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This Smoked Turkey is packed with incredible flavor, from a bourbon citrus brine, to an herbed butter tucked under skin, to the best turkey seasoning. Your Thanksgiving turkey is going to be the star this year. If you are looking for truly best smoked turkey recipe, with hundreds of success stories, that will have your guests going back for seconds, this is it.
Looking for another creative way to smoke your turkey? Check out our recipe for Cajun Spatchcocked Smoked Turkey.
Vindulge Recipe Highlights
- If this is your first time smoking a turkey check out our tips on smoked turkey from the pros.
- Smoked turkey needs a brine in order to maintain moisture and tenderness during the smoking process.
- Season the turkey both inside the cavity and on the skin using a compound butter and turkey seasoning.
- Smoke at the proper temperature for good skin texture.
- Carve and serve and enjoy an amazing Thanksgiving dinner with your family and friends.
Table of Contents
- Vindulge Recipe Highlights
- The Best Smoked Turkey
- Ingredients for Smoked Turkey
- How Much Turkey Per Person
- Thawing Turkey
- Smoked Turkey Brine
- Preparation For Smoked Turkey
- How to Smoke a Turkey
- Common Smoked Turkey Q&A
- Best Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner
- More Grilled and Smoked Turkey Recipes
- Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas on a Smoker
- Smoked Turkey Recipe with Bourbon Brine
The Best Smoked Turkey
As the owners of a critically acclaimed catering company, we’ve cooked turkey pretty much every way you can. From brining, to not brining, whole turkey to spatchcock, to smoked turkey breast. Cooking on everything from pellet smokers, offsets, gas grills, and our Weber kettle, to even a tiny portable grill. We’ve experimented and cooked with it all, and this is our favorite smoked turkey recipe of all time. Follow these steps for truly the best smoked turkey recipe that you and your family will enjoy for years to come!
Ingredients for Smoked Turkey
- TURKEY: It is important to purchase store-bought turkeys that have not been previously brined in a saltwater solution. Over brined turkey will lead to a very salty flavor in the smoked turkey. Look for a whole bird without a label that says “previously brined”, or “brined in a 4% saltwater solution” (or another percentage). Another consideration is to avoid buying a large turkey. A larger bird can overcook easier because the turkey cooks from the outer edge to the inner parts of the bird. Instead of one large turkey, we prefer two 12 – 14 pound turkeys. This will also allow you to smoke them faster. It also provides more of the legs and thighs that people tend to love. So avoid a turkey over 20 pounds.
- BRINE: This is a salt and water mixture used to add moisture and flavor to meat. We highly recommending buying a turkey that is not already brined, and brining it yourself the day before you smoke your turkey. You can also use a dry brine if you don’t want to use a wet brine.
- TURKEY SEASONING: When smoking it’s nice to have both sugar, salt, and savory flavors. The sugar helps with some caramelization, the salt and savory herbs add flavor. We use our Ultimate Dry Rub for smoked turkey. It’s very versatile with sugar and spices. You can also use our Turkey Seasoning, developed just for turkey. It has less sugar, and more herbs, and is equally good on turkey.
- HERBED BUTTER: This is a mix of room temperature butter and fresh herbs that we place under the skin for great moisture and flavor into the breast meat.
- CAVITY STUFFING: We use a mix of citrus, onions, and garlic to stuff the cavity for maximum moisture and flavor.
How Much Turkey Per Person
When catering the general rule of thumb we use is to plan on 1.25 pounds of turkey per person. When planning on portions, it’s important to consider the bones adding weight to the turkey as well as leftovers (because, let’s be honest, we all love the leftovers).
This is the estimate we use and trust.
- A 10 pound turkey will serve 8 hungry people on average.
- A 12 pound turkey will serve 10 people
- A 14 pound turkey will serve 12 people
Holiday season means a bountiful table of other foods too, and there is always planning for leftovers. As you approach needing more than 14 pounds of turkey, consider two birds as mentioned.
Thawing Turkey
For frozen turkey, remove from freezer 3 days prior to brining the turkey in order to let it defrost safely and with enough time to brine. The general rule is that it takes 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey to thaw in a refrigerator. We have an entire article on safe ways to thaw turkey.
Rapid thawing is possible using water and ice. The important safety measures are to keep the turkey and water cold to prevent bacterial growth. Plan 30 minutes per pound to thaw using the water and ice technique. Thermoworks, one of our favorite brands for instant read thermometers, has a great step by step guide on using water to rapidly thaw a turkey. We’ve used this method in a pinch.
Fresh turkey can last up to 3 days in the fridge prior to cooking.
