As with any smoked meat (up to and including meatloaf), its important to know which woods to use to smoke turkey — and which ones you need to avoid. The common thread here is mellow vs. strong flavors. Woods that are great for turkey tend to be on the lighter side, while the ones that dont work are heavier and tend to erase the birds natural flavor.
Turkey gets a bad rap from a culinary perspective. Sure, we eat it on Thanksgiving, but a lot of people complain about it — its dry, its too hard to work with, it makes you sleepy, etc. But while its certainly a trickier cook than something like chicken, turkey can be incredibly rewarding. You just have to take your time with it — and one of the best ways you can do that is to smoke it. That slow cook preserves the birds juiciness while imbuing it with a great pop of smoke flavor.
Smoking turkey over mesquite wood is a controversial technique. This robust wood imparts an intensely earthy, smoky flavor that can easily overwhelm the delicate white meat. But used judiciously blended with other milder woods mesquite smoke can provide wonderful richness and complexity.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll examine the pros and cons of using mesquite to smoke turkey. You’ll learn proper techniques to balance mesquite’s boldness and achieve mouthwatering smoked turkey full of nuanced flavor.
The Intense, Smoldering Flavor of Mesquite
Mesquite is a dense hardwood native to the American Southwest When burned, it delivers assertive, whisky-like smoke flavors significantly stronger than mild woods like cherry or pecan.
The potent smokiness of mesquite enhances full-flavored meats like brisket or ribs. But with light meats like turkey, its acrid intensity can easily become overpowering. The sweet mild flavor of turkey is easily overwhelmed.
That’s why most experts advise against using straight mesquite when smoking poultry. The strong bitterness ruins the delicate turkey flavor. Fruit and nut woods like apple, pecan and alder are much better suited for turkey.
Benefits of Adding Mesquite Smoke to Turkey
However, while mesquite may be controversial for poultry, incorporating some in your smoke can provide benefits:
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Deeper, smoldering smoke – Mesquite delivers charry, rustic flavors unmatched by lighter woods. Using it sparingly adds incredible smoky depth.
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Crisp, seared skin – Mesquite burns hotter than other woods, helping crisp the turkey skin beautifully. Fruit woods won’t sear as effectively.
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Traditional barbecue taste – Mesquite smoke defines quintessential Southern barbecue. Adding some brings authentic regional flavor.
The key is balancing mesquite’s assertiveness with more subtle woods to highlight its strengths while tempering its overwhelming qualities.
Best Practices for Mesquite Smoked Turkey
Here are tips for successfully using mesquite when smoking turkey:
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Use very small amounts, less than 25% of total wood. More will quickly make turkey bitter.
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Blend mesquite with milder fruit woods like apple, cherry or maple. Their sweetness balances the harsh smoke.
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Use mesquite wood chips, not chunks, for less intense smoke. Chunks are too overpowering.
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Limit mesquite smoke to just the first 1-2 hours. Switch to lighter woods to finish.
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Smoke at low 225-250°F temperatures. Higher heat makes mesquite too bitter.
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Watch for thin, bluish smoke. Billowing white smoke means you’re oversmoking.
Combining Woods for Balanced Smoke Flavor
One of the best techniques for mesquite smoked turkey is pairing it with complementary fruit and nut woods:
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Mesquite and cherry – Tart cherry perfectly offsets mesquite’s bitterness. A very popular, flavorful combo.
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Mesquite and apple – Sweet apple wood mellows out the harshness of mesquite smoke.
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Mesquite and pecan – Pecan’s rich nuttiness balances earthy mesquite flavors nicely.
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Mesquite and maple – Maple’s inherent sweetness tempers the intense smokiness.
Blending woods creates incredible nuance and complexity. You augment mesquite’s strengths while minimizing its acrid qualities.
Additional Tips for Delicious Mesquite Turkey
To get the most out of mesquite for your smoked turkey, keep these extra tips in mind:
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Brine turkey overnight to keep it juicy against drying smoke.
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Cook to 160°F breast/175°F thigh temp to prevent drying out.
