This smoked turkey recipe is the best way to prepare a whole smoked turkey on your grill to serve for Thanksgiving dinner complete with the crispy skin that everyone loves or any time you are wanting delicious smoked turkey.
If you don't have a grill or a smoker you should just still want a juicy turkey recipe you should check out my turkey roulade recipe or spatchcock turkey recipe. No matter what Thanksgiving turkey recipe you choose be sure to safely thaw your turkey first and then use the carcass to make turkey stock the next day.
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🥰 Why this recipe works
- This is the best smoked turkey recipe for a whole turkey because it frees up your oven for other side dishes.
- Serving a large crowd? Smoke two smaller turkeys side by side and get your holiday meal on the table baster than smoking one large turkey.
- Customize the smoky flavor of your turkey by switching out your wood type to suit your taste. Apple, Cherry, mesquite or a combination are all delicious options.
- Use these turkey smoking instructions when making a smoked spatchcock turkey.
- Juicy turkey with a delightful smoked turkey flavor all from your own grill or smoker!
🦃 Ingredients for a whole smoked turkey:
- Turkey, whole, thawed - Some people say that fresh turkeys are the best turkeys but I can only ever find frozen turkeys at my store.
- Dry Turkey Brine Recipe - Optional but adds great flavors and extra moistness.
- Onion - sliced in half
- Apple - sliced in half
- Orange - sliced
- Juice - apple juice, apple cider or orange juice, for the roasting pan
- Herbs - rosemary, sage, parsley
Tools & Equipment to make a smoked turkey
- Roasting pan - disposable drip pan
- Grill with a smoker- I have a rectec grill that is a pellet grill but a smoke box in a charcoal grill will work as well.
- Wood for smoking - either pellets, chunks or wood chips. I recommend apple, cherry, or hickory for smoking poultry.
- Meat thermometers - I suggest 2 meat thermometers, one for the breast and one for the thigh. An instant read thermometer or a digital thermometer will work just fine.
🔪 How to prepare a turkey for smoking
- Be sure the turkey is properly and safely thawed. I have several methods of thawing a frozen turkey safely if you are new to cooking a frozen turkey.
- If you are going to brine the turkey allow an extra day for brining. Follow my brining instructions in another post.
🍗 How to smoke a turkey
- Heat your smoker or grill to 225 degrees F.
- Tuck the wing tips under to stabilize the bird and keep the wingtips from burning.
- Stuff the the turkey cavity with the apple, onion, and herbs.
- Line the disposable aluminum pan with orange slices, placing the prepared turkey on top of the orange slices. Pour the apple juice (or liquid of your choice) along with the turkey neck into the drippings pan.
- Insert a meat thermometer into the turkey breast at the thickest part of the breast as well as the thickest part of the thigh of the bird. Be sure these are oven-safe thermometers.
- Smoke the whole turkey on the grill or smoker for 30 minutes per pound.
- Once the thermometers have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit remove the whole bird from the smoker and cover it with aluminum foil letting the turkey rests for 15 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
- Transfer the smoked turkey to a cutting board and carve for serving. I am step by step instructions on how to carve a turkey if you needed further instructions.
📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
Plan on smoking your turkey for about 30 minutes per pound when the smoker is set at 250F. Plan on at least 7 hours to smoke an average-sized turkey with a buffer of an additional 45 minutes, depending on size and rest time. 
By smoking a whole turkey in a disposable aluminum pan, you are able to add a cup of liquid that will evaporate off as the turkey smokes, giving the turkey a moist environment to cook in.
The pan also will catch any turkey drippings, and allow the turkey neck to also smoke at the same time in the same drippings. Use these dripping and smoked turkey neck to make the most amazing turkey giblet gravy.
Customize the smoky flavor of your turkey by switching out your wood type to suit your taste. Apple wood, Cherry, mesquite or a combination are all delicious options.
Plan 1 ½ pounds of turkey per person when shopping for your whole turkey. Keep in mind that the raw weight includes bones, skin, wingtips, etc. that won’t necessarily be consumed at the table but go toward the total purchase weight.
1 ½ pounds per person will allow everyone to get enough turkey at the Thanksgiving meal and you may even have leftovers the next day. 
👩🍳 Chef Tip
1 ½ pounds per person will allow everyone to get enough turkey at the Thanksgiving meal and you may even have leftovers the next day.
📄 Related Recipes
Smoked Turkey Recipe ~ Whole Tureky
There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS
Ingredients
- 1 15 pound Turkey (whole, thawed)
- 1 recipe Dry Turkey Brine Recipe - Optional but adds great flavors and extra moistness.
- 1 Onion - sliced in half
- 1 Apple - sliced in half
- 1 Orange - sliced
- 1 cup Juice - apple juice (apple cider or orange juice, for the roasting pan)
- Herbs (rosemary, sage, parsley)
Instructions
How to prepare a turkey for smoking
- Be sure the turkey is properly and safely thawed. I have several methods of thawing a frozen turkey safely if you are new to cooking a frozen turkey.1 15 pound Turkey
- If you are going to brine the turkey allow an extra day for brining. Follow my brining instructions in another post.1 recipe Dry Turkey Brine Recipe - Optional but adds great flavors and extra moistness.
How to smoke a turkey
- Heat your smoker or grill to 225 F.
- Tuck the wings under to stabilize the bird and keep the wingtips from burning.
- Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the apple, onion, and herbs. Line the disposable aluminum pan with orange slices, placing the prepared turkey on top of the orange slices.1 Onion - sliced in half, 1 Apple - sliced in half, 1 Orange - sliced, Herbs
- Pour the apple juice ( or liquid of your choice) along with the turkey neck into the pan.1 cup Juice - apple juice
- Insert a meat thermometer into the breast as well as the thigh of the bird. Be sure these are oven-safe thermometers. Smoke the whole turkey on the grill or smoker for 30 minutes per pound. Once the thermometers have reached 165 remove the whole smoked turkey from the smoker and cover with foil allowing it to rest for 15 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
- Transfer the smoked turkey to a cutting board and carve for serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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👩🏻🍳 Sarah Mock
CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
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