Once you try cooking a turkey in the smoker, there's really no going back to the old ways. The smell of smoke in the air, the sound of the wind through the trees. The result is a flavor-packed turkey with beautiful mahogany color on the skin and that is oh so juicy, tender texture that is so crowd-pleasing.
Free up your oven space inside for everything else and take your turkey cooking outside. Let's go through all the tips and tricks and make it happen!
6 Keys to the Best Smoked Turkey
- Always brine the turkey. Whether you use a wet brine or a dry brine, this will add tons of flavor to the bird and keep it super juicy.
- Rub with soft butter for beautiful golden skin.
- Don't overcook it. Use a remote probe thermometer and cook by temperature and not time. Remove from the heat 5 to 7 degrees prior to it reaching the desired finished internal temperature to allow for carryover cooking.
- Don't skip the rest. Rest for 30 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before slicing so it stays juicy.
What You'll Need
- Whole Turkey - The higher the quality, the better the results. Go with a turkey that is 14 pounds or less and that isn't pre-brined. Figure about 1 ½ pounds (before cooking) per person to allow for leftovers.
- The Brine - The turkey gets an essential salty bath with water, salt and aromatics such as garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary, sage leaves, rosemary sprigs, and peppercorns. Not only will this give it give tons of flavor, but it guarantees a juicy bird on the table.
- Butter - Rubbing butter under the skin and all over the turkey helps promote beautiful golden skin.
Jump to the recipe card for quantities.
Tools & Equipment
- Large container for brining the turkey.
- A Smoker - Any type of smoker that can be set up for indirect heat cooking. I use a Big Green Egg, a Weber or Traeger Pellet Smoker.
- Disposable aluminum drip pans - to catch the drippings in your smoker.
- V-shaped roasting rack - Optional but makes it easy to place and remove the turkey from the smoker.
- Wood for smoke - Go with Cherry wood chunks and hickory wood chunks, or pellets if you use a pellet smoker.
- Remote probe thermometer - I love the Thermoworks Smoke to remotely monitor the temperature of your smoker and the internal temperature of the turkey, so you know exactly when the turkey is ready to come off the smoker without having to open the lid. Then use a Thermapen probe thermometer to verify internal temperatures.
- Large cutting board and a long, sharp knife for slicing.
How to Smoke a Turkey - Quick Steps
5-steps to smoked turkey perfection.
- Brine the turkey overnight, then rinse well and dry inside and out with paper towels. Place it back in the refrigerator uncovered if you aren't cooking it that day.
- Remove the turkey from the refrigerator an hour before cooking. Rub the entire outside of the turkey and under the skin with unsalted butter and place it on a V-rack to easily transport it on and off the smoker/grill. Let it sit out to come to room temperature while you set up your smoker.
- Prep the smoker for indirect cooking and bring the temperature between 225° F and 275° F. Add wood chunks for a charcoal smoker or pellets for a pellet smoker.
Tip: Place a water drip pan below the turkey in the smoker with a few inches of water in it. This will catch the drippings, prevent flare-ups, keep the smoker clean and also add humidity which promotes smoke penetration.
- Place the turkey in the smoker and smoke until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 159° F and the thickest part of the thighs reaches 170° F.
- Rest the turkey for 30 minutes before carving and slicing.
Top Tips & Tricks
- Place the turkey on a V-rack for easy transportation in and out of the smoker.
- Keep the lid closed! Opening the lid as few times as possible during the coo will keep the temperature consistent as well as keep the smoke in and give better results.
- Use a remote probe thermometer to monitor the temperature of your smoker along with the internal temp of the bird so you know exactly when it's finished.
- Be aware of carryover cooking. The internal temperature of the turkey will continue to rise after it is removed from the heat. Remove the turkey from the smoker about 5 to 7 degrees lower than your target finished temperature.
Key Temperatures & Times
Turkey breast finished internal target temp: 165° F (73° C).
*The pull temp should be 5 to 7° F lower than the target to allow for carryover cooking.
Turkey thigh finished internal temp: 175° F/79° C
| Smoker Temp | Minutes Per Pound | Total Time (14 lb turkey) |
| 225° F | 30-35 | 8+ hours |
| 250° F | 30 | 7 hours |
| 275° F | 25 | 5 ½+ hours |
| 325° F | 13 | 3 hours |
Charcoal vs Pellet Smokers
The results you get in a pellet smoker like a Traeger and a charcoal smoker like a Big Green Egg have noticeably different results. Both will come out juicy, tender and delicious, but there will be much more smoke flavor with a charcoal smoker.
With that in mind, if you are using a pellet smoker, I would suggest smoking your bird at 225° F (or up to 275° F) for a longer cook time to achieve more smoke flavor.
In a charcoal smoker, you can cook at higher temperatures of around 325° F and still get plenty of smoke flavor. The advantage of this is the cooking time is reduced to around 13 minutes per pound.