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Allow turkey to rest 15+ minutes before carving for juiciness.
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Use a savory poultry rub to stand up to the bold smoke.
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Carve across the grain for tender slices.
Mesquite wood provides an intensely earthy, rustic flavor unmatched by other woods. But its robust smokiness can easily overwhelm delicate poultry like turkey. The key is using mesquite judiciously, in small amounts blended with fruitier woods like apple, cherry or pecan. With proper technique, mesquite can add wonderful richness and authentic smoke flavor to your holiday turkey.
So don’t fear mesquite for your next smoked turkey. Embrace its unique qualities by using it sparingly in combination with lighter woods. Your patience will be rewarded with complex flavor and juicy, tender turkey full of rustic barbecue taste.
The right kinds of wood have mellower, lighter flavors
The key here is mildness. You want woods that impart delicate flavors that let the turkey itself shine. Happily, youve got several options here. Cherry wood imparts a slightly sweet flavor that meshes well with turkey (similar to how cranberry sauce makes a great side at Thanksgiving). Pecan does the same thing, except it also has a nutty quality to it.
Maple has similar sweetness, but its also milder than the other two, making it a great option if youre not a fan of pecan or cherry. Apple wood can work well, too. But in this case, you have to be careful. Apple is so mild that it takes longer to impart its flavors, and turkey is especially susceptible to drying out.
There are a few woods you want to avoid at all costs when it comes to smoking turkey, though. Hickory and mesquite are great smoking woods for beef, but the flavors they impart are so heavy that they tend to overwhelm turkey. Oak is also a problem, but its lighter than the other two, so theres a caveat here in that you can use it in a blend with something like cherry.
Mesquite Smoked Turkey
FAQ
What is the best smoke flavor for turkey?
I love fruit woods for smoking poultry, and cherry is one of my favorites. Hickory is another great choice, as it gives the turkey a smoky, savory flavor. For a milder, smoky flavor, maple wood, pecan wood, and apple wood are also good choices.
Is mesquite seasoning good for turkey?
Mesquite is great on turkey. I actually prefer mesquite on poultry and beef, and use hickory or apple for pork.
What is the best meat to smoke with mesquite wood?
Mesquite does well on anything you want a strong, spicy smoke flavor in. Beef holds up very well to it, and some treatments of pork do as well.
Is mesquite good for Turkey?
Mesquite is one of the strongest flavors of wood out there. It’s extremely robust in flavor, and when being used with meat like brisket, it needs to be. But with turkey it’s just too deep a flavor, and will overwhelm the flavors of your turkey.
Can you smoke a Turkey with mesquite?
Use a carving knife to remove them and set the meat aside to rest. Return the rest of the turkey to the smoker until a thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 180 degrees. If you’re worried that mesquite’s strong flavor will make the turkey taste bitter, try one of these milder alternatives.
Does Mesquite make a Turkey taste bitter?
If you’re worried that mesquite’s strong flavor will make the turkey taste bitter, try one of these milder alternatives. The sweetness of cherry provides a nice counterpoint to the juicy turkey. As a bonus, the cherry wood will impart a lovely ruby-red hue to the turkey’s skin, giving it enormous eye appeal.
What does mesquite wood taste like?
When used in smoking, mesquite wood produces a strong, earthy flavor that’s enticing to many pitmasters. However, its flavor is bold enough to overpower meats that are milder in taste. Most of the time, we recommend reserving mesquite for hearty cuts of beef like brisket.
What is mesquite wood used for?
Mesquite is a beautiful wood that’s been used for traditional BBQ smoking for decades. The thing is, it’s long been used with tough red meats. And it’s not hard to see why. Mesquite is one of the strongest flavors of wood out there. It’s extremely robust in flavor, and when being used with meat like brisket, it needs to be.
What is the best smoked turkey wood?
Applewood is another sweet and fruity wood, but has a much more mellow flavor when compared to cherry or pecan. While a lot of people might put apple as their number one choice for smoked turkey woods, I find that the flavors in apple smoke are so subtle that it can actually take a long time to permeate the turkey meat and infuse it with flavor.