How To Smoke A Turkey for Thanksgiving

It’s that time of year again where we are smoking the turkey! While everyone is thinking of how to prep the turkey, you might be thinking of how to SMOKE IT!

So, here is where my guest writer comes in, its my hubby, Mr. Cherry. This man has been smoking turkeys for years now and has spent many hours researching on just exactly how to perfect it.

NOTE: 24 Hours Before: Remove all innards from bird and brine pre-thawed turkey in ice water brining solution. There are several recipes on how to brine a turkey, like this one.

Smoked Turkey Recipe

J Cherry

How to smoke your turkey, perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas or other feast!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Equipment

• Basting brush
• Olive oil
• Baking rack
• Charcoal starter chimney
• Aluminum pan for water
• Baking twine
• Digital thermometer with two probes
• Heavy duty aluminum foil
• Cooler (ice chest) for resting the bird
• Stuffing ingredients

Instructions

 

• Day Of: Take it out of brine and pat dry.
• Stuff turkey with preferred stuffing or onions, apples and garlic. Personal preference with this choice of stuffing.
• Tie the legs together with baking twine.
• Push minced garlic up under turkey skin. Lightly coat entire surface of bird with olive oil. Can sub olive oil with bacon grease if you like it a little more “southern”.
• Create basting solution olive oil/butter and spices.
• Fill large bowel or bucket with smoke source (wood) and cover in water, let it soak. I prefer hickory or apple wood for the turkey.
• Add a pan of water under the grating of the grill. If vertical smoker, place at the bottom of the smoke chamber next to fire box.  If horizontal, place in the smoke chamber by fire box opposite chimney side. This will keep your bird from drying out for the long cook time.
• Clip leave in temperature probe very close to where the bird will sit, preferably between the heat and the bird. Put the other probe in the bird’s thickest meat point. Do not touch bone or penetrate to air on the other side as the temperature will not read accurate. This will allow you to monitor the smoke chamber and bird temp accurately outside smoker gauges are notoriously not accurate and can lead to a dry and overcooked bird.
• Build fire with lump charcoal as fuel source. (Or preferred fuel source). Wood will take longer to produce coals. I like the starter chimneys for this phase. Burn until coals are gray and have a nice red glow. Then spread them out in the fire box.
• ****INTERNAL SMOKER TEMP: 225-250f.****
• Place 1 or 3 pieces of smoke source at a time on coals until they become coals themselves. Then add more for the duration of the smoking. Add additional prestarted fuel source as needed to maintain smoke chamber temperature.
• NOTE: You will want a thin “blue” smoke coming out of the chimney, not a 3 alarm fire smoke.  
• Place turkey in the smoker in the middle or a little closer to the chimney side on a baking rack. This will make removing the large and very hot bird easy.
• Smoke 30-40 minutes per pound. Done when 160F internal bird temperature at thickest meat point.
• Baste every 30-40 minutes with olive oil/butter and preferred spice blend.
• TAKING OUT THE BIRD

  Wrap bird in 2 layers of heavy duty foil after removing from smoker. Wrap in a towel and place in a cooler for 30 minutes. Resting will allow the juices to redistribute and produce a juicy bird.

Check out my Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Pecans recipe!

HOW TO SMOKE A TURKEY

Utensils Needed:

• Basting brush
• Olive oil
• Baking rack
• Charcoal starter chinmey
• Aluminum pan for water
• Baking twine
• Digital thermometer with two probes
• Heavy duty aluminum foil
• Cooler (ice chest) for resting the bird
• Stuffing ingredients

Day Of: Take it out of brine and pat dry.

1. Stuff turkey with preferred stuffing or onions, apples and garlic. Personal preference with this choice of stuffing.

2. Tie the legs together with baking twine.

3. Push minced garlic up under turkey skin. Lightly coat entire surface of bird with olive oil. Can sub olive oil with bacon grease if you like it a little more “southern”.

4. Create  basting solution from olive oil and more spices.

5. Fill large bowel or bucket with smoke source (wood) and cover in water, let it soak. I prefer hickory or apple wood for the turkey.

6. Add a pan of water under the grating of the grill. If vertical smoker, place at the bottom of the smoke chamber next to fire box.  If horizontal, place in the smoke chamber by fire box opposite chimney side. This will keep your bird from drying out for the long cook time.

7 Clip leave in temperature probe very close to where the bird will sit, preferably between the heat and the bird. Put the other probe in the bird’s thickest meat point. Do not touch bone or penetrate to air on the other side as the temperature will not read accurate. This will allow you to monitor the smoke chamber and bird temp accurately outside smoker gauges are notoriously not accurate and can lead to a dry and overcooked bird.

8. Build fire with lump charcoal as fuel source. (Or preferred fuel source). Wood will take longer to produce coals. I like the starter chimneys for this phase. Burn until coals are gray and have a nice red glow. Then spread them out in the fire box.

****INTERNAL SMOKER TEMP: 225-250f.****

9. Place 1 or 3 pieces of smoke source at a time on coals until they become coals themselves. Then add more for the duration of the smoking. Add additional prestarted fuel source as needed to maintain smoke chamber temperature.

NOTE: You will want a thin “blue” smoke coming out of the chimney, not a 3 alarm fire smoke.  

10. Place turkey in the smoker in the middle or a little closer to the chimney side on a baking rack. This will make removing the large and very hot bird easy.

11. Smoke 30-40 minutes per pound. Done when 160f internal bird temperature at thickest meat point.

12. Baste every 30-40 minutes with olive olive oil brining spice blend.

TAKING OUT THE BIRD

13. Wrap bird in 2 layers of heavy duty foil after removing from smoker. Wrap in a towel and place in a cooler for 30 minutes. Resting will allow the juices to redistribute and produce a juicier bird.

Make sure to follow Life of a Cherry Wife on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

This post may contain affiliate links,which means I may be compensated (at no cost to you).My opinions are my own. Please read my disclosure.