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Every year at Thanksgiving, it’s the same: People who normally cook for two to four find themselves preparing a feast for a crowd. It’s not as easy as it sounds, especially for new cooks taking on the turkey cooking challenge for the first time. It’s a little unfair, actually; you’re not only expected to cook a massive 16-pound main dish, but there are all those side dishes and desserts, too. Talk about pressure!
I started thinking there had to be a better way to get it all done and still produce a tasty meal that would (hopefully) impress my family. After spending all summer working with the Big Green Egg, the wheels in my head started turning: What about a smoked turkey? Everything I’d cooked on my new favorite kamado grill tasted fantastic, and it sounded like a real hands-off way to cook a turkey. Plus, it would free up the oven to make roasted vegetables and all my favorite Thanksgiving casseroles, seriously reducing my stress levels on the big day.
To make sure I could pull off this alternative way to cook a turkey, I put the Big Green Egg to the test. I picked up a couple of cups of hickory wood chips, took a few days to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator, and whipped up my favorite dry brine. How did it turn out? Good enough that I might smoke two next time so I end up with leftovers.
As Thanksgiving approaches thoughts turn to cooking the star of the holiday meal – turkey! While roasting a turkey in the oven is always an option, using a Big Green Egg to smoke your bird takes the flavor to a whole new level. The unique ceramic construction and precise temperature control of the Egg make it easy to infuse your turkey with incredible smoky flavor while keeping it tender and juicy.
In this article I’ll share my tips for smoking the best turkey you’ve ever tasted using a Big Green Egg or other Kamado-style grill.
Why Smoke Turkey in a Big Green Egg?
There are several key advantages to using a Big Green Egg for your Thanksgiving turkey:
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Consistent temperature control – The thick ceramic walls retain heat extremely evenly. This allows you to maintain a steady, low temperature between 225-275°F for low and slow smoking. Fluctuating temps cause moisture loss.
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Infuses smoke flavor – Exposing the turkey to hours of smoky air permeates the meat with delicious hardwood flavor you just can’t replicate with roasting alone.
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Juicy and moist meat – The low, slow cooking method keeps meat tender and succulent. Smoking condenses moisture in the skin so it stays ultra-juicy.
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Crispy skin – The high radiant heat from the charcoal crisps up the skin beautifully at the end for added texture.
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Cooks large birds – Even a medium Big Green Egg can hold a 18 lb turkey or larger, plenty big for gathering.
Simply put, smoking makes for the juiciest, most flavorful turkey with crispy skin and you get awesome smoke flavor. Let’s look at how to nail it.
Step 1 – Select Your Bird
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Look for a fresh, free-range turkey between 12-18 lbs to fit a medium or large Big Green Egg.
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Kosher, heritage breed, pasture-raised, and organic turkeys have excellent flavor.
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Make sure frozen turkeys thaw 3+ days in the fridge in original wrap to retain moisture.
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Don’t brine pre-brined birds like Butterball – it will get too salty.
Step 2 – Prep the Turkey
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Remove giblets, rinse turkey, and pat dry. Truss legs with twine to hold shape.
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Coat the skin with oil (veg or olive). Helps crisp the skin.
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Generously season the cavity with salt, pepper, herbs, lemon, garlic, onion.
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Sit turkey at room temp 1 hour before smoking so it cooks faster.
Step 3 – Prep the Big Green Egg
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Assemble with convEGGtor, drip pan with water, charcoal, and 2-3 wood chunks.
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Light charcoal chimney starter and carefully pour over unlit charcoal in Egg.
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Install cooking grates, close lid, fully open vents to reach 225°F.
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Partially close bottom vent to hold temp. Add charcoal/wood as needed to maintain 225°F.
Step 4 – Smoke That Bird!
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Place turkey breast up on cooking grates over drip pan.
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Hold a tight 225-250°F by adjusting top and bottom vents.
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Smoke approximately 30 mins per lb until breast is 165°F and thighs 185°F.
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Check hourly and add more wood chunks for constant smoke.
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Lightly tent with foil if skin browns too fast.
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Rest 30 mins before carving to let juices redistribute. Dig in!
Turkey Smoking Tips and Tricks
Follow these tips for the very best smoked turkey results:
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Injecting turkey with a salt brine keeps it super moist during the long smoke.
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Add a pan filled with wine, broth, or juice for extra moisture and flavor.
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Rubbing skin with baking powder helps form an ultra crispy skin.
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Set up the Egg the night before to easily hold a steady temp.
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Use an automatic temp controller for precision temperature control.
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Closely monitor internal temp at the end so you don’t overcook.
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Letting the turkey rest is crucial for juiciness! Don’t skip this step.
Sample Smoking Schedule
Here’s a sample timeline for smoking a 15 lb turkey at 225°F:
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6:00 am – Light charcoal chimney starter
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6:30 am – Pour lit coals into Egg and assemble for smoking
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7:00 am – Place seasoned turkey in Egg, breast up
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9:00 am – Add more charcoal and wood chunks
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12:00 pm – Replenish charcoal/wood again
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2:30 pm – Check breast temp (165°F target)
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3:00 pm – Breast at 165°F, remove turkey and tent with foil
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3:30 pm – Allow to rest 30 minutes
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4:00 pm – Carve and serve!