Smoked Turkey Brine
What is a brine? Simply put a turkey brine is a salt and water mixture used to add moisture and flavor to meat. Smoking slowly take a toll on moisture and this offsets that.
How? The salt follows its way into the meat through the process of osmosis, which is why adding more flavor in addition to your salt mixture allows for the flavor to get into the meat.
You can go with a dry brine (salt based rub) or wet brine. We prefer the wet brine with bourbon for that added flavor. You can check out our article for more information on a basic turkey brine recipe.
- In a large stockpot add cold water and your brine ingredients (see recipe card). Place the turkey into the brine and cover. (If you have more than one turkey, consider food-safe brining bags or a cooler that will hold the liquid and the turkey.)
- Place the turkey in the refrigerator for 24 hours. If using brine bags carefully seal them and store in a cooler with ice (this saves room in the fridge with all the other food you will likely be preparing for the holiday meal).
- If your turkey tends to float to the top then flip the turkey over half way through the brine.
Important: Avoid brining more than 24 hours as the texture of the turkey may start to get gummy as it cures versus brines.
Preparation For Smoked Turkey
Once you’ve thawed and brined the turkey you need to prepare for smoking.
- RINSE TURKEY: Rinse off the brine and pat the exterior of the turkey dry with paper towels. Both the turkey cavity and exterior need to be DRY.
- SEASON TURKEY AND DEHYDRATE: Season the turkey using our turkey seasoning liberally, including the cavity of the turkey. Leave the dried and salted/seasoned bird uncovered in the refrigerator for four hours. This will flavor the turkey and help minimize rubbery skin when smoking.
- STUFF CAVITY: Remove from the fridge and stuff the cavity with some fresh citrus (a combination of lemons and oranges), onions, garlic, and fresh herbs. This is going to help the cavity of the bird stay juicy and tender. As the stuffing heats up, the aromatics and liquid are forced out and into the bird from the inside out.
- ADD COMPOUND BUTTER: Slightly lift the skin and add an herbed compound butter. See recipe card for the butter ingredients.
- TIE WINGS AND LEGS: Tie the legs and wings close to the body of the turkey with kitchen twine so it cooks evenly. If they are flapping around, they will overcook. You can also tuck the wings under the breast
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If some of the seasoning has come off you can dust a little more to the top before placing the turkey inside the smoker.
If you have a gas grill you can follow our guide on how to smoke on a gas grill using wood chips and a smoker box.
How to Smoke a Turkey
- PREHEAT SMOKER: Prepare smoker to 275 degrees. After experimenting with different cooking temps we’ve landed at 275 as our sweet spot for a whole turkey to minimize rubbery skin. We like fruit wood for poultry, cherry or apple wood is our choice when smoking turkey.
- SMOKE TURKEY: Place the turkey directly on the smoker (you do not need a roasting pan or aluminum pan). We recommend to insert a digital blue tooth probe thermometer, like the Thermoworks Signals. Signals, like the Smoke unit, will monitor the ambient cooking chamber temperature, as well as up to three zones. So in this case, we put one probe in the breast meat, and one into the dark meat. The blue tooth capabilities makes it easy to monitor temperatures on your phone, so you don’t have to keep lifting the lid on your smoker letting any heat out.
- MONITOR TEMPERATURE: Remove the turkey when the internal temperature of the breast is 165 degrees (F). The thigh and legs may be higher, that is fine as they can take a higher heat and still stay tender.
- REST: Remove from heat and tent in foil, and then let it rest 20 minutes. If you are done early, wrap it and leave in a cooler (with no ice) to keep warm for up to four hours. Resting allows the cells to cool down and retain that moisture.
- SLICE AND SERVE: Carve with a sharp high quality carving knife and enjoy.
If you have a gas grill you can follow our guide on how to smoke on a gas grill using wood chips and a smoker box.
Common Smoked Turkey Q&A
Plan on 15 minutes per pound when cooking at 275 degrees F. Our 12 pound turkeys tend to be done in 3 hours.
We do not recommend stuffing your turkey with a traditional stuffing. Instead we recommend you add citrus, onions and garlic, for aromatics, then discard them after cooking. For a stuffing recipe, we highly recommend our Smoked Sausage and Caramelized Onion Cornbread Stuffing. It’s a winner every year.
165 degrees F is the safest temperature for smoked turkey. We pull ours when it reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit (F) when measured at the breast. THEN carry over cooking will continue to take the internal temperature of the turkey to 165 degrees F (USDA minimum temperature recommendation). So target 160 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast. By that time the legs and thighs should have an internal temp of 175 to 180 degrees at the same time, which is perfect for the darker meat.
