Smoked turkey is a delightful alternative to a traditional roasted turkey for Thanksgiving. Smoking the turkey (and brining it beforehand) infuses the meat with sweet and smoky flavors and helps it stay juicy and tender. Plus, this recipe frees up oven space for all those other tasty Thanksgiving recipes. The combination of smoked applewood and a flavorful dry rub creates a turkey that tastes so good you won’t want to wait for the holidays.
Oh, and did we mention? You can make this recipe without a smoker. We’ll walk you through how to smoke the bird in your grill.
How to Smoke a Turkey
This smoked turkey recipe is surprisingly easy to make, and the process is almost entirely hands-off once the turkey hits the smoker. We’ll go into the step-by-step directions in more detail, but here’s a basic overview of what you can expect:
- Prepare the turkey: This step is exactly the same as any roast turkey or brined turkey. Thaw the turkey (if using a frozen bird) and remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. Brine the turkey for 8 to 12 hours. Once brined, rinse the turkey and pat it dry.
- Season the turkey: We add layers of seasoning here. Stuffing the turkey with onion and apple wedges adds flavor from the inside out, and a homemade dry rub gives the turkey a barbecue character.
- Smoke the turkey: Prepare a smoker or pellet grill according to the manufacturer’s directions. Or turn your grill into a smoker by preheating it for indirect heat. Smoke the turkey on a roasting pan in the prepared grill until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 170° to 175°F, rotating the turkey about halfway through for even cooking.
How Long to Smoke a Turkey
Smoking is all about “low and slow,” or cooking the bird at a relatively low temperature for a long time. Our Test Kitchen recommends smoking turkey for 15 to 20 minutes per pound in a grill or smoker preheated to 275° to 300°. When testing this recipe, we used an 11-pound turkey and smoked it for three hours on a charcoal grill preheated to 290°.
Weight |
–Temperature– |
Time* |
| 8 to 10 pounds | 275° to 300° | 2 to 3-1/3 hours |
| 10 to 12 pounds | 275° to 300° | 2-1/2 to 4 hours |
| 12 to 14 pounds | 275° to 300° | 3 to 4-3/4 hours |
| 14 to 16 pounds | 275° to 300° | 3-1/2 to 5-1/3 hours |
| 16 to 18 pounds | 275° to 300° | 4 to 6 hours |
| 18 to 20 pounds | 275° to 300° | 4-1/2 to 6-3/4 hours |
*15 to 20 minutes per pound
How do you know when smoked turkey is done?
Turkey is finished cooking when the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reads between 170° and 175°. The turkey’s internal temperature is more reliable than a timer, as the exact amount of time depends on factors like the bird’s size and the grill’s or smoker’s exact temperature.
Regarding the turkey’s internal temperature, our Test Kitchen recommends using a remote meat thermometer with a probe. Remote thermometers eliminate the need to open your grill or smoker during the cooking process. If your thermometer has multiple probes, use one to monitor the internal temperature of the turkey and the other to monitor the temperature of the grill or smoker.
Smoked Turkey Ingredients
- Turkey: We tested this recipe with an 11-pound turkey. Using the handy chart above, you can adjust the recipe’s cooking time to smoke a smaller or larger turkey. Just make sure you buy a bird that will fit inside your grill or smoker! If you’re feeding a crowd, consider cooking two or three small turkeys instead of one large one. Smaller birds cook faster and more evenly.
- Turkey brine: If you learn how to brine a turkey, you can ensure the meat turns out flavorful, juicy and tender. We make this brine recipe with tart apples, salt, maple syrup, bay leaves, cider vinegar and peppercorns. For extra flavor, add a few sprigs of herbs like thyme, sage or rosemary.
- Onion and apple: Instead of stuffing the turkey with traditional bread stuffing, we use apples and sweet onions. They release steam inside the cavity as the bird cooks to keep the meat extra moist.
- Turkey dry rub: Dry rubs are a great way to season a turkey, even if you’ve already brined it. This homemade dry rub contains salt, brown sugar, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.
- Applewood chips: Applewood adds a sweet, smoky flavor to the turkey. Soak the wood chips in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes. This will help them to smolder and create a delicious smoky flavor instead of igniting into flames.
Directions
Step 1: Make the brine
In a large kettle, combine the water, apple, salt, maple syrup, bay leaves, cider vinegar and peppercorns. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cook and stir until the salt is dissolved. Remove the brine from the heat. Add ice water to cool the brine to room temperature.
Step 2: Brine the turkey
Place a turkey-sized oven roasting bag inside a second roasting bag, and add the turkey. Carefully pour the cooled brine into the bag. Squeeze out as much of the air as possible. Seal the bags and turn to coat the entire turkey. Place the bag in a roasting pan or other large container. Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, turning occasionally.
Editor’s Tip: Double-bagging the turkey helps prevent leaks. If the entire turkey is not submerged in the brine, turn it occasionally to ensure the meat brines evenly.
