See How It’s Done

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Barbecue Bacon-Wrapped Smoked Turkey Lollipops

Turkey lollipops are one of those recipes that always get attention at cookouts. You take a turkey leg, trim it down so it looks like a lollipop with the bone sticking out, wrap it in bacon, and smoke it until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender. The bacon gets crispy, the turkey stays juicy, and that BBQ glaze at the end makes everything sticky and sweet. If you’ve never made bacon-wrapped turkey legs before, don’t worry. I’ll show you exactly how to prep them, wrap them, and smoke them so they come out perfect.

The whole process takes about 3 hours of smoke time at 275°F. You’re using cherry wood for a mild, sweet smoke that won’t overpower the turkey or bacon. The prep is pretty simple once you understand how to trim the legs. Turkey legs have some tough tendons that you need to cut through, so it’s a little different than making chicken lollipops. But once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. These smoked turkey lollipops are great for game day, backyard BBQs, or any time you want to cook something that looks impressive but isn’t complicated.

Why Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Legs Work So Well

Regular smoked turkey legs are good, but wrapping them in bacon takes them to another level. The bacon does two things: it adds flavor and it keeps the turkey moist while it smokes. Turkey meat can dry out if you’re not careful, but the bacon fat renders into the meat as it cooks and keeps everything juicy. You also get that crispy bacon texture on the outside, which is a nice contrast to the tender turkey.

The key to getting crispy bacon is removing all the skin from the turkey legs before you wrap them. If you leave the skin on, the bacon won’t crisp up because there’s too much moisture trapped between the skin and the bacon. Once you peel off that skin, the bacon sits directly on the meat and gets nice and crispy in the smoker.

Cherry wood is the best choice for smoking turkey lollipops because it’s mild and a little sweet. Hickory is too strong and can make the turkey taste bitter. Apple wood works too if that’s what you have. The smoke flavor should complement the bacon and turkey, not overpower them. At 275°F, the turkey cooks through in about 2.5 to 3 hours, and the bacon has plenty of time to render and crisp up.

How to Prep Turkey Legs Into Lollipops

The first step is trimming the turkey legs so they look like lollipops. You’re basically exposing the bone at the bottom by cutting around it and removing the meat from that section. With chicken lollipops, you can usually just push the meat up the bone. But turkey legs have thick tendons that don’t move like that, so you need kitchen shears to cut through them.

Start by making a cut around the base of the bone, about an inch or so up from the bottom. Use a sharp knife to cut through the skin and meat all the way around. Then use kitchen shears to cut through the tendons. There are usually a few thick ones, and they’re tough, so don’t try to just pull the meat up. Cut them. Once the tendons are cut, you can scrape the meat up toward the top of the leg to expose the bone.

After you’ve trimmed both legs, remove all the skin. The easiest way to do this is to grab the skin at the top and pull it down toward the bone. It should come off in one piece. If there are any stubborn spots, use your knife to help it along. Once the skin is off, you’re ready to season and wrap.

Getting the Bacon Wrap Right

After you season the turkey legs with your BBQ rub, it’s time to wrap them in bacon. You want to use about 5 slices of bacon per leg. Regular-cut bacon works better than thick-cut because it crisps up easier. Lay the bacon slices out and start wrapping them around the meat, overlapping each slice slightly so there are no gaps.

Start at the top of the leg near the meaty part and work your way down toward the bone. Keep the bacon tight as you wrap so it doesn’t come loose while it’s smoking. Once you’ve wrapped the whole leg, secure the bacon with toothpicks. Stick them in at an angle so they hold the bacon in place. You can also use butcher’s twine if you prefer, but toothpicks are easier.

The goal is to have an even layer of bacon covering all the meat. If there are spots where the bacon isn’t touching the turkey, the meat can dry out in those areas. Take your time with the wrap and make sure it’s tight and even. Once both legs are wrapped, they’re ready for the smoker.

