Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Turkey
A flavorful spice rub, tangy BBQ sauce and rich dark turkey meat, make this Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Turkey a tasty treat that’s easy and frugal.
When it comes to sandwiches, pulled meat is always at the top of my list. It’s dripping with flavor, easy to make–and a great crowd-pleaser.
Even better you can have crock of it ready for people to make their own sandwiches. Perfect for a picnic, potluck or Game Day–or holiday guests that arrive at all different times!
Last holiday season I had a lot of adult kids home for an extended visit. And since they’re not big red meat eaters, this BBQ Pulled Turkey worked beautifully. First, I served it for dinner. And then the leftovers were perfect to keep in the refrigerator for emergency sandwich cravings.
Hosting made easy!
Why You’ll Love This!
Tasty. BBQ pulled turkey has a smoky layered BBQ flavor from a spice rub plus sauce. Rich dark meat makes this especially flavorful!
Easy. Just apply a rub, cook in slow cooker (or Dutch Oven), shred and eat. It’s so easy! (If you decide to cut up a turkey yourself–more on this later–that’s a bit harder).
Frugal. Turkey, especially the dark meat can be a great buy!
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Smoked paprika, Brown sugar, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Dry mustard, Cayenne. These provide rich flavors for the dry rub. I recommend smoked paprika, but you can use regular if needed.
- Salt, pepper. These enhance flavor and the pepper adds an additional spicy kick.
- Turkey leg quarters. This adds nutrition and rich meaty flavor. You could also use an equivalent amount of chicken leg quarters (probably 4 large chicken leg quarters). White meat would also work, though the flavor will be slightly less rich.
- Beer or stock. This provides some additional flavor and moisture for the cooking process. You could use water or another liquid for moisture.
- Barbecue sauce. This completes the BBQ flavor. I add some to the meat and serve more on the side so people can sauce to taste!
Special Tools
You’ll need a slow cooker that is large enough to hold the meat. Or if you want to make this is the oven you’ll need a Dutch Oven or similar large, covered roaster.
If you have decided to cut up a whole turkey yourself, you’ll need a good knife and kitchen scissors.
Step by Step Overview
Blend spices to create a dry rub.
Remove most of the skin from the turkey to expose the flesh (you don’t need to be very exact on this). Rub the spice rub onto both sides of the skinless leg quarters then set into slow cooker.
Add beer or stock to the slow cooker or Dutch Oven with the meat and cover. Slow cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours on high. Or if using Dutch oven, bake covered at 300F for 3-4 hours. Check periodically and add additional liquid if it has dried out.
When meat is tender, remove and shred the meat. Discard the bones and any remaining skin, etc.
Strain the liquid in the pan and reserve just the liquid.
Mix the shredded meat with BBQ sauce. Add enough strained cooking liquid so that the meat has a nice juicy sauce.
Serve hot, on buns if desired. (Cole slaw is a nice sandwich topping or side.)
How to Serve
We usually eat this as a sandwich, served on buns. It would also be tasty topping a salad, over chips (Thanksgiving nachos!), or as an entrée, perhaps with a side of mac n cheese.
Cole slaw is probably the perfect accompaniment to BBQ Pulled Turkey. I eat mine on the side, but my kids were piling it on their sandwiches. Either way—yum!
Tips & FAQs
Can I simply add BBQ sauce to cooked meat (or just a dry rub)? Yes, this is a possibility, but in my testing, I found the greatest depth of flavor from the combination of a dry rub and BBQ sauce.
How do I find a good BBQ sauce? True confessions, I always have a problem remembering which BBQ sauce I last used. So I just look for a good name like Rays or Heinz, then check the ingredient list for tasty natural ingredients. If I see corn syrup high on the list, I move on to the next one.
Or sometimes I use my own homemade like this delicious Cherry BBQ Sauce!
Frugal Tip – Cut up a Sale Turkey
Of course, you can always buy pre-cut turkey leg quarters for this. But I make it for pennies on the dollar when I find a bargain turkey on sale and cut it up myself. This year I paid 0.49/pound during the before-Thanksgiving sales. But even off season whole turkey can be very reasonable. I use the breast for cutlets, carcass for soup and legs for this BBQ Pulled Turkey.
There are cutting instructions here on the Canadian Turkey website.
In case you decide to try this, I will note one thing I do differently. While the website mentions possibly using a partly frozen turkey, I always use a partially frozen turkey. After thawing my 18 lb turkey about 2 days in the refrigerator (I checked regularly and the time will vary by size), my turkey was just pliable and still icy. Partly frozen meat is easier to cut, better for food safety and better for food quality if you decide to refreeze parts of it.
Of course be sure to follow all food safety practices if you decide to try this. (And, yes, follow them at other times too!)
And the origin of this practice? I learned this from my mother who grew up during the depression and WW II–when being frugal was really in! Talk about turning into your mother!
BBQ Pulled Turkey
Ingredients
Spice Rub:
- 1 teaspoon paprika smoked or regular
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- pinch cayenne
Other ingredients:
- 2 turkey leg/thigh quarters about 4-5 lbs total bone-in, with skin removed
- ½ cup stock or beer or other liquid for moisture
- 1 cup barbecue sauce or to taste, plus extra for serving (see note)
Instructions
- Blend spices to create a dry rub.
- Remove most of the skin from the turkey to expose the flesh (you don’t need to be very exact on this). Rub the spice rub onto both sides of the skinless leg quarters then set into slow cooker.
- Add beer or stock to the slow cooker or Dutch Oven with the meat and cover. Slow cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours on high. Or if using Dutch oven, bake covered at 300F for 3-4 hours. Check periodically and add additional liquid if it has dried out.
- When meat is tender, remove and shred the meat. Discard the bones and any remaining skin, etc. Strain the liquid in the pan and reserve.
- Mix the shredded meat with BBQ sauce. Add enough strained cooking liquid so that the meat has a nice juicy sauce.
- Serve hot, on buns if desired. (Cole slaw is a nice sandwich topping or side.)
I love how you made hosting look so easy with this BBQ pulled turkey recipe! It’s awesome that you can prep it ahead and have it ready for any occasion. The smoky BBQ flavors sound fantastic, and I appreciate the tips on making it frugally by cutting up a whole turkey. This is definitely going on my list for the next family gathering. Thanks for sharing!
I really need to try this as I am so stuck on pulled pork — not the healthy options I should be eating! I need to try this, Inger!
I admit I’m pretty fond of pulled pork too! So many foods, so little time!
Good timing! I just ordered a slow cooker from Amazon.
Perfect!