How Long To Smoke A Turkey In A Pit Barrel Cooker

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Thanksgiving is upon us and as tradition would have it, smoked turkey is the standard fare. In this recipe/instructional I not only want to show you a better way to brine the holiday bird but well be using a Pit Barrel Cooker. Dont worry, I”ll also demonstrate the proper way to do it in a traditional smoker as well.

I highly recommend a fresh, minimally processed turkey if you can find one. I found mine at my local Sprouts but Whole Foods and other similar stores also carry them. Call the meat department of these stores before you go to ensure you are not making a wasted trip.

You an also opt for a frozen turkey at your local grocery store and that will be fine as well.

I paid $1.29/lb for mine and this price goes up if you go for organic or anything that sounds more healthy.

I am cooking this one in the Pit Barrel Cooker which cooks a little hotter than an average smoker so the size is not nearly as important but if you are cooking at 225-240 °F, then I recommend going for a 12-14 lb bird.

One 12 lb bird will feed about 6 with a few leftovers so if you need more than that, just cook multiple birds of that size rather than opting for a larger one.

If you purchase a frozen turkey, allow about 1 day of thawing in the fridge for every 5 lbs.

You can thaw a turkey in the kitchen sink using cold water if you get in a bind and need the turkey thawed faster. Place the turkey in the sink and run it full of cold water. Drain and refill with cold water every 30 minutes until the turkey is completely thawed. I dont like this method particularly but it does work in a pinch.

If the outside is thawed but the cavity is still frozen, you can run cold water directly down into the cavity to speed this up and this will also help in the removal of necks and giblet bags.

Dry brining works just as well as wet brining in my opinion and can be less messy if you are short on space and/or do not have a suitable container or space to wet brine a large bird.

This is simply a method by which you sprinkle kosher salt all over the outside of the turkey then place it in the fridge overnight.

The salt draws moisture from the meat, up through the skin where the water and salt mix together to create a slurry. This salty mixture then reabsorbs through the skin and down into the meat. If you are interested in the process you can look up “denaturing” but that is what happens when you brine a piece of meat such as a turkey via the dry or wet method.

Most recommend a half teaspoon of kosher salt per pound which amounts to 6 teaspoons equivalent to 2 tablespoons of kosher salt on my 12 pound turkey.

I go more by looks than measuring in my own cooking. I just try to get good coverage on the entire surface area.

Truth be told, youd have a hard time over doing it. I usually do it until it looks right then add a little more for good measure and its NEVER overly salty using this method.

When you add the salt, you will immediately see the water start coming to the surface and melting the salt. That is some crazy science but it works!

Dry brine the turkey for at least 4 hours in the fridge but 8-10 hours or overnight is fine and theres really no need to rinse when youre finished.

This could also be called the messy method because it is very messy, takes up a lot of space in the fridge and you have to find a container big enough to hold a turkey and enough water to cover it. Ive done it for years but trust me when I say that dry brining is a much better option. Im always trying to find ways to improve and in my opinion, dry brining is a much improved way to brine the holiday turkey over wet brining.

Add 2 gallons of water and 2 cups of kosher salt to the brine container then stir until the salt is dissolved into the water. Youll know when this happens because the water will get clear again.

Place the turkey in the brine container and place it in the fridge so it will stay at or below 40 °F during this process.

What if you cant fit it in the fridge? Then youll need to use an insulated ice chest or something similar. Ice can be used to keep it cold but that will dilute the water. Place the ice in zip loc bags to keep the water cold and prevent diluting the brine.

I do not recommend longer than 12 hours with this this salt/water ratio since brining changes the texture of the meat over time.

Once the brining process is finished, you are ready to season the soon-to-be smoked turkey with a good dry rub. Rinsing after brining is not necessary but does not harm if you prefer to do it.

You can never go wrong with my original rub and it is my recommended dry rub/seasoning for the holiday turkey. I and hundreds if not thousands of others use it every year with rave reviews and you just cant argue with success.