Ingredients

• 2 jumbo turkey legs
• 10 slices of bacon (about 5 per leg)
• Your favorite BBQ seasoning (for seasoning the turkey)
• ½ cup BBQ sauce, plus more if desired for serving
• Toothpicks or butcher’s twine (to secure bacon)
• Cherry wood chunks or chips (for smoke flavor)

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep the Turkey Legs

Start by getting your turkey legs ready to trim. Place one leg on a cutting board with the bone pointing up. You’re going to expose about an inch of bone at the bottom to create that lollipop look.

Use a sharp knife to make a circular cut around the base of the bone, about an inch up from the bottom. You’re cutting through the skin, meat, and tendons that are attached to the bone. Cut all the way around so you’ve made a complete circle. Don’t worry about cutting too deep. You’re just trying to separate everything from the bone at that point.

Here’s where turkey legs are different from chicken. Turkey legs have really thick, tough tendons running along the bone. If you try to just push the meat up like you would with chicken, it won’t move. You need kitchen shears to cut through those tendons. Feel around the bone and you’ll find the thick, white tendons. Use your kitchen shears to snip through each one. There are usually 3-4 thick ones per leg. Once they’re cut, you can scrape and push the meat up toward the top of the leg.

Use the back of your knife or your fingers to scrape any remaining bits of meat or tendon off that bottom inch of bone. You want it clean so it looks like a lollipop handle. Repeat this whole process with the second leg.

Now remove all the skin from both legs. Grab the skin at the top of the leg where the meat is thickest and start pulling it down toward the bone. The skin should peel off in one piece or a few large pieces. If it’s sticking, use your knife to help separate it from the meat. You want every bit of skin off because it’ll prevent the bacon from crisping up later. Don’t skip this step.

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Step 2: Season the Turkey

Now that your turkey legs are trimmed and skinned, it’s time to season them. Get your BBQ rub ready. You can use any rub you like, but ones with brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper work especially well with bacon and turkey.

Sprinkle the rub all over both turkey legs. Start with one side, coat it well, then flip and do the other side. Don’t forget the top and bottom where the bone is exposed. You want seasoning on every inch of meat that’s showing. Use your hands to pat the rub into the meat so it sticks and doesn’t just fall off.

How much rub should you use? Enough so you can see a visible coating on the meat. You should see color from the rub covering the turkey, not just a light dusting. The rub is what gives the turkey its base flavor, so be generous. Set the seasoned legs aside while you get your bacon ready.

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Step 3: Wrap with Bacon

Lay out about 5 slices of bacon on your cutting board. You’re going to wrap one leg at a time. Pick up your first turkey leg and hold it by the bone so the meaty part is facing you.

Take your first slice of bacon and start wrapping it around the top of the leg near the meatiest part. Overlap the ends of the bacon slightly so there’s no gap. Take your second slice and wrap it right below the first slice, overlapping about half an inch with the first slice. Keep going with the third, fourth, and fifth slices, working your way down toward the exposed bone.

As you wrap, keep the bacon tight. If it’s loose, it’ll unravel in the smoker. Pull each slice snug as you wrap it around. By the time you get to the bottom near the bone, you should have all the meat covered in bacon with no turkey showing through.

Now you need to secure it. Take toothpicks and insert them at an angle through the bacon and into the meat. Space them out evenly around the leg. You’ll probably need 4-6 toothpicks per leg to keep everything in place. Push them in far enough that they’re secure but not so far that they go all the way through and stick out the other side.

If you prefer to use butcher’s twine instead of toothpicks, start at the top and wrap the twine around the leg in a spiral pattern working your way down. Tie it off at the bottom. Either method works. Toothpicks are easier, but twine looks cleaner. Repeat this entire wrapping process with the second leg.

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Step 4: Smoke the Turkey Lollipops

Get your smoker going and set it to 275°F. While it’s heating up, add your cherry wood chunks to the fire. If you’re using wood chips, soak them in water for about 30 minutes first, then drain them and add them to the smoker. Cherry wood gives a mild, slightly sweet smoke that works perfect with turkey and bacon.

