Smoked Turkey Recipe

This Smoked Turkey recipe is exceptionally juicy. It is brined overnight and seasoned with a delicious turkey seasoning. It may take a bit of time, but it is so worth it.

Looking for sides to serve with this whole smoked turkey? Try these mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts with bacon, or these tasty mashed sweet potatoes.

If there is ever a turkey recipe that you make please make it this smoked turkey recipe. It is not lost on us that cooking a whole turkey, whether you are roasting, smoking, sous-viding, or whatever, is an endeavor.

No matter how you cook a whole turkey it is going to take some time so why not do it right? Smoking a turkey does take 2 days to make, just an FYI.

This is truly the best smoked turkey recipe because it comes out so juicy and flavorful all thanks to a smoked turkey wet brine, turkey seasoning, and basting liquid.

So if you don’t have the time turn around now and go make our baked turkey tenderloin or this easy herby turkey breast.

If you decided that smoking a turkey is for you, here are all the reasons you should smoke a turkey versus any other method.

Let’s talk smokers. If you have a smoker that you love, you can skip this section. We have smoked many different types of meat on many different smokers. Automatic pellet grills or smokers, manual smokers, and even regular grills.

Our favorite smoker is the Traeger electric smoker because (like a slow cooker) there is minimal work required once you set the Traeger. This smoker uses pellets rather than wood chips and it automatically feeds the smoker to adjust the temperature.

That’s right, nobody has to add wood chips or wood pellets themselves to keep the temperature up.

What type of pellets should I use? You can use whatever pellet you would like! We used the original Traeger pellets for this recipe. You can use hickory, cherry, or any other pellet flavor you’d like.

Check out all of our favorite smoker products, including what smoker we use in the Fit Foodie kitchen for testing recipes!

Smoked Turkey Recipe

This smoked turkey recipe is a whole turkey that’s coated in homemade spice rub then slow smoked to tender and juicy perfection. A super easy and impressive holiday main course that won’t take up any oven space!

Prep: 10min

Total: 370min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 363 kcal, Carbohydrate 1 g, Protein 70 g, Fat 16 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 231 mg, Sodium 576 mg, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe turkey brine (optional, if you choose to brine your turkey, you can skip the chicken broth basting)
• 12 lb whole turkey (giblets and neck removed)
• 1/2 cup BBQ rub
• 1 onion (quartered)
• 1 lemon (quartered)
• 4 sprigs fresh herbs (such as thyme, rosemary or parsley)
• 3 cups chicken broth (use if not brining your turkey)
• fresh herbs for garnish
• cooking spray

Instruction:

1. Prepare the brine according to recipe directions if you decide to brine your turkey. Let the turkey soak in the brine for 18-24 hours before cooking.
2. Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F. Load the smoker with apple wood.
3. Coat a large disposable aluminum pan with cooking spray. Place the turkey in the pan and tuck the wings under the body.
4. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the onion, lemon and herbs, then use kitchen twine to tie the legs together.
5. Sprinkle the BBQ rub all over the surface of the turkey.
6. Place the turkey in the smoker. Cook for 5-6 hours, basting with chicken broth every 30-45 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F. If you brine your turkey, you don’t need to baste it. Refill the wood chips as needed.
7. If the turkey starts to get too dark, cover it with foil.
8. Let the turkey rest for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with herbs if desired, then serve.

Juicy Smoked Turkey (How to Smoke a Turkey)

This smoked turkey recipe includes a smoked turkey brine, turkey seasoning, and a delicious gravy. Your guests will be wowed by this juicy Traeger smoked turkey recipe. Yum!

Prep: 720min

Total: 1200min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 684 kcal, Fat 15 g, Carbohydrate 49 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 130 g, Cholesterol 11 mg, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 13-15 lb. turkey (thawed with giblets and innards removed)
• 1/2 large white onion (diced)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons cold salted butter (cut into 8 small pieces)
• 2 gallons water
• 1.5 cups kosher salt
• ½ large white onion (chopped)
• 5 cloves garlic (smashed)
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons garlic powder
• 6 teaspoons coarse salt
• 4 teaspoons pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cloves garlic (smashed)
• 2 sprigs fresh sage
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Turkey drippings (~1-2 cups)
• Leftover basting liquid (if you have any)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1-2 tablespoons corn starch

Instruction:

