Smoked Turkey

This smoked turkey recipe yields a juicy, smoky-flavored bird that will leave your Thanksgiving guests begging for more!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword smoked turkey, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Turkey, turkey

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 10 10

Servings servings

Calories 530kcal

Author Katie Cooksey

Equipment

Smoker

Ingredients

For cooking:

14 lb turkey whole, thawed
3 tbsp kosher salt (if brining, use less if not brining)
2 tsp black pepper or to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

optional dry brine

24-36 hours before you smoke your turkey, remove fully thawed turkey from package, remove giblets and neck from the cavity, and pat dry with paper towels.
Sprinkle the entire outside of the turkey with salt, rubbing in where needed and place in the refrigerator uncovered to dry brine overnight (or up to 36 hours).

the morning of

Preheat your smoker to 225° F.
Remove brined turkey from refrigerator** and season generously with black pepper*.
Place turkey directly on the smoker grate and insert your smoker’s thermometer probe in the thigh of the turkey without touching the bone.
Smoke for several hours*** (my 14 lb pound turkey took 10 hours) until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165° F.
Once your turkey reaches temperature, remove from smoker and let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving and serving.

Notes

*If you did NOT dry brine your turkey, you will need to season with salt at this point. You can add any other desired seasonings here as well (garlic powder, onion powder, dry herbs, etc.).

**If you want to stuff your turkey with fruit, garlic, herbs, etc., do this now before you season the outside.

***The average time is 35 minutes per pound, but may take longer depending on your smoker. I find that typically a 14 lb turkey for me takes 45 minutes per pound if I smoke at 225° F, so 10 hours to reach temperature. You can speed this up by smoking at 250° F.

Nutrition