Juicy Smoked Turkey Wings

What Extra Supplies Are Needed For Smoking Turkey Wings?

• Meat Thermometer: Your pellet smoker or electric smoker may have come with a digital probe, but it is likely too thick to monitor the temperature of the turkey meat without hitting a bone. For that reason, I recommend a simple narrow probe meat thermometer, and my favorite is Thermopro.
• Wood, Wood Pellets, or Chips: Pecan, Hickory, Cherry wood, Apple wood, and Peach wood are all nice options. 
• Clean and Prepped Barbecue Smoker
• Deep Vessel for Brining the Wings: We used the 4-quart Cambro containers with lid, or large disposable Tupperware (you’ll need 2)
• Water Pan

Seasoning The Turkey Wings

To season turkey wings, you want to highlight their natural flavors while adding layers of depth, whether you’re smoking, roasting, or baking them. A blend of smoky, savory, and earthy spices works beautifully—think salt, black pepper, and a hit of smoked paprika or chili powder to bring out a rich, robust flavor.

Adding garlic powder and onion powder gives a subtle background kick, while herbs like thyme or sage add a fragrant, earthy touch. For those who like a bit of heat, cayenne pepper works wonders.

If you’re smoking the wings, the seasoning will enhance the natural smokiness, and you might even want to add a touch of sweetness with brown sugar. For roasting or baking, consider brightening the flavor with citrus zest or slices to complement the savory spices. By using a mix of bold and subtle seasonings, you’ll elevate the turkey wings without overshadowing their delicious flavor.

What is Turkey Paint?

Turkey Paint is a recipe I created last year to provide a gorgeous, golden brown skin to my turkey, loaded with both fresh herbs and a dry rub. As is common in competition barbecue, we use squeezable butter (margarine) as a binder to hold these flavors next to the skin of the bird during cooking.

The benefit of using a small amount of squeeze butter is that it does not melt and drip off the bird (like a compound butter does). It also paints onto the turkey easily with a silicone brush.

You can use any spice mixture or barbecue rub you like with this method. The best part is that it’s fully customizable to whatever fresh herbs you have in the kitchen, or whatever flavor profile you’re looking to add to your turkey wings recipe. 

Smoking Turkey Wings

After several batch tests, we loved wings smoked at 250° F best. This resulted in plenty of smoke flavor but with a faster cooking time than the 225° F wings, which were slightly less moist and didn’t seem to benefit from the extra time it took to reach temp. 

Place wings on the grill grate. Use a water pan. Don’t spritz because you’ll disturb the turkey paint! 

The Problem With Turkey Skin & Why We Pull The Meat For Serving

If you’ve ever tried to bite into a turkey drumstick at the fair you know it’s difficult to bite through the skin and get to the meat. Turkey skin is generally thicker and tougher than chicken skin, which can make it less crisp and harder to eat in low-temperature cooking techniques like smoking turkey. There are a few reasons for this:

1. Size and Age of the Bird: Turkeys are much larger and typically older when processed compared to chickens. Their skin is thicker to support the larger structure of the bird.
2. Fat Content: Chicken skin tends to have more fat, which helps it crisp up nicely during cooking. Turkey skin, while it does contain fat, often has less fat in comparison, especially on leaner cuts like the breast. This can result in a chewier, less crispy texture.
3. Cooking Techniques: For turkey skin to become crispy and easier to eat, it often requires specific cooking methods, such as roasting at a higher temperature or properly air-drying the skin before cooking. Smoked or slow-cooked turkeys may have a rubbery skin, while roasting at higher temperatures usually results in crispier skin.

We prefer to pull the meat for a friendlier eating experience. If crispy turkey skin is what you desire, you may want to fry your turkey. 

FAQ Questions:

Can I Substitute Other Cuts of Turkey With This Recipe?

Yes, you can use chicken wings, turkey legs, and a small turkey breast in the same procedure. Your smoked turkey breast might be best held in an aluminum pan while it smokes to collect juices. White meat will cook faster than dark meat, so always internally probe your meat and ensure that it cooks to 165° F. 

For cooking a whole turkey, I would encourage you to check out these recipe tutorials I have already prepared for whole birds. 

How To Smoke A Turkey On A Pellet Grill

Cajun Turkey Brine Recipe (For Ultra Juicy Cajun Turkey)

Smoked Turkey Brine Recipe

Turkey Injection Recipe (An Easy Guide To Ultra Juicy Turkey)

Compound Butter For Turkey (Turkey Paint)

How Do I Store Leftover Wings and How Long Do They Stay Fresh?

We recommend pulling the turkey meat off the wings before serving, and serving as pulled turkey meat. This is only because they’re bigger than chicken wings and the eating is a bit messier! 

You can place pulled meat in an airtight container and refrigerate for 5 days, or freeze in a ziplock baggie for 6 weeks. It’s best to press all of the air out of the ziplock baggie before closing it up to maintain freshness for as long as possible.

How Should I Reheat Turkey Wings?

You can microwave leftover turkey meat gently for 1-2 minutes until hot. You can also bake refrigerated leftover wings at 350° for 15 minutes until reheated throughout.