Old Timber Outdoors
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Wild turkey legs and thighs, bone-in

Slow Cooker Pulled Wild Turkey Legs

Tough wild turkey legs and thighs cooked low all day, pulled from the bone and tossed with barbecue sauce for sandwiches.

Serves
6
Hands-on
30 min
Total
9 hr 50 min
Skill
Easy

Slow cooker · Lunch, Dinner

Ingredients

  • 3 lbWild turkey legs and thighs, bone-in, 2 legs and 2 thighs, bone-in
  • 1Onions, sliced
  • 3 clovesGarlic, smashed
  • 1 tbspBrown sugar
  • 1½ tspSalt
  • 6Burger buns
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce, plus more to serve
  • 1 tbsp cider vinegar

You'll need

Slow cooker, Instant-read thermometer.

Contains

Gluten. Barbecue sauce and buns can contain soy, dairy or egg. Check the labels.

Method

  1. Thaw the turkey completely in the refrigerator first; never start a slow cooker with frozen meat. Mix the smoked paprika, brown sugar and salt and rub it over the legs and thighs.
  2. Put the onion and garlic in the slow cooker, set the turkey on top, and pour in the stock.
  3. Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 9 hours, until the meat is tender and slides off the bone when you twist it with a fork. An old gobbler can take an hour or two longer; if the meat is still tight, keep going.
  4. Lift out the turkey and let it cool until you can handle it. Pull the meat from the bones and discard the bones, skin and the long tendons.
  5. Strain the cooking liquid and skim off the fat. Return the meat to the slow cooker with the barbecue sauce, the vinegar and ½ cup of the liquid.
  6. Cover and heat on HIGH 30 minutes, until the meat reads at least 165°F. Taste and add more sauce or a pinch of salt if it needs it. Serve on the buns with more sauce.

When it's done: fork-tender

Game bird legs, thighs and other hard-working pieces are done when the meat slides off the bone or pulls apart with a fork. They pass the federal 165°F for poultry long before they turn tender, so keep cooking until they do; if the meat is still tight, it needs more time, not more heat.

If it goes wrong

Meat still clinging to the bone
Give it another hour on LOW.
Stringy bites
Those are tendons. Take a second pass through the meat with your fingers.
Too wet
Add the cooking liquid a little at a time, only until the meat is moist.
Flat or too sweet
Add a little more vinegar; barbecue sauces vary a lot.

Leftovers. Refrigerate within 2 hours. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.