FAQs
It will take approximately 30-35 minutes per pound at 225°F; 25 minutes per pound to smoke a turkey at 275° F; and about 13 minutes per pound when you smoke it at 325° F. Always cook by temperature, and not by time for best results.
To avoid dry and stringy reheated turkey, simply wrap smaller pieces in aluminum foil and warm in a low 275° F oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the meat registers 130° F. If you want to crisp up the skin, place pieces skin-side down in a hot oiled skillet.
Sweet fruit woods like apple and cherry are fantastic. Hickory is also wonderful. You can really never go wrong with applewood, but my favorite for smoking turkey is a combination of cherry and hickory. The smoke flavor is subtly sweet and not overpowering, and the cherry helps create a beautiful skin color.
Perfect Sides that Make the Meal
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Green Beans
- Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing
- Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Crispy Smashed Fingerling Potatoes
- Scalloped Potatoes
Leftovers Inspiration
When it comes to the leftover turkey, it all starts the next day with amazing Thanksgiving leftover eggs benedict. Making sandwiches or a crunchy panini is your next course, and they are absolutely amazing with quick pickled red onions or cranberry sauce. A smoked turkey soup, chili or a breakfast hash would also be wonderful.
Use the carcass and make some super delicious and nutritious turkey stock, which has so many uses. You can make turkey soup, ramen, risotto, add it to mashed potatoes, use it for a smoky gravy and so much more.
More Delicious Turkey Recipe Ideas
- Honey Glazed Smoked Turkey Breast
- Brined and Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast
- Turkey Roulade
- Sous Vide Turkey Breast
- Turkey Eggs Benedict
Smoked Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 12 to 14 lb turkey, giblets and neck removed
- 1 turkey brine recipe
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- wood chunks for charcoal smokers or pellets for pellet smokers (combination of cherry, hickory or apple)
Instructions
Brine the turkey according to the brine recipe.
- Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let sit out for about 1 hour while you prep the smoker.
- Setup your smoker: Follow the manufacturer's instructions and bring the smoker to a temperature of 225 to 275° F and set it up for indirect cooking with a water drip pan in place. Add the wood chunks, chips or pellets. *See note about temperature.
- Rub butter on the entire outside of the turkey. Spray a V-rack with cooking spray and place turkey breast-side up.
- Place the turkey in the smoker and smoke until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 159° F and the thickest part of the thighs is 170° F. **
- Remove from the smoker and place on a large cutting board to rest for 30 minutes before carving and serving.
Video
Notes
- If using a self-basting turkey or a turkey that has already been brined, skip the brining step in this recipe.
- Using a V-rack is totally optional, but it makes moving the turkey in and out of the smoker much easier.
- Smoking over indirect heat is essential or the skin will burn before the turkey is finished cooking.
- Approximate cook times:
- at 225° F: 30-35 minutes per pound
- at 250° F: 30 minutes per pound
- at 275° F: 25 minutes per pound
- at 325° F: 13 minutes per pound
- * For pellet smokers, I recommend smoking at a lower temperature if you want more smoke flavor.
- Open the lid as few times as possible during the smoke. This will keep the temperature consistent as well as keep the smoke in.
- ** There will be temperature carryover, so remove the turkey about 5 to 7 degrees lower than where you want it to end up.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on November 5, 2019 and was updated on October 10, 2022 to include additional useful information.
Jason says
I’m a huge fan of this brine recipe! I brined my 10# turkey for about 24 hrs, then rubbed it with a chicken wing rub I use, and let it sit overnight. I Stuffed it with onions, then coated it in mayo, and cooked it at 250 degrees for four hours, basting with its juices as well as melted butter. The internal temp actually got up to about 178 degrees, but it was NOT dry! It literally fell off the bone when I was carving it up, or at least the parts that I was able to keep away from the “pickers” in my family. I used a cherry and hickory mix for chips and chunks, and that gave it a really nice and light smoked flavor. I should add that I used an electric box smoker. We took the bones and carcass and boiled it down and made a nice broth for the collard greens we made the same day. To say the least of this recipe, my family can’t wait for the next smoked turkey!
justin says
That sounds so delicious, Jason! Now I'm totally craving a spring turkey. Haha
Love that you made a broth with the bones. Gotta use it all!
Thanks for sharing!
Wanda Bridges says
The only change I made was I used dried herbs, just to save another trip to the grocery, and am very happy with this brine recipe! This was the best turkey I've ever made! Thank you saltandpepperskillet!
justin says
Wow! That is absolutely fantastic to hear. Made my day. You are the best, Wanda!
Mitul Patel says
So if my turkey is 20lbs are you saying you shouldn’t smoke it because it won’t cook properly or you just saying it takes longer and time is the only consequence?
justin says
You can, but yeah it will take longer. I have never tried smoking a bird that big, so I'm not sure how long it would take or how it would come out. I hope yours was perfect!
Stacy says
I’ve been eating this for almost a week and so sad it’s gone. Very tender, moist and delish!