When it comes to the holiday season, we all know smoked turkey is the undisputed king. Nothing beats a wood-fired bird surrounded by all the trimmings on Thanksgiving day. If youre curious about how to smoke a turkey like a pro, read our turkey smoking guide for the best tips and tricks.
Smoking a turkey is a great way to add delicious smoky flavor to your holiday bird. But with a 24 lb turkey, you’ll need to allow plenty of time to ensure it cooks through fully while staying nice and juicy. So how long exactly should you smoke a 24 lb turkey?
After researching expert advice from top pitmasters and chefs, I recommend smoking a 24 lb turkey for around 8-10 hours at 225-250°F. This will give you a tender, succulent turkey infused with rich smoky flavor from tip to tail
While a 24 lb bird is on the larger side, with some preparation and the right technique, you can master smoking it to perfection. In this article, I’ll share tips to guarantee your turkey turns out moist and full of flavor, including:
- Brining times based on turkey weight
- Step-by-step smoking guidance
- Internal temperature targets
- Resting and carving instructions
Follow these steps and your 24 lb turkey will be the star of your holiday table!
How Many Hours Per Pound to Smoke a Turkey?
The general rule of thumb when smoking a turkey is to calculate 30-45 minutes of cook time per pound. For a 24 lb turkey, that means:
- At 30 minutes per lb: 24 lbs x 0.5 hours = 12 hours
- At 45 minutes per lb: 24 lbs x 0.75 hours = 18 hours
So you can expect your total smoking time to be 12-18 hours for a bird this size.
Many pitmasters recommend staying on the lower end of this range, around 30 minutes per lb, to prevent the turkey from drying out. For a 24 lb turkey, I suggest smoking for 8-10 hours.
Step-by-Step Guide to Smoking a 24 lb Turkey
Follow these simple steps for smoking turkey perfection:
1. Brine the turkey
- Make a brine using 1 cup salt + 1 cup sugar per gallon of water.
- Submerge turkey in brine and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. This infuses flavor and locks in moisture.
2. Remove from brine and pat dry
- Drain and rinse turkey, pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
3. Prepare smoker for indirect heat
- Set up smoker for indirect cooking, with drip pan below where turkey will sit.
4. Rub the turkey
- Coat turkey evenly with olive oil then rub in your favorite spice mix. Get into crevices and under skin.
5. Smoke the turkey
- Place turkey in smoker, breast-side up. Maintain temp between 225-250°F.
- Smoke for estimated 8-10 hours until breast meat reaches 165°F.
6. Rest, carve, and enjoy!
- Allow turkey to rest 30 minutes before carving. This helps juices redistribute.
- Carve turkey and serve immediately. Enjoy your juicy smoked turkey!
What Internal Temp Should You Cook a Smoked Turkey To?
Monitoring the internal temperature as you smoke the turkey is crucial. You’ll want to smoke the turkey until the breast meat reaches 165°F, and the thighs reach 175°F-180°F.
Using a good digital meat thermometer, check the temp in the thickest part of the breast and innermost part of the thigh. Once it hits 165°F in the breast and 175°F+ in the thighs, your turkey is perfectly cooked and safe to eat.
If using a probe thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the breast, being careful not to hit the bone. Maintain your smoker temperature between 225-250°F until the target internal temp is reached.
Letting Your Smoked Turkey Rest
After smoking for 8-10 hours, your 24 lb turkey is cooked, but don’t carve into it immediately. Letting it rest is crucial.
Resting gives time for the juices to redistribute through the meat. If you skip this step, the turkey will spill most of its juices onto the cutting board once carved.
After removing the smoked turkey from your smoker, let it rest on a platter or pan for 30 minutes before slicing. This helps retain moisture so your meat stays tender and flavorful.
Tent loosely with foil to keep it warm. The resting period allows you to finish any side dishes or set the table while the turkey finishes cooking.
Carving and Serving Your Smoked Turkey
Once rested, it’s time to carve and serve this beautiful smoked bird! Have a large cutting board and sharp knife ready.
First, remove the legs by cutting through the skin between the thigh and body. Slice to disconnect the joint, then twist and pull to remove. Slice each leg into drumstick and thigh portions if desired.
Next, slice the breast meat, working from the outside in and against the grain for tenderness. Arrange slices on a platter.
Spoon over any accumulated juices from resting, and serve warm. Your juicy, fully smoked turkey is ready to enjoy!
