Easy Smoked Turkey
Easy Smoked Turkey is a total show-stopping main dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner or for any special get together! Easy to follow recipe with video for the juiciest and most flavorful turkey ever!
Have you started planning your Thanksgiving Dinner yet? You know I’m not a planner. I figure we always have the basic, turkey, ham ,mashed potatoes, angel rolls, our favorite party punch, and pumpkin pie bars. I am thinking this cranberry sauce is going on the menu too.
We always manage to come up with some great appetizers and desserts too. I know the thought of preparing a huge holiday meal can be overwhelming, but tend to be pretty laid back about it all and everyone pitches in to make it delicious.
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Since we tried out the whole smoked chicken recipe, I knew a smoked turkey had to be on the Thanksgiving menu this year. Look at me making Thanksgiving plans a month in advance!
I was a little worried about the turkey being dry if we smoked it. The best way to smoke a turkey without drying it out is to brine it. Seriously worth the effort!
How to Brine a Turkey:
No matter how you are cooking your turkey or chicken, brining it is a must! I was reluctant to take the time but it is so worthwhile.
It will make your turkey tender, juicy and delicious every single time!
- Thaw turkey completely.
- Make brine with warm water, kosher, salt, peppercorns, fresh rosemary and lemon peel.
- Brine turkey for 4 -8 hours. If you go longer, your turkey could be too salty.
- Remove turkey from brine, drain and pat dry with paper towels.
How to Smoke a Turkey:
- Mix softened butter with fresh minced garlic and rosemary, salt and pepper.
- Rub butter between skin and meat and inside the cavity of the turkey.
- Alternately, melt the butter and herbs together and using a baster to get the butter and herbs under the skin and in the cavity. Pour remaining butter over the skin.
- Prepare grill with indirect heat to about 250- 300 degrees with hickory grilling wood. Hickory is the best wood for smoking a turkey.
- Place turkey over indirect heat.
- Close lid.
- Smoke for 1 to 1 1/2 hours and remove from grill.
- Wrap in peach butcher paper and return to grill. This will keep your turkey golden brown and will also capture the juices for making gravy.
- Continue to cook with the lid closed until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes to one hour.
- Remove from grill and allow to rest 20 minutes before carving.
You might also like our Cajun Smoked Turkey for your next holiday dinner. It’s flavorful and delicious! If you are only feeding a few people, this Smoked Turkey Breast is a great idea.
How Long to Smoke a Turkey at 250 degrees:
20-30 minutes per pound is a good estimation. Use an internal thermometer inserted into the thick part of the breast to make sure it is cooked through.
Cooking Thanksgiving dinner can be intimidating and totally overwhelming. I love cooking the turkey on the grill for the incredible flavor and also to free up the oven for Chicken and Dressing (or stuffing) or the classic Southern Cornbread Dressing and your favorite casseroles.
How Much Turkey Per Person:
You can figure about 1 pound of meat per person if you are cooking meat on the bone. If you are feeding a large crowd, consider cooking two smaller turkeys over one extra large turkey. This is a great guide to carving a turkey.
Dinner guests will be impressed with the amazing flavor of this Easy Smoked Turkey. It’s juicy, flavorful and tender. The butter and herb mixture along with the hickory smoke makes for the best turkey ever.
What to Make with Leftover Smoked Turkey:
If you happen to have a bit of turkey left after your holiday meal, this easy Turkey Salad is our absolute favorite. It is so good that we have been known to cook a turkey just for the turkey salad sandwiches!
The classic leftover Smoked Turkey Sandwich is always a hit. This sandwich has tons of flavor with Cajun mayo and is served up on a toasted baguette with your favorite veggies!
My kids can’t get enough of these Smoked Turkey and Dumplings. Incredibly flavorful and delicious!
We also love to save a leg or a bit of the dark meat for a batch of Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas for New Year’s Day!
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Easy Smoked Turkey
Ingredients
- 10 lb whole turkey
- for brine:
- 4 quarts of warm water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- peel from 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoons peppercorns
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- for butter and herb rub:
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 sprigs of rosemary stems removed and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Rinse turkey and remove any giblets.
- Place turkey in a large pan.
- Add warm water to a large bowl.
- Add 1 cup kosher salt, lemon peel, peppercorns and rosemary.
- Stir until salt is dissolved.
- Pour over turkey.
- Cover and refrigerate 4- 8 hours.
- Prepare grill with hickory grilling wood and an offset fire for indirect heat.
- Remove turkey from brine, drain and pat dry with paper towels.
- Mix butter, minced garlic, minced rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper.
- Rub between the skin and the meat of the turkey and inside the cavity. Or melt butter and herbs together and baste between skin and meat and inside cavity. Pour remaining butter and herbs over skin.
- When grill is heated to 250 degrees, place turkey over indirect heat.
- Cook for 1 to 11/2 hours. Remove from grill and wrap in peach butcher paper and return to grill.
- Continue to cook until internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast is 165 degrees about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
- Remove from grill, cover with foil loosely. Allow to rest 20-30 minutes before carving.
Video
Nutrition
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