Step 3: Fire up the smoker or grill
Prepare a grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. Add wood chips to the grill according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Editor’s Tip: Adding the wood chips will look different if you’re using a charcoal vs. gas grill. For a charcoal grill, put the wood chips directly on top of the coals. For a gas grill, wrap the wood chips in foil and poke holes to allow the smoke to escape. Turn off the gas, and place the foil packet directly on the heating element. Relight the grill and set it to a low flame.
Step 4: Season the turkey with the dry rub
Drain the turkey, discarding the brine. Rinse the turkey under cold water and pat dry. Add the onion and apple wedges to the cavity. Tie the drumsticks together.
In a small bowl, combine the salt, sugar, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Rub the mixture over the outside of the turkey. Place the turkey breast side up in two nested foil roasting pans (stack the pans together for sturdiness).
Editor’s Tip: Smoking the turkey in a foil pan makes cleanup a breeze. Plus, it ensures you’ll catch all the flavorful drippings, which add an incredible smoky element to homemade gravy.
Step 5: Smoke the turkey
Grill the turkey, covered, over indirect medium heat until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 170° to 175°, 3 hours to 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: You can rotate the pan about halfway through the cooking process to help the turkey cook more evenly. However, resist the urge to raise the lid too often to check on the turkey. The cover keeps the heat and smoke inside.
Step 6: Let the smoked turkey rest
Remove the turkey from the grill. Cover the turkey, and let it stand for 15 minutes before carving.
Editor’s Tip: Not sure how to carve a turkey? It’s easy once you give it a go!
Smoked Turkey Variations
- Use another brine recipe: Any turkey brine recipe works with smoked turkey, so feel free to swap in your go-to brine. You can even make a smoked turkey using a dry-brined turkey.
- Change the stuffing: Stuff the turkey with other flavorful ingredients like fresh herbs, lemons, orange wedges, garlic cloves or chopped fennel. If you decide to go the classic stuffed turkey route, cook the turkey until the stuffing reaches an internal temperature of 165°.
- Substitute another dry rub: Pick from your fave dry rub recipes or the seasoning blend from another Thanksgiving turkey recipe. Cajun-spiced smoked turkey would be a fun change of pace from the traditional herb-rubbed turkey.
- Add a sauce: Baste the smoked turkey with a flavorful sauce, like the ones used in these barbecue turkey and honey-glazed turkey recipes.
How to Store Smoked Turkey
Store leftover smoked turkey in an airtight container for up to four days. To freeze turkey, remove the meat from the bone, transfer it to a freezer-safe container, and freeze it for up to three months. Freeze the carcass and bones separately from the meat, or use them immediately to make homemade turkey stock.
Thaw frozen turkey in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat turkey in a tightly sealed aluminum foil pouch in a 300° oven or until heated through. Add a little water, broth or gravy to the pouch before sealing it to keep the meat moist.
Tips for Smoking a Turkey
How do you smoke a turkey in a pellet grill?
To smoke the turkey in a pellet grill, place the pellets in the designated area, and preheat the grill to 275° to 300°. Pellet grills like Traeger Ironwood XL are convenient for smoking turkey because they take all the guesswork out of setting the temperature. Simply plug the grill in, select the temperature from the control panel, and let it do its thing. Remove the turkey from the pellet grill when the thickest part of the thigh reads 170° to 175°.
Can you smoke a frozen turkey?
We don’t recommend smoking a frozen turkey. It’s safe to cook a frozen turkey in the oven, but a smoker utilizes much lower temperatures, so the frozen turkey could linger at unsafe internal temperatures, leading to food-borne illness.
How long does it take to thaw a frozen turkey?
A frozen turkey thaws in approximately 24 hours for every 4 pounds in the refrigerator or 30 minutes per pound in cold water. Learn more about how to thaw a frozen turkey safely in the refrigerator, cold water or the microwave.
How much smoked turkey do you need per person?
We generally recommend 1-1/4 pounds of turkey per person, so a 10-pound turkey should feed about eight people. That usually creates plenty of food for Thanksgiving dinner with enough extra meat for leftover turkey recipes.
What are the best wood chips for smoking a turkey?
Apple wood chips are the best wood chips for smoking a turkey. Their sweet flavor pairs nicely with poultry and won’t overpower the delicate meat. You could also use cherry, pecan or maple wood chips. Hickory and mesquite wood chips are too strong-flavored for turkey, but you can mix them with milder wood chips to create a punch of bold smoke flavor.
What sides go well with smoked turkey?
All of the traditional Thanksgiving sides will taste great with smoked turkey. If this smoked turkey recipe inspires a barbecue-style Thanksgiving, add a few grilled barbecue side dishes to the mix. Many of these sides will cook while the turkey rests, so don’t worry about having enough grill space!
Catherine Ward, Taste of Home Prep Kitchen Manager, and Josh Rink, Taste of Home Food Stylist, contributed to this article.
