Smoke a Turkey

Smoking is a great alternative outdoor cooking method to grilling. Smoking a turkey, though not a task for the impatient cook, is a great alternative to roasting or frying one. Whether the weatherman is calling for a nice day or you have been wanting to attempt cooking a smoked turkey for a while, pull out the smoker and follow these instructions to smoke a turkey.

Steps

Prepping the Turkey

1. Remove any organs that may be in the turkey's cavity. If buying a frozen turkey, there's a good chance that your turkey contains a few extra organs — kidney, liver, heart, gizzard — in the cavity of the turkey. Remove and set aside.
   • A good idea for the leftovers is to incorporate them into your stuffing recipe. Sauté them in a bit of butter or oil and add sparingly to most Make Turkey Stuffing recipes for added flavor.
   • Many people choose to make broth or stock from the innards of the turkey. Cut them up, along with a diced onion, a couple carrots, as well as a couple stalks of celery, and add to a pot of boiling water. Add a bit of salt, peppercorns, and several bay leaves to the pot and boil for several hours, skimming the foam off the top every so often.
2. Rinse the turkey. Run water inside and outside the turkey to clean it. Pat it dry or let it air dry.
3. Decide whether to brine the turkey (optional). A brine is a bath of flavored salt water that you soak your bird in for 24 hours before smoking. Brining your turkey will add extra flavor and help it stay moist during the cooking process. Here is a basic brine recipe you can try for your turkey:
   • Bring {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of water to a boil in a large saucepan. To it, add 4 cups of salt, 4 cups of sugar, one bulb of garlic (cut in half), a cup of black peppercorns, and your choice of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, lavender, sage, and marjoram all work well). Turn off heat and allow salt and sugar to dissolve completely. Let steep for 5 minutes.
   • Add the basic brine to large cooler filled with 3 bags of ice, stirring. To the cooler, add {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of apple cider, and four each lemons and oranges, sliced in half. Submerge your turkey in the cooler, making sure it is entirely covered with liquid.
   • Let your bird soak for at least 24 hours, turning the turkey every 6 to 12 hours. Try to keep the cooler in a cold place; if the temperature of the brine goes above {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}, add extra ice to keep the solution cool.
4. Thaw your turkey completely. If you chose not to brine your turkey and you purchased a frozen one, you'll want to thaw it completely before smoking. Thawing a turkey in the refrigerator takes longest but is the safest method for completing the task. Place the turkey in a large bowl or pan and let it sit in the refrigerator for 1 day for every 5 pounds of bird.
   • You can also thaw a turkey by covering it in cool water. Submerge the turkey in a sink full of cold water. It will need to stay in its cold water bath for 30 minutes for every pound of bird.
5. After thawing, cover the bird with a rub, a glaze, or basic seasoning. Rub a generous amount of oil or butter over the entire bird. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and any other desired seasoning. Get creative!
   • A dry rub is a combination of dry spices that you rub into the skin of the turkey, coating it in flavor. For a basic but classic holiday rub, try a combination of kosher salt, pepper, dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried sage, and garlic powder.
   • A glaze is a thick, usually syrupy mixture, that is brushed onto meat and which reduces once cooked, concentrating its flavors. Consider going with this holiday-themed glaze consisting of cranberry juice, maple syrup, apple cider, and brown sugar.
   • Who says smoking a turkey needs to be fancy? Give basic seasoning a try. Coat the turkey liberally with oil or softened butter and rub salt and pepper over its skin. You're ready to cook.