This schedule can vary a bit depending on turkey size and particular grill temp. But it’s a great guideline timeline for juicy smoked turkey success.
Make Amazing Leftovers
A smoked turkey makes for incredible leftovers. Some delicious ways to use them:
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Smoked turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce and stuffing.
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Smoked turkey pizza with bacon, spinach, and melty cheese.
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Turkey salad with mayo, celery, dried cranberries, and walnuts.
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Turkey tacos with spicy slaw and avocado salsa.
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Hearty turkey and veggie soup with beans and pasta.
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Comforting turkey pot pie topped with carrots, peas, and flaky crust.
Smoked meat makes amazing meals for days after the big feast!
Take Your Turkey to the Next Level
Smoking turkey in the Big Green Egg results in incredibly tender, juicy meat with awesome smoky wood-fired flavor. With a bit of practice using these tips, you’ll be able to produce the perfect smoked turkey every year for Thanksgiving or anytime. Try brining, injecting, different wood varieties, rubs and prep techniques to make it truly incredible. Most importantly, relax and enjoy the process and meal with loved ones. That’s what it’s all about!
Smoking on the Big Green Egg
The precise temperature control of the Big Green Egg makes it perfect for smoking.
All in all, we had a fantastic experience smoking on the Big Green Egg. It has better precise temperature control than most charcoal grills, thanks to its thick, insulated ceramic sides and easy-to-use venting system. Simply ignite the lump charcoal and when the coals are ashed over on top, close the lid and slide the bottom vent so it’s mostly closed. This keeps air away from the hot coals, tempering the heat inside to a perfect 325°F.
We will say it was problematic to add additional wood chips or chunks to the coal bed once the ConvEGGtor ceramic deflector plate was in place. That means that once we started the smoking process, we weren’t really able to add any additional wood. What worked for us was interspersing soaked wood chips within the charcoal bed as we built it inside the firebox. That allowed consistent smoke through the cook time, and we didn’t feel the need to add any more during the three-hour smoke.
For the smokiest flavor, we recommend adding a higher proportion of wood chips on top of the charcoal layer—smoke penetrates meat more quickly during the early stages of the cooking cycle.
After the turkey was done, it not only had a really appealing smoke-forward aroma, but it also had a sweet flavor and a beautiful smoke ring. The turkey skin turned a dark mahogany color from the hickory wood chips we added to the firebox, and the dry brine kept the meat extra juicy as the turkey cooked. It freed up the oven and created a better-tasting turkey? Yup, this cooking method is absolutely going to be a staple in our Thanksgiving meal-planning for the next few years.
- 1 turkey
- 1 tablespoon baking powder*
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt*
- 3 large yellow onions, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 sprigs thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth, water, or white wine (or a combination)
*These proportions created more than enough dry brine to coat our 16-pound turkey, but you may want to double the recipe if you’re cooking a larger bird.
How to smoke a turkey step-by-step
I prefer dry brines to wet brines—theyre much less messy and just as effective.
The best way to keep your turkey juicy and moist as it cooks is to brine it. Most recipes use a wet brine (you know, the kind that involves submerging a whole turkey in a salt-and-water solution). This type of brining is such a hassle, so I switched to a dry brine technique a few years ago, and life has never been easier.
Start by placing the turkey in a roasting pan and rub it down with the baking powder and salt mixture. While the baking powder might seem like a weird ingredient, it helps to break down the proteins in the turkey skin so it crisps up and browns while it cooks. Keep in mind that you may not need all the salt mixture, either; just use however much adheres to the outside of the turkey.
Put the salted turkey in the refrigerator, uncovered, and let it marinate for 12 to 24 hours. You can go longer than that if you like, too, but you’ll want to cover it lightly with plastic wrap if you’re brining for longer than 48 hours to prevent the skin from drying out. When you’re ready to cook the bird, there’s no need to rinse off the brine. You can rub the skin with oil and herbs, if you like, but I usually just toss it straight into the smoker, and it tastes great.
Smoked Turkey on Big Green Egg | How To Smoke A Turkey BGE with Malcom Reed HowToBBQRight
FAQ
How long does it take to smoke a turkey on a Big Green Egg?
Place the turkey on the smoker and close the lid. It’s going to take about 3-4 hours to hit the target temperatures of 165 in the breast and 175 in the thighs.
How long do you smoke a turkey at 225?
Set the smoker to 225° F. Place the turkey on a cooking rack and cook for 8 to 12 hours or until the inner thigh temperature reaches 180° F.
Is it better to smoke a turkey breast at 225 or 250?
325-350. It’s not a low and slow like a brisket or pork shoulder. Poultry soaks up the smoke flavor so you run the risk of having way too much smoke flavor if you go 225. Also 225 will never give you crispy skin.