- how long do you smoke a 24 lb turkey – 10 times
- smoke – 14 times
- turkey – 32 times
- brine – 3 times
- breast – 5 times
- thigh – 3 times
- temperature – 8 times
- juices – 3 times
- rest – 3 times
- cook – 4 times
- lbs – 4 times
- lb – 8 times
- hours – 7 times
- flavor – 2 times
- internal – 3 times
- meat – 5 times
- smoker – 5 times
- carve – 2 times
How Much Smoked Turkey Per Person?
In addition to turkey size, you should also pay attention to bird quality. When you’re in the meat aisle, do yourself a favor and avoid any labels with words like “enhanced” or “basted.” If you buy a turkey that’s already had its flavor tinkered with, you’ll be signing away control of your flavor profile. You’ll also probably be paying extra for water weight and not getting as much meat as you’re expecting.
Finally, always buy fresh. If you’re cooking for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you’ll need to be on your A-game. A lot of stores don’t stock these birds in great numbers until the week before a holiday, although you can typically place an order for a fresh turkey in advance. Ideally, buy your turkey no more than four or five days before you’re planning to smoke it.
Truss the Turkey – Or Not
Trussing a turkey means securing the legs close to the body of the bird. Some store-bought turkeys come with a built-in plastic truss. You can also use kitchen twine to tie the ends of the legs together.
The point of trussing is to make the surface of the bird a more regular shape. Sometimes, this can prevent hotspots on certain parts of the bird, which could dry out the meat. However, you can easily skip this step if you want.
And, perhaps obviously, if youre spatchcocking a turkey, you cant truss it.
AWESOME Smoked Turkey Recipe For Beginners!
FAQ
How long does a 24 pound turkey take to smoke?
At 225 degrees F, you can plan on it taking approximately 30 minutes per pound to smoke your turkey. Alternatively, if you are running your smoker at 250 degrees F, it will typically take 25 minutes per pound. For example, my 15-pound turkey took around 7 and 1/2 hours at 225 degrees F to fully cook.
Is it better to smoke a turkey at 225 or 250?
- Crispy skin: Cooking at a slightly higher temperature like 250°F promotes crispier skin on the turkey compared to 225°F where the skin might become rubbery.
- Cooking time: Smoking at 225°F will take significantly longer than at 250°F.
- Smoke flavor: If you want a more intense smoky flavor, opt for the lower temperature of 225°F.
How long does it take to cook a 24 lb turkey at 250 degrees?
It can take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours to bake a turkey at 250 degrees, depending on the size of your bird: Plan on 30 minutes per pound.
How long to smoke 24 lb turkey on Traeger?
Traeger Smoked Turkey
Garlic, butter, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper combine to create an herbal rub to maximize flavor while you smoke the meat for 3-4 hours. Make sure to get an early start to begin smoking your Thanksgiving Turkey.
How long do you smoke a 12 pound turkey?
So, how long to smoke turkey? Long enough to get it to the recommended cooked temperature. That’s about 30-40 minutes per pound and 165°F finished internal temperature. Plan for about 6 hours with a 12 pound turkey. Also, you can remove your turkey from the smoker when it’s internal temp reaches 160 degrees.
Can you smoke a 15 lb Turkey?
The reason I recommend avoiding smoking a turkey over 15 pounds is that it can take too long to cook. Your bird will be sitting in the food safety danger zone between 40-140 degrees F for too long, and you risk bacteria overgrowing and spoiling your turkey before it is finished. It’s best to cook 2-3 smaller turkeys versus a large one.
What temperature should you smoke a 12 lb Turkey?
So if you smoke your 12 lb turkey at 240°F instead of 225°F, it will cook about an hour faster. Higher heat speeds things up. Most experts recommend smoking turkey between 225-275°F. Lower temperatures are ideal for getting that deep, smoky flavor. But going above 300°F can lead to drier meat.
How long do you cook a Turkey in a smoker?
For the turkey legs, set the smoker at 225°F and cook them for about 4 hours in total. For the wings part of the turkey, set the smoker at 225°F and cook them for about 1.5-2 hours in total. For grilling the complete turkey, preheat the grill to medium-high heat (or about 325°F) and set up to cook with indirect heat.
How long does it take to cook a 12 lb Turkey?
Here are some general guidelines: So for a 12 lb turkey expect it to take around 6 hours when smoking at 225°F. For every additional pound tack on an extra 30-45 minutes. Keep in mind that these are just estimates. You still need to rely on a meat thermometer to determine when your turkey is fully cooked.
How long does it take to smoke a Turkey on a pellet grill?
This turkey took just over 6 hours to smoke on our pellet grill at 225*F. This is going to vary based on the weight of the turkey. The general rule is about 30 minutes per pound. What pellets should you use for a smoked turkey?