How to Smoke a Turkey (2024)

FAQs

Do you wrap a turkey when smoking? ›

He wraps the turkey in heavy duty aluminum foil and finishes the cooking in the smoker until the turkey's internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Once the turkey is cooked through, allow it to rest for five to 10 minutes before carving.

We swear by wet brining our turkey before smoking because it not only adds a ton of flavor but also helps the turkey retain moisture during the smoking process. How long to brine a turkey before smoking? We recommend brining your turkey for at least 12 hours or overnight.

When smoking at 225°F, it can take about 30 to 45 minutes to cook one pound of turkey. That means a 12-pound turkey should take at least six hours to cook in a smoker. To smoke your turkey faster, increase the smoker's temperature to 250°F to 275°F.

At 225 degrees F, you can plan on it taking approximately 30 minutes per pound to smoke your turkey. Alternatively, if you are running your smoker at 250 degrees F, it will typically take 25 minutes per pound. For example, my 15-pound turkey took around 7 and 1/2 hours at 225 degrees F to fully cook.

To recap, the secrets to perfectly smoked turkey are: butterflying, dry-brining, adding baking powder to the dry rub, slow-cooking over indirect heat, and careful monitoring of the turkey's internal temperature.

Using olive oil mayonnaise bastes the turkey which enhances the flavor (especially when you mix with spices) and keeps it moist on the inside. And while the turkey is naturally basting with the mayonnaise, the mayonnaise helps the skin to get crispy because of its high smoke point.

Completely thaw meat or poultry before smoking. Because smoking uses low temperatures to cook food, the meat will take too long to thaw in the smoker, allowing it to linger in the "Danger Zone" (temperatures between 40 and 140 °F) where harmful bacteria can multiply.

Season the turkey. Use a seasoning or rub of your choice. I made herb butter that I spread on the outside and inside of the turkey. Start your electric smoker (pellet grill) and let it reach the desired temperature.

Why Is My Smoked Turkey Skin Rubbery? Turkey skin stays rubbery if not enough moisture is cooked out of it during the smoking process. The moisture may come from leftover brine.

Hickory is a classic hard wood choice for smoking turkey for several reasons.

How long should a turkey sit out before smoking? ›

Place it on a wire rack on a baking sheet to air dry for 30 minutes. If you have room in the fridge for the baking sheet and turkey, great, otherwise you can leave it out at room temperature. While the turkey dries, prepare your smoking woods.

One of the benefits of smoking a turkey is that it's almost impossible to overcook anything in a smoker. The temperature remains low and the cooking is slow, resulting in perfectly moist and tender meat with a rich, complex flavor.

Start hot, then finish low. The secret to the crispy skin is all in the temperature. Pellet grills have made it so easy to get smokers up to higher temps, and this is to your advantage. Starting the smoker hot then turning it down to more traditional low n slow temps is how the achieve great textured skin.

Keep the turkey in its original wrapping while it's thawing. Place the turkey, breast-side up, into a baking pan to keep any drips from contaminating other foods and refrigerator surfaces. Once thawed, you can keep the turkey in the fridge for up to two days before cooking.

Set the smoker to 225° F. Place the turkey on a cooking rack and cook for 8 to 12 hours or until the inner thigh temperature reaches 180° F. Check the temperature of your turkey after 3½ hours. Your turkey must pass through a critical range of 40° F to 140° F in 4 hours or less.

Placing the Turkey

If your smoker is an offset model or otherwise puts out more heat on one side than the other, then you will need to rotate the turkey every two hours to make sure the bird cooks evenly. When oven roasting a bird, it is a good idea to cover the breasts with foil during part of the cooking time.