2teaspoonssmoked paprika(use regular paprika if you don' have this handy)
Instructions
Season the turkey legs with salt and pepper and place in the slow cooker.
6 turkey legs, salt and pepper
Combine the ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and paprika in a medium bowl and mix well.
1 cup ketchup, ⅓ cup water, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Pour the sauce over the turkey legs, and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Video
Notes
Typically there is no need to worry about drying out your turkey legs. The slow cooker and the barbecue sauce work together to keep the meat tender and moist. However, due to differences in slow cooker temperatures, the first time you make this, check your turkey legs at the 4 hour mark to make sure they are not drying out.
Check doneness with a meat thermometer, It should read 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the drumstick.
Before serving, you may want to place the slow cooked turkey legs on a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes to get a nice brown color and crispy skin.
In a hurry? Just use your own premade barbecue sauce, or even store-bought barbecue sauce!
Store leftovers for a couple of days, along with some of the juices from the crock pot, in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Oven reheating is best. Place the turkey legs with juices in a covered casserole dish in a 350 degree F oven until very warm (20-30 minutes).
If you need to reheat quickly, you can use the microwave, 1-2 minutes at a time, rotating the legs in between, until warm enough
THANKSGIVING VARIATION
Instead of making the sauce, use 3 tablespoon poultry seasoning (see my easy recipe for homemade poultry seasoning or buy it pre-made at the store) and about 1 cup chicken broth.
Rub the poultry seasoning all over the turkey legs. You can use more or less seasoning as desired.
Place the turkey legs in the crock pot and add the chicken broth (the amount of chicken broth doesn't need to be exact).
Cook on low for for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4.
Optional but recommended: Broil for 3-5 minutes (watch carefully to prevent burning!), then serve.