Whats really cool is that you can not only purchase the formula to make the dry rub yourself, but you can also purchase the original rub in a bottle, ready to use if you want to make it easy on yourself.

In order to help the rub to stick to the turkey (I hate losing that stuff), you can use mustard or mayonnaise rubbed all over the turkey. Dont worry because it wont taste like mustard or mayonnaise once its cooked.

I took it a step further and mixed the rub into some mayonnaise before applying it to the turkey and it worked like a charm!

Mix together thoroughly in a bowl and its ready to use. Go ahead and take a small bite and youll see that its extremely flavorful but not very salty– just what the doctor ordered for this dry brined turkey.

Make sure the turkey is really dry using a paper towel. Then rub the mayo/rub mixture all over the turkey making sure to get a good layer on the breast, wings, legs and even the back.

If you want to truss the turkey, tuck the wings under, etc, then now is the time to do that. There is a traditional method for trussing a turkey but you can also do something as basic as just tying the legs together with some cooking twine so that it comes out a little prettier.

I opted to just let it cook all sprawled out so I could get plenty of heat and smoke to every square inch of surface area.

Pit Barrel Cooker sent me a cooker a while back and suggested that I use it for my holiday smoked turkey. Sounded like a great idea to me since I usually cook them at 225-240°F and it takes around 6-7 hours to finish. They said it would only take about 4 hours or so in the Pit Barrel due to the fact that it cooks a little hotter than traditional smokers and the turkey hangs from rebar instead of sitting on the grate.

Fill the charcoal pan level with charcoal briquettes. I usually prefer lump but I decided to go with their suggestion first and then go from there.

Place the charcoal pan down into the barrel and place 3-4 fist sized wood chunks on top of the charcoal.

Once the charcoal chimney is ready, pour the lit charcoal over the top of the unlit charcoal in the pan.

I am at low altitude so the little adjustment vent in the lower back is at its standard setting. If you are at higher altitudes, youll want to set it according to the settings prescribed in the PBC manual.

Set it up for cooking at about 240°F using indirect heat and if the smoker uses a water pan, fill it up with hot water.

I used PBCs special turkey hanger but you can also use the included hooks if you like. Heck, it also comes with a grate so if you are apprehensive about the whole hanging process, you can also just sit the turkey on the grate.

Remove one of the rods (rebar) from the barrel and lower the turkey into the barrel setting one side of the hanging handle on the rod then insert the other rod into place to finish hanging the turkey.

The hanging handle should rest across both rods suspending the turkey right in the center of the barrel. If you are doing (2) smoked turkeys, then just place them so that both turkeys have a little space between them so the heat can do its thing.

Smoked turkeys are NOT cooked to a certain time but rather to a certain temperature so make sure you use a precision thermometer that can stay in the meat while it cooks. I have several thermometers that I use but for something like this, I recommend the Signals by ThermoWorks or the Meater thermometer which has absolutely no wires and reads ambient temperature and meat temperature via a single probe.

I used the Meater for this cook and it was nice not having to mess with wires or multiple probes to measure the temperature of the meat as well as the temperature of the pit.

Place the probe so that the tip is in the thickest part of the breast or thigh.

Regardless of what thermometer you have and/or use, make sure it is accurate and then use it. Your familys safety is too important for trying to guess the temperature of poultry (or any meat for that matter).

The Pit Barrel Cooker company recommends opening the lid about ¼ inch about 30 minutes before the turkey is finished cooking. This ramps up the heat creating some crispiness on the skin.

In traditional smokers, the skin usually has a really good bite-through naturally due to the long 6 to 7 hour cook in the smoker.

When the smoked turkey is finished cooking, bring the turkey into the house and let it rest under loose foil for about 15-20 minutes before carving. This is important to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.