Once your smoker is holding steady at 275°F and you’ve got clean smoke coming out (not thick white smoke, but thin bluish smoke), it’s time to put the turkey lollipops on. Place them directly on the grate with some space between them so the smoke can circulate all around. Don’t let them touch each other.

Close the lid and let them smoke. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 175°F in the thickest part of the meat. Stick your thermometer into the meaty part, not near the bone, because the bone will give you a false reading.

This is going to take about 2.5 to 3 hours depending on the size of your turkey legs and how well your smoker holds temperature. Check them after 2 hours to see where they’re at. If they’re at 160°F, they’ve got about 30 more minutes. If they’re at 150°F, give them another hour.

During the cook, try not to open the smoker too much. Every time you open it, you lose heat and smoke. Just check the temp once an hour and make sure your smoker is staying at 275°F. If you need to add more wood for smoke, do it, but otherwise leave them alone and let them cook.

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Step 5: Glaze with BBQ Sauce

When your turkey lollipops hit about 165°F internal temp, it’s time to add the BBQ sauce. You’ve got about 10-15 minutes left in the cook, which is the perfect time to glaze them.

Get your BBQ sauce ready. You’ll use about ½ cup total for both legs, so pour it into a small bowl. Use a basting brush or a silicone brush to brush the sauce all over both turkey lollipops. Make sure you get the top, sides, and all around the bacon. You want an even coat covering everything.

Put the turkey lollipops back in the smoker and close the lid. Let them cook for another 10-15 minutes until they hit 175°F internal temp. This time in the smoker lets the BBQ sauce set and get sticky. The sugar in the sauce will caramelize a little and turn glossy. Don’t leave them in too long after glazing or the sauce can burn.

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Step 6: Rest and Serve

When the turkey lollipops hit 175°F, pull them off the smoker. Put them on a cutting board or platter and let them rest for about 10 minutes. Don’t skip the rest. The meat needs time for the juices to redistribute. If you cut into them right away, all the juice runs out and the meat will be drier.

While they’re resting, the temperature will actually go up a few degrees from carryover heat. That’s normal. After 10 minutes, they’re ready to serve.

You can serve them whole so people can pick them up by the bone and eat them like a giant lollipop. Or if you prefer, use a knife to slice the meat off the bone and serve it sliced. If you want them extra saucy, brush on another layer of BBQ sauce right before serving.

Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before serving if that’s what you used to secure the bacon. You don’t want anyone biting into those.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these in the oven if I don’t have a smoker?

Yeah, you can bake them in the oven at 275°F. You won’t get the smoke flavor, but they’ll still be good. If you have liquid smoke, add a little bit to your BBQ sauce to get some of that smoky taste. Bake them on a wire rack over a sheet pan so the bacon can crisp up all around. Check the temp after about 2 hours since ovens cook a little faster than smokers.

Why do I need to remove the skin from the turkey legs?

The skin traps moisture between itself and the bacon, which keeps the bacon from getting crispy. If you leave the skin on, the bacon will be soft and chewy instead of crispy. Taking the skin off lets the bacon sit right on the meat and render properly in the smoker.

What if I can’t find jumbo turkey legs?

Regular-sized turkey legs work fine. They’ll just cook a little faster, so start checking the internal temp around the 2-hour mark instead of waiting the full 2.5 to 3 hours. The process is exactly the same, just watch your temps.

Can I prep these ahead of time?

Yeah, you can season and wrap the turkey legs the night before. Just cover them and keep them in the fridge. Take them out about 30 minutes before you put them in the smoker so they come up to room temp a bit. This helps them cook more evenly.

What’s the best BBQ sauce to use for the glaze?

Any BBQ sauce you like works. I prefer a sweet and tangy sauce because it balances the smoky bacon flavor. If you like spicy, go with a sauce that has some heat. Just avoid anything too thick or it won’t brush on easily. Thin sauces work better for glazing.