The Ultimate Smoked Turkey Recipe. Complete instructions to brine, season, stuff, and smoke a whole turkey.
We love the flavor smoking gives meats. Therefore, we smoke Boston butts, ribs, and turkey throughout the year. The low and slow method of smoking really gets flavor in the meat.
If you enjoy smoked meats, you may want to check out this recipe for MS Recan Wood Smoked Ribs, Smoked Pork Shoulders (Boston Butt), and Perfect Applewood Smoked Beer Can Chicken. You can also find very detailed instructions on how to start your smoker in this post.
The Ultimate Smoked Turkey Recipe Tips
- Remove giblets and neck from turkey; cover and refrigerate.
- Skewer turkey openings and tie drumsticks with kitchen string. Tuck the wings under the bird when cooking, this will prevent them from burning before the rest of the bird is cooked.
- Cook breast side up in a shallow roasting pan.
- Basting is important to keep the bird moist and so the skin with brown.
- To cook in oven: Bake uncovered at 325 degrees F for 4 to 4.5 hours or until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees F. Baste every thirty minutes after the first hour, this is slightly different that basting when smoking the turkey. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 30 minutes before slicing.
The Ultimate Smoked Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- The night before, prepare the turkey to be brined, place it into as small a cooler as it will fit, place the turkey in and enough water to cover, then remove the turkey and add equal parts sugar and salt stirring until dissolved, (do this to measure how much water you need) then add turkey again, add ice to keep at refrigerator temperature ( 40 degrees or so)
- Prepare smoker with fire, bring to 225 degrees
- Remove turkey from brine and discard brine, bring to room temperature (couple of hours on counter), clear cavity, rinse
- Put turkey in roasting tin with a couple of inches of water in the bottom on the tin loosely covered with aluminum foil
- Smoke at 225 degrees for 4 hours (25 minutes per pound) or until you get to an internal temp of 180 degrees (take temp in thickest part of breast)
- Add apple wood to your fire every 30 minutes for the first three hours
- Remove the turkey from the tin pan for the last hour and baste the skin with melted butter to brown and crisp the skin.
- Remove and let rest for 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
If you like Ultimate Smoked Turkey Recipe, you may also like these recipes to use the leftovers!
Turkey Strawberry Brie Sandwich
TURKEY PHILLY CHEESESTEAK RECIPE
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laura says
Amazing Smoked Turkey! I can’t believe how it easy was to make too!
Allyssa says
Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing and super easy to make smoked turkey recipe! It tasted so delicious and flavorful! Loved it, will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Glenda says
Your pictures always make me so hungry, Paula! Now, I have to smoke a turkey! lol It sounds delicious and I can’t wait to drag out my pellet grill and give it a try. Thanks for sharing the recipe and directions!