With the smoked turkey sitting breast side up, remove the legs, thighs, and wings then cut close to the bone down the center of the breast bone to remove the breast meat in one large piece from each side. With the breast removed, it can be sliced into pieces about ¼ to ½ inch thick.

I like to separate the dark and white meat so people can just grab what they want.

Smoking a turkey in a Pit Barrel Cooker is a great way to prepare a juicy and flavorful bird for your next holiday meal. The Pit Barrel Cooker is a vertical smoker that uses charcoal and wood chunks to generate heat and smoke. It can cook foods faster than many other smokers due to its vertical design and increased airflow. But just how long does it take to smoke a turkey in a Pit Barrel Cooker? Let’s take a look.

Turkey Smoking Times In A Pit Barrel Cooker

The amount of time it takes to smoke a turkey in a Pit Barrel Cooker can vary based on a few factors

Size of the turkey – A smaller 10-12 lb turkey may only take 3-4 hours while a larger 15-20 lb turkey may take 4-5 hours.
Outside temperature – If it’s very cold outside, it may require more time for the turkey to come up to the proper internal temperature
Desired doneness – Smoking to 165°F for well done meat will take longer than smoking to 155°F for medium.
Pit temperature – If the Pit Barrel Cooker is running hotter due to outside conditions, it will cook faster.

That being said, most 12-15 lb turkeys will take approximately 4-5 hours to smoke in a Pit Barrel Cooker set up for smoking around 275°F.

Step By Step Process

Here is a step by step overview of the process:

Trim/Prep The Turkey – Remove giblets, trim excess fat and skin. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry.
Brine (Optional) – Soak turkey in a salt/sugar brine overnight in the refrigerator. This keeps it moist and enhances flavor.
Season – Allow turkey to air dry if brined, then coat heavily with your favorite poultry seasoning or rub.
Set Up The Smoker – Load charcoal basket with unlit charcoal. Light about 40 briquettes in a chimney starter. Add wood chunks to charcoal basket.
Get Up To Temp – Once charcoal is ready, dump over unlit charcoal. Install turkey hangar and hang turkey. Adjust vents to get to 275°F.
Add Smoke Wood – Add a few more wood chunks after the first hour to generate more smoke.
Monitor Temps – Use a digital meat thermometer in breast and thigh to monitor doneness. Shoot for 165°F.
Rest and Carve – Remove turkey once done and let rest 15 minutes before carving.

With this process you can expect a 12-15 lb turkey to take around 4-5 hours at 275°F in a Pit Barrel Cooker. The key is monitoring the internal temperatures and not relying solely on time. Let the thermometer be your guide for when it’s ready!

Tips For Smoking Turkey In A Pit Barrel Cooker

Here are some handy tips to ensure success when smoking turkey in your Pit Barrel Cooker:

Brining is highly recommended as it keeps the turkey extra moist and juicy. Make sure to thoroughly rinse and pat dry after brining.
Run the Pit Barrel Cooker a little hot, around 275°F, to help crisp up the skin better. The turkey hangs so the skin is more exposed.
Use a digital thermometer with dual probes so you can monitor both the turkey and pit temps simultaneously.
Resist opening the lid frequently as this will increase cook times. Only open briefly to add more wood chunks if needed.
Allow the turkey to rest 15-20 minutes before slicing to allow juices to redistribute. Tent loosely with foil while resting.
Carve the turkey carefully and slice the breast meat across the grain for maximum tenderness.
Save the bones to make turkey broth or soup! Smoked turkey bones make excellent stock.

Get Perfectly Smoked Turkey Every Time

Mastering smoking turkey in a Pit Barrel Cooker takes some practice but following the steps outlined here will set you up for succcess. Aim for 275°F pit temperature and smoke 12-15 lb birds for around 4-5 hours until breast and thigh reach 165°F internal temperature. Monitor temperatures closely, avoid opening the lid too much, and let the bird rest properly before serving. In no time you’ll be impressing your family with incredible smoked turkey using your Pit Barrel Cooker. Enjoy!