNN, New York Times, Simply Recipes, Martha Stewart, Food and Wine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and The Splendid Table

Never Miss a Recipe

Receive recipes direct to your inbox.

 

 

Back to Top
  • Home
  • About
  • Classes & Events
  • Tutorials
  • Podcast
  • Charcuterie
  • Wild Game
  • Fish
  • Foraging
  • Privacy
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

© 2022 Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, All Rights Reserved.

Site built by: Site by Status Forward

199 shares
  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • 109Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Save
  • Email
199 shares
  • 109