The first time I ever had smoked turkey, I knew right away, I'd never cook a turkey any other way again. That bacon tucked under the skin, that smoke ring that surrounds the whole turkey, how juicy it turns out. Throwing it on my Louisiana Grills Black Label was key this Thanksgiving at home here in Canada and what I brought to the ambassador-giving this year.
This smoked turkey recipe is fail proof. An easy smoked turkey recipe that will sure to impress your family and guests. Using a Smoked Turkey Brine 24 hours prior to smoking the turkey, ensures a juicy moist bird, and highly suggest using one, but not necessary. Check Out The Recipe HERE
THE PREP The hardest part about doing a smoked turkey is all the prep. Watch my video as you see from beginning to end how to prep your turkey perfectly.
1. DRY. Pat dry and bring the bird up to room temperature. This is a crucial part in prepping your turkey. If it is wet and cold, the butter will not spread over the turkey easily.
2. WINGS. Tuck the wings of your smoked turkey. Using a little elbow power, you must tuck the wings under itself. This prevents burning. See the video for detailed instructions. An alternative is to wrap aluminum foil around them.
3. STUFFING. DO NOT STUFF this bird. We are not spatchcocking this turkey, so I suggest NOT stuffing a whole turkey. I loosely placed my orange peels and rosemary sprigs from the brine in it instead for nice flavor.
4. BACON. I love placing bacon under the skin of my smoked turkey. Some people like to place butter under the skin, but I find the slow release of fat from cooking bacon under the skin, yields for a very moist flavorful bird. See video for complete instructions.
5. BUTTER having your seasonings and butter at hand, evenly spread your room temperature butter over the entire turkey. Use salt, pepper, Italian seasonings evenly over the smoked turkey. Place your turkey directly on the grill OR on a roasting pan to collect the drippings. (Pro Tip: work at the bottom of your turkey first and then flip and do the top. Making your turkey picture perfect.)
THE GRILL | PELLETS
Using my Louisiana Grills Black Label 1200, I set my pellet smoker to 250 degrees. I filled my hopper with Pitmasters Choice Premium Pellets, fruit blend for this cook (use "ScaleAndTailor10" for 10% off at checkout). I wanted a true smoked turkey, so for this smoked turkey recipe we went low and slow, developing a nice smoke ring throughout the smoked turkey.
THE COOK This smoked turkey recipe is so easy, once you have it prepped, the cook is really simple. First, set your smoker to 250 degrees. Then set your smoked turkey on a roasting pan to collect the drippings OR direction on the grill. No need for a water pan or spritzing. Set it and go! I used my Louisiana Grills SMOKEIT app to keep an eye on the internal temperature of my turkey at all times. Once your smoked turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, rest for 20 minutes, and then slice. Enjoy!!
DONT HAVE A SMOKER? Check out these other Turkey Tutorials
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