When smoking, even at 275, the challenge for any turkey will be crispy skin. If you want a crispy skin, a modification to the recipe is to wait until the bird gets to 145 degrees and then crank up the heat to 375 to finish cooking. You run the risk of still drying out the bird, so we don’t push for a crispy skin when smoking. With our technique the skin should still be moderately crispy from drying in the fridge.
This will depend on your grill. On a Big Green Egg or Kamado style smoker, we do not as it is very efficient and well sealed. On offsets or our pellet grills we do use a water pan to help add moisture to the chamber.
No, you don’t. If you want a great smoked turkey gravy recipe, see our hack for incredible flavor without stressing about catching drippings.
Best Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner
We’ve got you covered in our Thanksgiving Wine Guide. We discuss everything you need for selecting the best wines in all budgets for your holiday dinner.
More Grilled and Smoked Turkey Recipes
- Spatchcocked Smoked Turkey
- Cajun Grilled Turkey Breast
- Smoked Turkey Breast with Maple Glaze
- Green Chili Turkey
- Smoked Turkey Legs exclusively in our cookbook Fire + Wine.
Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas on a Smoker
You can explore our Thanksgiving Recipes for the Grill and Smoker or some of our favorites below.
- Smoked Turkey and Bourbon Gravy
- Smoked Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing (Dressing)
- Turkey Collard Greens
- Grilled Beet Salad with Rosé Infused Cranberries
- Smoked Honey Butter (for your dinner rolls)
*This recipe was originally published in November of 2018 and updated in September 2022 with more recipe details.
*This post contains affiliate links. We only recommend and promote products we use and love and contribute to great barbecued and grilled foods, like a good digital thermometer!
If you like these recipes we’d truly appreciate it if you would give this recipe a star review! And if you share any of your pics on Instagram use the hashtag #vindulge. We LOVE to see it when you cook our recipes.
Smoked Turkey Recipe with Bourbon Brine
Ingredients
- 1 12-14 lb whole turkey (unbrined)
For the Brine
- 8 quarts water
- 1 ½ cups kosher salt, (we use Diamond Crystal kosher salt)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, (we use dark brown but light works also)
- 1 cup bourbon
- 2 oranges, cut into quarters
- 1 lemon, cut into quarters
- ⅓ cup whole peppercorns
- 10 whole cloves
- 2 dried bay leaves
For the Herbed Butter
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
Turkey Seasoning
- ½ cup Ultimate Dry Rub
Cavity Stuffing
- 2 oranges, quartered , (we use navel)
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 red or yellow onion, quartered
- 6 garlic cloves
- 10 sprigs thyme
- 2 large sprigs of rosemary
Instructions
For Brine:
- Prepare turkey for brine by fully defrosting, removing giblets and neck, and trimming off excess fat.
- In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, combine water, salt, sugar, and bourbon. Bring heat up and dissolve the salt and sugar into the liquid, then immediately turn off heat.
- Let cool and then add remaining brine ingredients. Add turkey to brine and cover. Brine for 24 hours in the refrigerator, avoid going beyond 30 hours. At a minimum brine for four hours.
For Herb Butter:
- Add herbs to room temperature butter and combine.
How to Smoke a Turkey:
- Prep Turkey: Remove turkey from brine and rinse. Pat dry with a towel, especially the cavity. Season liberally with dry rub and place into the refrigerator for four hours.
- Preheat Smoker: After four hours, preheat Smoker to 275 degrees using fruit wood.
- Stuff and Season Turkey: Stuff cavity of the bird with oranges, lemons, onion, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Then stuff butter between the skin and breasts, spreading it out with your hands all along the breast. Tie up legs and wings with kitchen string, or tuck them to keep tight against the turkey. Add more dry rub if needed (it can rub off while tying up the bird).
- Smoke Turkey: Place turkey on the smoker, and then insert your digital meat probe into the breast (and thigh or leg if you have more than one probe). Smoke until the internal temperature of both reads 165 degrees (F). Use an instant read to check temp in various part of the turkey, even if the digital probes read 165 to confirm all parts of the turkey are cooked through.
- Rest and Serve: Remove from smoker (will likely take 3 – 4 hours with a 12 – 14 pound bird) and cover with foil. Let rest for about 20 minutes, then slice and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Any tips for a Masterbuit Electric? I have a 17 lb bird that I am doing for the first time
Derek, the main thing to watch for the Masterbuilt is how high you can get the heat. While we target 275 for smoking the bird, that may top out your smoker temp. If you can hold that temp and the 17 pound bird fits in the smoker, then you are good to go. If the bird is too big, I would spatchcock it (cut out the backbone so it lays flat) and plan the same cooking time. If you find your cooking temperature is lower, like 225 or 250, then plan more time on the smoker. Like 20 – 25 minutes per pound at 225 – 250. Feel free to drop an email (sean@vindulge.com) for any more details.
