Do you want to learn how to Make a Smoked Turkey? Is this your first time smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner? I will teach you the tricks I use to smoke a turkey that your family and friend will rave about!I have cooked Thanksgiving dinner for many years, and the only way I have found to smoke a turkey is to use a Traeger grill. Don’t worry I will take you through the process of how to prepare your turkey from start to finish. I even cover how to defrost and season your turkey before cooking! If you want to brine your turkey before smoking it to make it even juicier, check out my turkey brining post!
What is the best way to thaw a turkey? I usually pull the turkey out of the freezer the Sunday before Thanksgiving, put it on a cookie sheet, and place it in the fridge to defrost. Here is a helpful chart on thawing a turkey by how much it weighs.
Marinating and dry rub your turkey instructions:
Wednesday night, remove the wrapper, neck, and giblets from your turkey.
Prepare your dry rub or marinade for your turkey. (Optional if you are deciding to do this step.)
Place the turkey, breast side up in a foil roasting pan.
Apply your desired dry rub or marinade to your turkey. I do this by separating the skin from the breast creating a pocket (Don’t remove the skin!). I mix dry rub with the soften butter and stuff it between the skin and the meat. Cover the entire breast with 1/4 inch thickness of butter. Then use a turkey injector to apply the marinade to the turkey deep into the meat.
Cut in quarters onion, lemons, and oranges and place in turkey cavity.
Cover the turkey with foil and place into the fridge until you are ready to cook.
Instructions on how to smoke the turkey:
Notes: Never brown or partially cook turkey to refrigerate and finish cooking later. Traditional basting by pouring juices over a turkey’s surface while it roasts will not make the meat juicier (that what brining is for). The liquid penetrates only about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch beneath the skin and most of the juice will run off into the pan. Opening the smoker door to baste a turkey can cool the grill and possibly lengthen the cooking time. Here is a helpful chart on smoking a turkey by how much it weighs and time.
Smoke-Cooking Method with a Traeger:
Always follow your equipment manufacturer’s guidelines. Cooking times will vary depending on wind, weather, altitude, and type of equipment. For safety, the turkey must reach 140 °F in four hours or less. Check after 3½ hours, if the temperature is low, finish in the oven.If you want to roast your turkey in the oven, check out this post! Always use thermometers to monitor turkey smoker and temperatures. Total cooking time will be increased by 10 minutes or more each time lid is lifted. Smoking has no preservative effect. Smoked turkey must be refrigerated.
Verify the time you want to serve the turkey so you will know when to start cooking.
Plugin Traeger grill and set to 225°F to preheat. Closes lid for about 15 minutes before cooking.
Remove the turkey from the fridge.
Do not use stuffing or use a string lifter.
Insert oven-safe meat thermometer into the deepest part of the thigh, not touching bone.
Put Turkey on the grill and tent foil over the turkey.
Set kitchen timer to track cooking time for the turkey.
Every 1 to 1½ hours check pellet hopper and refill as needed.
Cook turkey to an internal temperature of 165 °F in the breast and innermost part of the thigh.
When the turkey is done cooking remove it from the grill and bring it inside.
Turn grill off and let it cool.
Cover loosely with aluminum foil and allow the turkey to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Instructions for gravy:
30 minutes before turkey is ready to come out of the oven. In a saucepan combine butter, stock, or broth, and heat to medium-high.
Wisk in flour, garlic, and seasonings.
When it starts to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until gravy has reduced and thickened.
Serve with turkey.
Notes
Turkey Thawing Notes: There are three ways to safely thaw a turkey, but using the fridge for thawing is recommended. Defrost the turkey in its original wrapper on a tray in the fridge for 24 hours for every 5 pounds. Never thaw a turkey at room temperature. You can also place the wrapped turkey in the sink and cover it completely with cold water for about 30 minutes per pound.Change the water every 30 minutes to make sure it stays cold. If the wrapping is torn, place the turkey in another plastic bag, close securely, and then place it in water. Cook immediately or place in the fridge after thawing.Smoking Notes: Never brown or partially cook turkey to refrigerate and finish cooking later. Traditional basting by pouring juices over a turkey’s surface while it roasts will not make the meat juicier (that what brining is for). The liquid penetrates only about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch beneath the skin and most of the juice will run off into the pan. Opening the smoker door to baste a turkey can cool the grill and possibly lengthen the cooking time. Here is a helpful chart on smoking a turkey by how much it weighs and time.