Smoked Turkey Recipe

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This Smoked Turkey is so juicy, tender, and full of flavor that it will make you save the oven for the sides.

Prep Time20

Cook Time7 30

Brine:12

Total Time19 50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: tukey

Servings:

Calories: 418kcal

Equipment

Large Pot For Brining
Smoker
Fuel
Wood
Foil
Meat Thermometer
Drip Pan and Water Pan

Ingredients

Brine:

2 1/2 quarts lukewarm water more if needed depending on turkey size
1/2 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1-2 lemons sliced

Turkey:

12-15 lb turkey
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 lemon
1/2 sweet apple
2-3 tsp dried sage can also use fresh (4-5 leaves)
2-3 tsp dried thyme can also use fresh (2-3 sprigs)
3 tbsp olive oil more for larger turkey if needed
cracked black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make sure the turkey is completely defrosted. You will also want to make sure that there is room in the refrigerator to place the pot with turkey.

Brining:

Take the bird out of the package and remove the giblets and the neck if it was included in the cavity. You can use those to make gravy later.
Place turkey inside a pot that is large enough to be completely covered in brine.
Mix lukewarm water with salt, sugar, and lemon slices until sugar and salt are dissolved. Carefully pour the brine over turkey, completely covering it.
Cover the pot and place it in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.

Prepare the turkey:

Take the turkey out of the brine and onto a large cutting board. Pat it dry all around with paper towels.
Sprinkle inside the cavity with thyme and sage if using dried herbs or place fresh herbs inside. Place onion quarters, half a lemon, and apple quarters inside the cavity as well. Bring the legs together, cross them, and tie them with cooking twine.
Brush or rub outside of the bird with olive oil, making sure that it’s evenly covered all around including all the wrinkles and folds. Finally, season outside of the bird with some salt and pepper.

Prepare the smoker:

Set up your smoker and get it to a steady 225°. Place an aluminum roasting pan on the rack underneath the the bird to catch the drippings. Do not place the turkey into a roasting pan!
Place one or two other aluminum pans filled with water on the lower rack or on the opposite side of the rack with the turkey, depending on the smoker.
Insert digital meat thermometer probe into the turkey breast and place it on the grate. Make sure to place the ambient temperature thermometer on the grate, near the bird. Close the lid right away so the temperature doesn’t get too low.

Smoke it:

Let it cook for several hours, until internal temperature reaches 160°-165°. (Remember that the internal temperature will keep rising while the turkey is resting.)
When estimating cooking time, estimate about 30 minutes per pound.

Rest it:

When it’s done, carefully lift the bird off the grate, tilt it, and hold it over the drip pan to let the juices in the cavity pour our into the drip pan. (Use those juices to make the gravy.)
Place turkey into a cutting board and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Don’t tent it or the skin will get soggy.

Notes

How Much Turkey Per Person? For 12-15 lb turkeys, estimate 1 pound per persons. If you want to have some leftovers, then you can estimate 1 1/2 lbs per person.

Why Is Turkey Still Pink? Remember that smoked meats have a pink hue to them. There will be a pink ring around the meat and some pink hue even deeper towards the center of meat. It is still most important to make sure that your meat was cooked to the safe internal temperature. For turkey, safe internal temperature is 165°F.

Nutrition