Smoked Pellet Grill Turkey Recipe
Using this method and recipe you will get perfect juicy smoked turkey with crispy skin every single time. Follow the simple steps of Brine, Spatchcock, Season, Smoke, for the best smoked turkey.
Servings: 10 people
Cost: $65
Equipment
- 1 Leave-In Bluetooth Thermometer
- 1 Stock Pot (This is ideal for brining)
Ingredients
- 15 pound thawed whole turkey (giblets removed)
- 1 cup turkey seasoning
Pellet Grill Turkey Brine
- 8 quarts cold water
- 1 ½ cups kosher salt
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 2 oranges, quartered
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 1 red onion, quartered
- ¼ cup whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 whole dried cloves
Instructions
- Brine: In a large stockpot, add the cold water, salt, and the sugar. Stir until it’s absorbed. Then add remaining ingredients for flavoring and stir. Place the whole turkey into the pot, place into the refrigerator and brine for 24 hours.
Spatchcock and Season
- Cut Backbone: After 24 hours in the refrigerator remove the turkey from water and place on a large cutting board. Discard the brine. Place the turkey, breast side down, so the backbone is facing you. Using your knife or kitchen sears, begin to cut along one side of the backbone, cutting through the cartilage as close to the bone as possible.
- Remove Backbone: Once you have cut through one side, repeat on the other side. Discard backbone (or use for stock). The last step is to open the former cavity and crack the breast bone so that the entire turkey lies flat.
- Dry Brine: Completely dry the whole turkey using paper towels. You want the turkey dry. This is the key step in achieving crispy skin. Liberally apply turkey seasoning to the entire turkey. Place the turkey on a sheet tray lined with a wire rack (or cookie cooling rack). Then put the turkey into the refrigerator, uncovered for at least 3 hours (up to 12).
Smoke
- PREHEAT SMOKER: Set your smoker to 250 degrees F using a fruit wood like apple or cherry, or a blend of pellets.
- SMOKE TURKEY: Place the seasoned turkey on the grill grate, breast side facing up. Insert the leave-in thermometer temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast. Close the lid and smoke for two hours. See FAQ section on using a water pan.
- INCREASE HEAT: After two hours the internal temperature of the turkey should be around 100 – 120 degrees F, and smoke flavor will have integrated with the outer layer of the turkey. Increase the temperature of your pellet grill to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Continue to smoke for an additional hour (checking on it occasionally), or until the internal temperature of the turkey at the thickest part of the turkey breast is 160 degrees F. Use your instant read thermometer to check the turkey in multiple places on the breast. The legs and thighs at this point will be closer to 180 degrees F which is perfect.
- Rest: Remove from the smoker and let rest 20 minutes loosely covering the turkey with aluminum foil.
Video
Notes
Why Is Resting Important: After the turkey has come to the proper internal temperature, rest it for 20 minutes on a cutting board. Loosely tent with aluminum foil. Do not wrap tightly or it will steam the skin and start to rubberize it. The internal temperature of the turkey will increase by 5 degrees because of carry over cooking (to the recommended temperature of 165). This is why we let meats rest, so they finish cooking.
Carving: Carve the turkey using a sharp knife. Remove the wings first, then the thighs and legs. This frees up space to then carve the breast.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pound | Calories: 835kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 156g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 456mg | Sodium: 808mg | Potassium: 1761mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 827IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 310mg | Iron: 14mg
