How to Smoke a Juicy Turkey Without a Smoker

What’s not to love about smoked turkey? You get tasty and tender meat, and the smoky flavor is just irresistible. Even better, smoked turkey is healthier and has less calories than most other smoked meats, meaning you can indulge without feeling guilty.

Is good smoked turkey hard to find in your area? If so, you should consider making your own smoked turkey. It’s not as hard as you might think, and to prove it, we are about to show you how to smoke a turkey on a grill or smoker at home.

Preparing Turkey for the Smoker

Before putting your turkey in a smoker, you need to prep it. If you have a frozen whole turkey, your first step should be thawing your turkey. Otherwise, you may experience a longer cooking time and an uneven cook. You can thaw your frozen turkey by placing it in a 40°F fridge for 24 to 36 hours.

After thawing your turkey, take the giblets and neck out and dry or wet brine the whole turkey overnight. If you have a fresh turkey, you can skip the thawing process move right to brining it. Brining will enhance the turkey’s flavor and ensure that the meat stays moist throughout the smoking process. Learn more about how to brine a turkey here.

You cannot smoke a turkey without these items:

• Smoker or Grill: If you do not have a smoker, you can use a grill to smoke your turkey. However, if you want your turkey to have that distinct smoky flavor, you should only use a wood smoker or charcoal grill.
• Shady Brook Farms Turkey: You can buy and smoke a fresh or frozen whole turkey. If a whole turkey is too big for you, buy a bone-in turkey breast.
• Seasonings: You can buy a dry rub or make your own by mixing kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, and any other spices you like.
• Large Roasting Pan with Cooking Grate: The grate will hold the turkey, and the pan will catch the drippings during the roasting process.
• Wireless Thermometer: Your wireless thermometer will let you know when your turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. A wireless thermometer is better because you don’t have to keep opening the smoker to check the turkey’s doneness. Frequently opening the smoker or grill can cause lost heat and increase your cooking time.

What’s So Good about Smoked Turkey?

Our fresh whole turkey is rich in protein, vitamin A, iron, and calcium. Even better, turkey meat is lean, making it a healthier choice for individuals trying to lose weight.

Smoking your turkey will lend it an enticing smoky flavor and further reduce its fat content, making it leaner and tastier. Also, smoking with pecan, maple, hickory, or cherry wood can elevate the flavor of your smoked turkey.

How do you smoke a turkey without a smoker?

FAQ

How to smoke a turkey if you don’t have a smoker?

Bring your grill to 250 degrees and place turkey in an aluminum pan in the center of the grill. Add apple wood chips/chunks every hour for four hours to your coals. The amount of time it takes to smoke the turkey typically takes about five hours for a 12-pound turkey.

Can you smoke a turkey in the oven?

Place turkey in a roasting pan. Preheat oven to 275 degrees and bake for 6-12 hours – depending on size of bird.

How do you smoke a turkey on a regular grill?

Place turkey in the middle of a smoker or on the grill preheated to 225 degrees. Maintain temperature between 225 to 250 degrees during the entire cooking process. Cooking time should be 2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the bird. Figure on 11-13 minutes per pound.

Can you smoke meat without a smoker?

Yes, you can smoke food on your grill without special equipment. As long as you have wood chips and a drip pan, you can smoke food on a charcoal or gas grill.Sep 14, 2022

Can you smoke a frozen turkey?

We don’t recommend smoking a frozen turkey. It’s safe to cook a frozen turkey in the oven, but a smoker utilizes much lower temperatures, so the frozen turkey could linger at unsafe internal temperatures, leading to food-borne illness.

Is it dangerous to quit vaping nicotine cold turkey?

Quitting vaping nicotine ‘cold turkey’ is not dangerous, but it can be very unpleasant. This is because nicotine alters the way your brain functions such that your body feels dependent on it. Some of the unpleasant side effects of quitting abruptly are tremors, headaches, and nausea. These side effects can make it very hard to quit and often cause people to relapse. Fortunately, these unpleasant side effects can be partially or completely avoided by gradually cutting down your use instead of quitting abruptly. Your primary care physician can help you design a plan to quit vaping nicotine.

Can you smoke a Turkey on a grill?

Learn how to smoke a turkey using any type of grill. Smoked turkey is a delightful alternative to a traditional roasted turkey for Thanksgiving. Smoking the turkey (and brining it beforehand) infuses the meat with sweet and smoky flavors and helps it stay juicy and tender.

How long does it take to smoke a Turkey?

Smoking is all about “low and slow,” or cooking the bird at a relatively low temperature for a long time. Our Test Kitchen recommends smoking turkey for 15 to 20 minutes per pound in a grill or smoker preheated to 275° to 300°. When testing this recipe, we used an 11-pound turkey and smoked it for three hours on a charcoal grill preheated to 290°.

How do you make a smoky Turkey?

This homemade dry rub contains salt, brown sugar, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Applewood chips: Applewood adds a sweet, smoky flavor to the turkey. Soak the wood chips in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes. This will help them to smolder and create a delicious smoky flavor instead of igniting into flames.

How do you smoke a Turkey on a pellet grill?

To smoke the turkey in a pellet grill, place the pellets in the designated area, and preheat the grill to 275° to 300°. Pellet grills like Traeger Ironwood XL are convenient for smoking turkey because they take all the guesswork out of setting the temperature.