Smoking the Turkey

1. Pre-cook your turkey (optional). Of course, if you have plenty of time on your hands and don't need to speed up the process, you won't need to pre-cook your bird. But if you happen to be in a hurry and want to expedite the cooking, consider pre-cooking the turkey and blasting it with smoke afterwards.
   • To pre-cook your bird, place it in an oven-safe pan and cover with foil or a lid. Bake for 30 minutes at {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}.
2. Prepare the grill rack of the smoker. Oil the rungs of the rack or line it with foil to keep the bird from sticking..
3. Light your smoker. Your optimum temperature for smoking a turkey is around {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}, but anywhere between 220° and {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} is acceptable. It will take your smoker about 45 minutes to reach this temperature.
4. Add your wood. Once the smoker is lit and pre-heated to be ready for cooking, add your pre-soaked wood chips to the smoker.
   • If you want, you can get fancy with your soaking liquids. Say, for example, you're using hickory chips to smoke the turkey. Why not reach for bourbon as your soaking liquid? Or say you're smoking with applewood chips. Why not reach for apple cider? Complement the flavor of the chips with a tasty soaking liquid.
   • Experiment with different wood chips to alter the flavor of the meat. Milder flavors of wood chips include alder, apple, cherry, grape, maple, mulberry, orange, and peach; stronger flavors include hickory, mesquite, oak, pecan, walnut, and whiskey barrel.
   • Some people prefer not smoking their wood chips — or wood chunks — at all. They argue that wood needs to dry out before it produces smoke, prolonging the process. Experiment for yourself whether smoking with soaked or dry wood chips produces better flavor.
5. Place the turkey on the smoker. Place the turkey on the cooking rack of the smoker with the breast up. The best part of the rack to place the turkey will depend on where the most direct heat is. You'll want to place the turkey on the side of the rack, away from direct heat. Put the lid back on the smoker.
   • Consider placing a drip pan underneath the turkey. If you want to save fluids and fat for some smokey gravy, place a drip pan underneath your rack to catch any fluids leaving your turkey.
6. Maintain the heat of the smoker at around {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}. Check the smoker every hour or so to maintain the heat and smoke. Add more charcoal, wood chips or water as needed. If your smoker doesn't have a thermometer attached to it, consider placing a metal thermometer inside the cooking rack to gauge the temp when you open it.
7. Time the cooking of your turkey by the poundage of the bird. Your turkey will need 30 to 40 minutes per pound to smoke. The time difference is determined by your smoker and the temperature outside.
   • At {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}, a 15 lb turkey will take between 8 and 9 hours to smoke.
   • If you decide to cook at a higher temperature, the cooking time will diminish significantly, but the turkey won't retain as much smoky flavor. At {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}, a 15 pound turkey will take between 3 and 3.5 hours to smoke.
8. Wait for the internal temperature of the turkey to reach {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} for doneness. Calculate the minimum time suggested that the turkey might take to smoke completely. When that amount of time has passed, open the lid and quickly get a reading with your meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh area of the bird. The turkey is done when the temperature is at {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}.
   • If the turkey is not done yet, put the lid back on the smoker and let the bird cook another 30-45 minutes. Check for the desired temperature again.
9. Let it rest. After removing the bird from the smoker, let it rest for around 30 minutes before carving. This will help the juices settle in the bird, making for a moister treat when you finally do cut into it.
10. Finished. Enjoy your smoked turkey on its own, or with a magnificent Thanksgiving fare that includes Make Yams, mashed potatoes, green beans, Make Stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

Tips

• Do not let the appearance of your turkey scare you. If this is your first smoked turkey, you may not be prepared for how it looks. The outside will probably be a little dark. The inside will probably be a little pink. But if the thermometer read 165 degrees, then the bird is ready to eat.

Things You'll Need

• Turkey
• Large bowl or pan
• Oil or butter
• Seasonings
• Pan with lid suitable for oven cooking
• Oven
• Smoker
• Wood chips
• Meat thermometer

Sources and Citations

See also

• Brown Ground Turkey
• Prepare a Turkey Dinner
• Carve a Turkey
• Cook Boneless Turkey Breast
• Season a Turkey
• Cook a Wild Turkey
• Deep Fry a Turkey
• Brine a Turkey
• Slow Cook a Turkey
• Store an Uncooked Turkey

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What links here

• Age Beef
• Prepare a Turkey Dinner
• Season a Turkey
• Smoke Meat