To smoke a Thanksgiving turkey, start with a fully thawed bird, season or brine it the day before, and cook it with indirect heat at a steady temperature of at least 225°F until the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh and wing all read 165°F on a food thermometer. Do not stuff it. On a Traeger, the controller holds your temperature for you. On a Big Green Egg, you set up for indirect cooking with the convEGGtor and manage the vents. Either way, the thermometer tells you when it is done, not the clock.
Smoking also frees up your oven for everything else on the table, which might be the best reason of all. Here is how to do it from start to finish.
Choose the right size bird
Smaller turkeys smoke better. The USDA recommends whole turkeys of 12 pounds or less for smoking or grilling, because a larger bird spends longer warming through at low temperatures. If you are feeding a crowd, two smaller turkeys, or one turkey plus a separate breast, will cook more evenly than one very large bird. Check that the turkey actually fits in your grill with the lid closed before Thanksgiving morning.
Thaw it completely
Never put a frozen or partly frozen turkey on a smoker. Low cooking temperatures mean a frozen bird takes too long to warm through. Thaw it in the refrigerator, allowing about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. A 12 pound turkey needs about three days, so a turkey bought the weekend before Thanksgiving should go into the fridge right away.
Brine or season the day before
A brine helps the meat stay juicy through a long cook. A wet brine soaks the turkey in salted water, and a dry brine is simply salt and seasoning rubbed over the skin and left uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. A dry brine is easier to manage and helps the skin crisp. If you buy a turkey that is already brined, enhanced, or kosher, skip the brine, because it is already salted.
Pat the turkey dry before it goes on the grill. Dry skin takes on color and crisps far better than wet skin.
Consider spatchcocking
Spatchcocking means cutting out the backbone and pressing the turkey flat. It cooks faster and more evenly, because the breast and the legs are exposed to the same heat at the same time, and it fits more easily on a smaller grill. It also gives you more crispy skin. If you have never done it, kitchen shears and a few minutes of patience are all it takes, or ask your butcher to do it for you.
Don’t stuff the turkey
This is the one rule not to bend. According to the USDA, a turkey cooked in a smoker should not be stuffed, because the low temperature means the stuffing can take too long to reach a safe 165°F, and smoked stuffing does not taste good anyway. Bake your stuffing separately. If you want aromatics, a few pieces of onion, citrus, and herbs loosely placed in the cavity are fine.
How to smoke a turkey on a Traeger
A Traeger pellet grill is the easiest way to smoke a turkey, because the controller holds your set temperature for you. Fill the hopper so you will not run out of pellets mid cook, preheat with the lid closed, and place the turkey directly on the grate.
Keep the grill at a steady temperature of at least 225°F. A lower temperature gives you more smoke flavor and a longer cook. A higher temperature shortens the cook and crisps the skin. Many cooks start lower for smoke, then raise the temperature for the last part of the cook to finish the skin. A milder fruit wood such as apple or cherry pairs well with turkey without overpowering it.
If your Traeger has a built in meat probe, place it in the thickest part of the breast without touching bone, and you can watch the temperature from your phone on WiFi enabled models. Confirm the final reading in the thigh and wing with an instant read thermometer.
How to smoke a turkey on a Big Green Egg
A Big Green Egg roasts and smokes a turkey beautifully, because its thick ceramic holds a steady temperature even on a cool evening. Big Green Egg’s own turkey guidance uses an indirect setup with the convEGGtor in place and the Egg running at about 325°F. That temperature roasts the bird with a light smoke and gives you crisp skin.
Fill the firebox with lump charcoal, light it, and bring the temperature up slowly with the vents, because it is much easier to raise a kamado’s temperature than to bring it back down. Add a few chunks of fruit wood for smoke, set the convEGGtor in place, add a drip pan, and put the turkey on the grate. Once it is holding temperature, leave the lid closed as much as you can. Every time you open it, you lose heat.
How long does it take?
The USDA estimates 20 to 30 minutes per pound in a smoker, so a 12 pound turkey can take somewhere around four to six hours at lower smoking temperatures. Cooking hotter, as on the Big Green Egg at 325°F, or spatchcocking the bird shortens that considerably. Wind, outdoor temperature, and how often you open the lid all change the time, so plan for a buffer and let the thermometer decide.
Check doneness and let it rest
The turkey is safely cooked when a food thermometer reads at least 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh and wing. Check more than one spot. Then move the turkey to a cutting board, tent it loosely with foil, and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving so the juices settle back into the meat.
Common questions about smoking a turkey
What temperature should I smoke a turkey at?
Keep the smoker at a steady 225°F or higher. Lower temperatures give more smoke flavor and take longer. Higher temperatures, such as the 325°F Big Green Egg recommends for an indirect cook, shorten the cook and crisp the skin. The turkey is done at 165°F internal, not at a set time.
How long does it take to smoke a 12 pound turkey?
At smoking temperatures, plan on roughly four to six hours, based on the USDA’s estimate of 20 to 30 minutes per pound. Hotter cooks and spatchcocked turkeys finish faster. Always confirm with a food thermometer.
Can you stuff a smoked turkey?
No. The USDA advises against stuffing a turkey cooked in a smoker, because the stuffing may not reach a safe 165°F in time. Bake the stuffing separately.
What is the best wood for smoking turkey?
Mild fruit woods such as apple and cherry are popular choices, because they add flavor and color without overwhelming the meat. Stronger woods such as hickory work too, but use them more sparingly.
Get your grill ready for the holidays
If you have been thinking about a smoker, Thanksgiving is a great first cook. Our showroom at 1621 E. Spring St. in Long Beach has Traeger pellet grills and Big Green Egg cookers on display, along with the rest of our grill and smoker lineup, and our Year-End In-Stock Sale runs through December 31 on grills already on the floor. Not sure which style fits how you cook? Read Pellet, Gas, or Kamado? How to Choose the Grill That Fits How You Cook. We are open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 6 and Sunday from 12 to 5, or call (562) 283-0595. If your grill needs attention before the big day, our grill services team can help.
