Thanksgiving isn’t the only time of year you can enjoy a juicy, smokey, delicious turkey! Here is a simple, easy to follow recipe for smoked turkey that you can enjoy year round. If you don’t have a smoker, don’t worry as you can use the same recipe and roast in your oven or roaster.
| Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 5 hr | Total Time: 5 hr 10 min |
This Recipe is: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free
Cuisine Type: American
Ingredients:
- One 12 – 16 pound brined turkey
- Olive Oil
- 4 tbsp Wild Turkey Rub
- 4 tbsp BBQ Chicken
Directions:
- Most smoked or bbq turkey recipes call for an “un-brined” bird to be used and then call for you to brine the turkey yourself. Now I am all for brining your own bird, BUT it is just fine to use a pre-brined turkey as well! It will still turn out moist and delicious if your only option is a butterball turkey or something of the like.
- On to the directions…if you have a pre-brined turkey skip to the next step. If you have a natural bird, be sure to brine the bird for a minimum of 24 hours before proceeding.
- Set your Traeger to the smoke setting or maintain your smoker at 215-225 degrees.
- Take your turkey and dry it off inside and out with paper towels. (Be sure to remove all giblets and/or gravy packets!)
- Stuff the cavity with chopped onion, celery, carrot, lemon, and/or oranges. (These impart a little flavor, but also help maintain moisture inside the bird.)
- Rub the turkey down with olive oil. Use just enough olive oil to coat the bird. Sprinkle bbq chicken and wild turkey rub all over the turkey…..front and back, top and bottom, inside and out. There is no magical amount of rub to use, but I generally use around half a jar or better of each on a medium sized bird.
- Place turkey breast side up in/on your smoker or grill. You can place it directly on the grate, or put it on a rack inside a roasting pan if you would like to collect drippings for gravy.
- Smoke 2 hours.
- Increase temperature to 350.
- Cook 2 ½ – 4 hours depending on size of the bird. Use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature deep in the thigh of the turkey. The turkey is finished cooking when the thermometer reads 165 degrees in all areas you check.
TIP – I like to slide 4-6 slabs of butter between the skin and breast meat before cooking. The butter will slowly melt in the beginning, basting the breast as it heats up.
Again…you can use this same recipe in your oven or roaster, but be sure to track the internal temperature. Set your oven or roaster to 350 degrees and cook for 3-6 hours. The turkey is finished when the internal temperature is 165 degrees or more.
