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Have you always wanted to make your own Smoked Turkey? This "How to Smoke a Turkey" tutorial will show you how easy it is to make the best turkey you've ever had! Not only will this be the best smoked turkey you've ever had, it'll be the best Thanksgiving Turkey you've ever tasted. Get ready for a Thanksgiving dinner that will wow!

Smoked Turkey: How to Smoke a Turkey and Why

Rebecca Lindamood
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
The Smoked Turkey cooks at such a low temperature for such a long time -basting itself continuously- that it doesn't have a chance to get dry and boring. The smoke delivers incredible flavour, making any seasoning beyond salt, pepper, and a touch of granulated garlic and onion superfluous and unnecessary.

Equipment

  • 1 Smoker Traeger pellet grill, electric smoker, or other smoker that can maintain 250ºF for several hours with minimal intervention
  • 1 roaster pan with a rack or a rack on a deep, rimmed pan large enough to accommodate the turkey in the refrigerator then on the smoker

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole turkey 12 to14 pounds, fresh or thawed if frozen, giblets and neck removed and reserved for another purpose
  • 1/4 cup peanut oil
  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon granulated onion

For the aromatics:

  • 2 yellow onions halved, papery skin removed
  • 3 fresh apples stems removed and cut into wedges
  • 3 cloves garlic pulled apart, papery skins removed, but left in the peel
  • 1 bundle fresh sage

Instructions
 

  • Pat the turkey dry and set it, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Let rest, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight to dry.
  • The day of smoking, heat your smoker to 250°F according to manufacturer's instructions or build a bed of low coals off to the side of a grill. Either way, use apple wood chips to produce smoke for 30 minutes before putting the turkey in the smoker.
  • Stuff the onions, apples, garlic, and sage in the cavity of the turkey. Drizzle the peanut oil over the dried turkey and rub with the salt, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Put the turkey into the smoker and smoke for 30 to 40 minutes per pound, or until an instant read thermometer (or stay-in-the-bird probe thermometer) reads 160°F in the thickest part of the breast meat. Use silicone oven mitts or two sets of tongs to carefully shift the smoked turkey to a rimmed half sheet pan or clean roasting pan and tent lightly with foil for 30 minutes before slicing, giving the juices time to redistribute. This also makes the meat easier to slice evenly.

Nutrition

Calories: 282kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 35gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 1489mgPotassium: 423mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 110IUVitamin C: 2.7mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1.5mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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