Sounds wonderful! just got my new smoker fired up last night! I am looking to cook a 20lbs turkey, how long should I go for? I know cook to temp but I want to have a solid foundation on when to start so I am not delaying turkeyday!
Jeffrey – Plan on 20 minutes per pound. We have found ours run more like 15, but best to plan 20. If you turkey is done early, then rest the turkey in a cooler (with no ice). That cooler will keep it warm for hours and let it rest at the same time.
Awesome! Thank you so much for a fast reply! I can’t wait to devour this thing! Happy Turley day to you and yours:)
Unfortunately I couldn’t find an un-brined bird. The package is stating that it is in a 8% solution. I’ve brined pre-brined turkeys before with the salt content adjusted, I’m curious to see if you have also done this, and if you have a suggestion on how much salt to use for a pre-brined bird?
I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe this year! Thanks for posting it
Abran, have no fear! You can brine a pre brined bird. I would pull back the salt, probably by 50% to avoid it being too salty. The sugar and aromatics in the brine should be fine to add more of that flavor component. Then with the rub you should be good to go. I would also not brine any more than 24 hours also since it has already been in a soak of some kind.
Hello, so excited to try this recipe on our first thanksgiving, We recently purchased a Traeger and have been smoking all sorts of meats. We have a 20 lb turkey, the plan is to brine tonight roughly 18-20 hours and then remove tomorrow. If it will be sitting in the fridge for 12+ hours after washed and dried from brine, is it ok to dry rub it and have it sit for that long? Some recipes say the longer between brine and smoker the better for a crispy skin but didn’t know if it was ok to leave the rub on this long?
It’s absolutely OK!!! And congrats on the new smoker!!! You will never go back to regular turkey once you smoke yours. The dry brine will enhance the flavor and the salt will help in developing the right pellicle for crispy skin. So your plan looks perfect!
Do you have a suggestion on what bourbon to use in the brine? Fully plan on making this!
Tim we use Bulleit Bourbon most commonly. We don’t suggest a really expensive one as the bourbon aroma will water down. So a good one, but not one that is too expensive.
Hello! just bought ours too and also have a 20 lbs bird. How long are you planning on cooking yours?
Hello, trying your recipe this week for Thanksgiving. What are your recommendations for injecting and what would you recommend we use? Thank you!!!
Tara, great question. We don’t inject the turkey. Our process starts with the brine adding a salt and aromatic note to the turkey through osmosis. next we use the herbed butter that really bastes the meat as it smokes complementing the brine. If you were to inject, I would suggest you skip the brining process as they should do the same thing.
Thank you so much for your reply I will let you know how this turns out ❤️ Have a blessed day
Hello I was looking to make this for thanksgiving , my husband has concerns that it may stick to the grill ? Will it stick? If not what prevents it from not sticking . Also I have an 18lb turkey please suggest what and how I should adjust the Recipie.
Thanks so much looking forward from hearing from you
Jesenia, typically a clean grate will help prevent sticking. Also, this will be cooking and roasting for a while, all of which help the bird not stick to the grates. So I would be sure the grates are scraped down clean before putting on the turkey. For the size, You may need to up the rub and the butter by 50%. And the cooking time will go a little longer. Plan 4 to 4 1/2 hours of cooking time. If it’s done early, you can always store it in a cooler with no ice to keep it warm until ready to eat.
Can I used this recipe and cook turkey in the oven?
Absolutely! If you are cooking in the oven then I would not worry about the lower temperature. I would cook it at 350 degrees F from the start and cut the cooking time. You could do the lower temperature, but if using the oven, I would just go to the higher 350 – 375.
This has been our family’s go to Thanksgiving Turkey for the last couple of years. Always moist, flavorful and smoky! Awesome recipe! Maybe this year I will finally take a picture and tag you!!!
Thank you!!! We definitely want to see photos!!!!
We are brining a 22.5 lb turkey and then smoking it spatchcock style. Just need to ask how much I would need to adjust the brine recipe for this size turkey. Loved the reviews and am excited to see how it turns out.
Sherry
Sherry, I recommend with something that big you start with seeing if it will fit in a 5-pound bucket already spatchcocked. If so then I would go 1 1/2 portions of the brine recipe. So I would simply add 50% to each ingredient to get the right salt/sugar/water/bourbon ratio. For the rest you can likely leave the same portions.