Smoked Turkey

Learn how to smoke turkey by following my easy Smoked Turkey Recipe! Delicious smoked turkey saves space in your oven and tastes incredible.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword how to smoke a turkey, smoked turkey, smoked whole turkey, smoking a turkey

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 5

Resting Time 15

Total Time 5 35

Servings

Calories 748kcal

Preheat your smoker to 325 degrees. Remove the neck and innards from the turkey. Quarter your apple, oranges, and onions, being sure to rid the onion of its paper.
20- Pound Turkey, 2 Apples, 2 Oranges, 2 Onions
Stuff half of the oranges, apples, and onions inside the turkey, followed by all the springs of herbs. End with the rest of the apples, oranges, and onions.
2 Large Sprigs Rosemary, 2 Large Sprigs Thyme, 2 Large Sprigs Sage
Using the butcher’s twine, tie the legs together so it helps keep the stuffed hole closed.
Add all the spices to a bowl or dish and mix well. Sprinkle just enough over the bird that the top is barely covered.
2 Tablespoons Old Bay, 2 Tablespoons Paprika, 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
Melt your butter in a small dish in the microwave. Add the remaining spice mix to it and mix well.
2 Sticks of Salted Butter, 2 Tablespoons Old Bay, 2 Tablespoons Paprika, 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
Take half of the mixture and inject it into the breast and thighs of the bird, saving the other half for basting throughout the smoking process.
Place your turkey in the smoker and cook for 4-5 hours or until the internal temperature taken at the breast reaches 165 degrees. Baste the bird every 30 minutes during the smoking process with the leftover butter and spice mixture.
Allow the turkey to rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

You can smoke the turkey on a large cooling rack if desired, as it will make it easier to remove from the smoker. However, this also isn’t a requirement and won’t change the turkey’s outcome.

If you want to catch the drippings of your turkey, you can place the turkey in a roasting pan or drip pan and cook it in the smoker that way. If you do so, I recommend placing it on a rack and using a shallow pan underneath it so the smoke can still reach all sides of the meat.

I used hickory pellets for this job, but there’s really no limit to what pellet flavors you can use when smoking a turkey.

When stuffing the turkey, don’t be afraid to really stuff it. You want it nice and tightly packed.

You don’t have to sprinkle the spices over the turkey if you don’t want to. However, it makes for a gorgeous ending color on the bird.