1. Prepare the Brine: Add 2 cups of water to a saucepan and add 1.5 cups of kosher salt to the pan and heat it over medium heat. Whisk the 2 ingredients together over the heat until the salt is absorbed.
2. Pour the salt water into a 4 gallon bucket. Add the rest of the brine ingredients to the pot and mix until all the ingredients are combined.
3. Brine Turkey: Carefully place the turkey into the brine and place the pot into the fridge and let it sit overnight.
4. When you are ready to smoke the turkey, preheat the smoker to 225ºF.
5. Once the turkey has sat in the brine, remove it from the pot and discard the brine.
6. Place the turkey on a baking sheet in the sink and carefully rinse the turkey.
7. Pat the turkey try with paper towel.
8. Place the turkey on a clean aluminum tray and carefully place the small pieces of cold butter under the skin of the turkey.
9. Prepare turkey seasoning: prepare turkey seasoning by cominbing all of the spices in a mediu bowl. Mix to combine.
10. Season turkey: Depending on how big your bird is, you’ll use around 3/4 cup of the turkey seasonoing. Sprinkle the turkey with turkey seasoning. Pat the seasoning into the turkey and be sure the turkey is covered in seasoning. It’s okay if some of the seasoning falls to the bottom of your tin pan becuase those flavors will help make the gravy taste amazing.
11. Stuff turkey: stuff the onion, garlic, and herbs in to the center of the turkey and cover the turkey with aluminum foil. set aside.
12. Prepare basting liquid: Place all the ingredients for the basting liquid into a small bowl (we used a disposible tin container). Be sure the bowl can get dirty in the smoker if that’s what you’re using.
13. Finally, place the pan with they turkey into the smoker and set the basting liquid next to the turkey pan.
14. Smoke turkey: smoke the turkey at 225ºF for 5 hours, basting the turkey every 1.5 to 2 hours with the basting liquid.
15. Uncover the turkey after 5 hours and increase the heat to 250ºF and smoke for an additional 1 hour or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the turkey (the breast) reaches 165ºF. Increasing the heat will allow the skin to crisp up.
16. Remove the turkey from the smoker and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
17. Make the gravy: Discard the onion, garlic, and sprigs of herbs from the roasting pan and add all the turkey drippings to a saucepan (you should have around 1-2 cups of liquid).
18. Add any leftover basting liquid (if you have any) and 1 cup of chicken broth to the saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium/high heat.
19. Once the liquid is hot, turn the heat to medium and create a cornstarch slurry. Whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the pot until the cornstarch dissolves. Then add the slurry to the pot and whisk to combine.
20. Continue whisking until the gravy thickens. If the gravy doesn’t reach your desired thickness, repeat with another tablespoon of cornstarch.

Best Smoked Turkey

Best smoked turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year. It’s so good we smoke a turkey year round in our pellet grill or electric smoker.

Prep: 15min

Total: 375min

Serving Size: 4 oz

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 4 oz, calories 302 kcal, Protein 46 g, Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 154 mg, Sodium 240 mg

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey (ours was 11 lbs.)
• 2 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp Old Bay
• olive oil spray

Instruction:

1. Rinse turkey and remove items from inside cavity. Pat dry with paper towels. Add wood chips or pellets to your smoker. Preheat your smoker to 240 degrees.
2. Mix all dry rub ingredients together. Spray turkey with olive oil on all sides. Rub dry rub on breast side so it is well coated. Place on your turkey dunrite appliance if you’re using this with the breast side facing down. Use remaining rub to cover top facing half of turkey.
3. Once smoker reaches 250 degrees put turkey directly on to grate. Close lid.
4. Smoke for 30 minutes per pound. Ours was about 11 pounds and 5.5 hours was perfect.
5. Once time is up remove from smoker and check internal temperature of thigh to ensure it is at 165 degrees and middle of breast reach 155 degrees F.
6. Allow turkey to rest at least 30 minutes before carving to keep juices in.

Smoked Turkey

This smoked turkey is the perfect turkey to serve on Thanksgiving or other special occasions. The turkey is delicious and tender, and the whole bird tastes like it came from an upscale restaurant! I can guarantee this smoked turkey will take your holiday meal to the next level.

Prep: 15min

Total: 450min

Yield: 7

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 697 kcal, Carbohydrate 3 g, Protein 100 g, Fat 30 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 331 mg, Sodium 524 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 15-pound turkey (defrosted)
• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
• 2-3 Tablespoons Sweet Rub (Link in recipe notes)
• 4 cups water (to start, more to refill)

Instruction:

1. Preheat. Preheat whatever type of grill you are using for indirect smoking at 225 degrees F. If you’re using gas, turn on half of the burners to medium-low and leave the other half off. If you are using charcoal, preheat your coals until just ashed over, dump them on one far side of your grill, and set the vents to about 25% open. If you are using a dedicated smoker, preheat your grill to 225 degrees F. Add the wood chunks or chips, if needed, to achieve a thin blue smoke.
2. Prep the turkey. Remove your defrosted turkey from the packaging. Remove the neck and giblets from the inside cavity of the bird. If your turkey has been brined, carefully rinse the exterior of the turkey with cold water. Pat the turkey down on all sides with a paper towel. Tie the legs together with butcher’s twine and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulder joint.
3. Season. Coat the exterior of the bird with olive oil or melted butter and then season on all sides with the Sweet Rub.
4. Smoke the turkey. Place the turkey directly on the grill grates, close the lid, and smoke the turkey. At 225 degrees F, you can plan on approximately 30 minutes per pound for your turkey to smoke. For example, this 15 pound turkey will take 7 and 1/2 hours at 225 degrees F. I always plan an extra 30 minutes, just in case.
5. Remove to a serving platter. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature of the turkey in the breast and thigh. Make sure you test both sides of the bird, ESPECIALLY if you are smoking on a gas or charcoal grill where the temperatures of your grill may have been higher on one side than the other. You will be going off of the lowest reading you get from each side of the turkey. Once all temperatures are above 165 degrees F, it is time to remove the smoked turkey to a large platter or cutting board.
6. Rest. Allow the turkey to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. If your turkey is done a little early, cover the turkey with foil and wrap with towels to insulate and keep the heat at a safe serving temperature.
7. Enjoy! All that’s left is to decide if you’re a light or dark meat person, slice into that pretty bird, and get after it! Happy Thanksgiving!

AWESOME Smoked Turkey Recipe For Beginners!