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Just in time for Thanksgiving, this perfect smoked turkey is juicy and tender with a subtle smoky flavor. Start with a simple brine and fresh herbs to make each bite burst with flavor!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Unique: If you are looking to switch up how you normally bake a turkey, this smoked recipe is awesome! You can also try my air fryer or slow cooker turkeys!
- Tender and Juicy: Smoking a turkey will give you a more tender, juicy turkey than typical baking. That’s really what the people want, right?
- Flavor: The unique flavors you get from smoking a turkey are unbeatable. You can also try different types of wood to change the flavor.
Everything You Need for the Best Smoked Turkey
The best part about this smoked turkey recipe is that it uses simple ingredients from your cabinet! Thanksgiving is hectic as it is, no need to brave the grocery store! See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
- Turkey Brine: A brine is a simple saltwater mix, but I like to add herbs and citrus for extra flavor! It also helps to tenderize. While this step is optional, I highly recommend putting in the time for a more flavorful turkey! You can find my full recipe here.
- Whole Turkey: Make sure the giblets and neck are removed.
- Paprika: I love adding paprika to my turkey rub for some mild spice! It tastes amazing in contrast to the smoky flavor.
- Garlic Powder: You can’t go wrong with garlic! Added for the perfect savory flavor.
- Italian Seasoning: This is my personal blend of herbs like rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and basil. It upgrades whatever dish it’s added to!
- Onion Powder: I love the hint of sharp flavor that onion powder adds to turkey.
- Salt and Pepper: Used to enhance the smoked turkey’s overall flavor.
- Apple: I add quartered apples to the inside of the turkey for moisture and a subtle, sweet flavor.
- Onion: Like the apples, I stuff the turkey with quartered onions to flavor from the inside out!
- Lemon: Sliced lemons are added to the inside of the turkey for zesty flavor.
- Fresh Rosemary: I like adding whole sprigs of rosemary inside the turkey for flavor. They also work great as a pretty garnish!
What Kind of Smoker Should I Use?
I use the Camp Chef Woodwind grill! It smokes everything to perfection! I find that it balances heat really well to make sure whatever you’re making is cooked evenly! Not to mention, it has built-in wifi, so I can monitor and change temperatures on my phone! Anything that lets me keep an eye on dinner while watching Netflix is a win in my book. I highly recommend their products!
How to Make the Perfect Smoked Turkey
In just five easy steps, you can make an amazing smoked turkey, too! Trust me, this turkey is going to be the star of the show, given how tender, delicate, and juicy it is! It’s always a favorite with my friends and family.
- (Optional) Brine and Pat Dry: Let’s get smoking! First, remove the turkey from the brine and pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Prep: Next, preheat the smoker to 225 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Rub generously on the entire turkey.
- Stuff: Fill the cavity of the turkey with the apple, onion, lemon, and rosemary.
- Smoke: Next, place the turkey in the smoker and smoke for 30 minutes per pound. Put the meat thermometer into the thigh without touching the bone or about an inch into the thickest part of the breast. Smoke until the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rest: Once the turkey has reached the target internal temperature, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Smoked Turkey Tips and Tricks
Add these simple tips to your turkey-making process, and you’ll have a masterpiece for the holidays! Honestly, smoked turkey is a game-changer. It’s one of the best ways to keep your turkey moist and full of flavor! Now you can have a turkey that looks like a showstopper and tastes like one!
- Thaw in Time: Be sure to thaw your turkey before smoking so it cooks through completely! For a 12-15 pound turkey, I like to thaw four days in advance.
- Don’t Skip the Brine: If you want the best turkey possible, don’t skip the brine! Brining your turkey helps to break down proteins. This makes your turkey more moist and tender! I like to add herbs and citrus to help infuse flavor, too. You can find my recipe here! It does take 1-3 days to see the best results, so keep this in mind so you’re not scrambling before Thanksgiving!
- Keep Your Grill Closed: I know it’s tempting to open your grill to see how everything’s coming, but I recommend keeping it closed for as long as possible to maintain the right smoking temperature!
- Check Internal Temperature: The last thing you want to do this Thanksgiving is make your guests sick. It’s super important to make sure the internal temperature of your smoked turkey has reached at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Amazing Thanksgiving Sides
It will take 7-8 hours to smoke your turkey, so this gives you plenty of time to prepare the rest of Thanksgiving! What would Thanksgiving be without sides? Here are some of my absolute favorite recipes that will pair perfectly with your smoked turkey. I’m sure you’ll love them all!
Storing Leftover Smoked Turkey
I’m a fiend for Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. My favorite way to use it is in sandwiches. The smoky flavor of this particular turkey makes them so delicious!
- In the Refrigerator: Remove any stuffing or fillings and wrap the turkey in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- In the Freezer: You can store leftover smoked turkey in a freezer-safe bag for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before serving/reheating.
- Reheating: I like to warm leftover turkey in the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure internal temperatures reach 165 degrees before serving.
More Holiday Meat Dishes
A juicy, flavorful meat dish is the star of any holiday dinner! Here are some tasty alternatives to turkey that you’re going to love having on your plate this year! They’re all huge hits with my family. I’m sure yours will love them as well!
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Perfect Smoked Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 Turkey Brine Recipe optional
- 12-15 pound whole turkey giblets and neck removed
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 Apple quartered
- 1 onion quartered
- 1 lemon sliced
- Fresh Rosemary
Instructions
- Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. *see notes
- Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees. In a small bowl combine the paprika, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Rub generously on the entire turkey.
- Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the apple, onion, lemon, and rosemary.
- Place the turkey in the smoker and smoke for 30 minutes per pound. Put the meat thermometer into the thigh without touching the bone, or about an inch into the thickest part of the breast. **see notes. Smoke until the temperature is 165 degrees.
- Once the turkey has reached the temperature, remove it from the smoker and let rest 10-15 minutes before carving.
Notes
** I had a 16 pound turkey and it took about 7 1/2 hours. I bumped the temperature up to 250 degrees the last hour so it would be done a little bit faster.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I don’t have a smoker can this be cooked in the oven and for how long?
I would recommend this oven-baked herb turkey instead!
Looking forward to trying this recipe! The turkey is already in the brine as we speak! Question about smoking…what type of wood/smoking chips do you recommend to use with this recipe?
Alyssa, thank you for the awesome recipe. I can’t wait to try it. My question is do I thaw my turkey for four days then brine it for three additional days before I smoke it?
Hi Linda! Yes, you’ll need to need to make sure your turkey is completely thawed before you brine it.
I used the Brine recipe and this was the beat tasting turkey I ever had. The people who visited told me it was the best ever. It did cook quicker then the recipe stated. A 19 pound turkey was doen in 6 hours
Thank you Alyssa, the turkey was amazing! It was so smoky and flavorful, for days after Thanksgiving too! Question: I have a pellet grill and used Traeger Turkey Pellets. What other flavor of pellets do you recommend if I cannot get my hands on more Turkey pellets?
I used this recipe today for my firstvsmkoed turkey, and it was so good! It was really moist and delicious. I highly recommend it. Thanks Alyssa!
Isn’t it the best?? So happy you liked it, Steve!
This was by far the best turkey we’ve ever had. So tender and full of flavor.
This Smoked Turkey recipe was wonderful. It was my first time smoking a turkey so I was a little nervous, but it was probably the most moist and tender turkey that I’ve ever had. Seasoning was just right. Highly recommend!