How to Smoke a Whole Turkey for Thanksgiving
A Whole Smoked Turkey is a flavorful way to impress at Thanksgiving, or anytime you’re feeding a crowd! With crispy skin, juicy meat, and rich smoky flavor, this recipe walks you through every step to make it a success, even if you’re a beginner.
Ingredients
- 17 pounds bone-in whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
- 1/4 cup butter, unsalted, softened
Prep: For the Dry Brine
- 1/3 cup salt, kosher
- 1 tablespoon black pepper, cracked
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
For the Turkey Rub:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon black pepper, ground
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
Instructions
- Prep and Brine: Rinse turkey under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a baking sheet or in an aluminum roasting pan.
- Combine dry brine ingredients in a small bowl and rub the dry brine on the outside of the turkey.
- Cover turkey with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for two hours.
- Prep Smoker: Preheat smoker to 300° Fahrenheit, add water pan to smoker to keep the air in smoker moist. You can also put chicken broth in the water pan.
- Remove Dry Brine: Use a paper towel to wipe most of the dry brine from the turkey skin. If you skip this step, the skin will be super salty.
- Butter Turkey: Loosen the skin around the turkey breast by inserting your hand. Use your hand to rub the softened butter under the skin.
- Apply Spice Rub: Brush olive oil onto turkey skin.
- In a small bowl, combine black pepper, garlic powder and paprika to form spice rub.
- Sprinkle spice rub onto turkey skin, rubbing in gently with your hands. Remember to get under the wings and any hard to reach areas.
- Smoke Turkey: Place the turkey directly on the smoker grates. Smoke at 275-300°F for 3.5 to 4 hours or until internal temperature reaches 165°F when measured in the thickest part of the breast using an instant read meat thermometer. Refill water pan when necessary.
- (Optional): Baste the bird every hour with juices from the drip pan.
- Rest and Carve: Allow bird to rest for about 15 minutes to allow juices to re-distribute before carving.
Notes
- This bird has a golden-brown appearance from taking on the smoke. If you'd like to limit the dark color, you can tent the bird with aluminum foil. This will cut down on the amount of smoke that reaches the skin.
- If you are averse to salt, you may want to rinse the bird in the sink to remove the salt brine, rather than just wiping it off with a paper towel
- I kept the spice rub mixture simple because it truly does not need much! But adding a hearty pinch of rosemary, onion powder or thyme would be natural additions.
Serving: 1, Calories: 642kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 117g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 353mg, Sodium: 3147mg, Potassium: 1233mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 368IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 64mg, Iron: 5mg
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