Traeger Turkey – Simply Meat Smoking

Have you been looking for the perfect Traeger turkey recipe that guarantees you a juicy, deliciously smoky turkey with crispy golden skin for your holidays meal? 

I brined the turkey 24 hours before I planned to smoke it, doing this produced the most succulent turkey I have ever served up for our family Thanksgiving.

Traeger Turkey Recipe 

Finally a super simple smoked turkey recipe, I have finally mastered a but absolutely delicious method for Traeger turkey. 

Some of the recipes are they are 20 steps long, but this is easy and comes out perfectly every time, so you can impress all your guest at your holiday get together!

Just make sure you plan out all your sides, that is one of the most important parts of a turkey dinner, but don’t worry I have included my favorites below. 

What You Need

• Turkey 
• Butter
• Oil Olive
• Rub

Brining Liquid:

• Brown Sugar
• Salt
• Apple Juice
• Cold Water
• Oranges 
• Ginger
• Bay Leaves
• Garlic Cloves
• Whole Cloves

Basting

• Unsalted Butter
• Thyme
• Sage
• Parsley
• Brown Sugar

How to Make Traeger Smoked Turkey

Step 1: Prep Your Turkey and Brine

If your using a frozen turkey you need to allow time for it to defrost, it is recommended to thaw your turkey in the refrigerator. If you are using the refrigerator, keep the turkey in its original packaging. You need to allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds of turkey 

To a large saucepan add the apple juice, brown sugar and salt, over a high heat bring to the boil making sure you stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Boil for one minute once dissolved then remove from the heat. Cool at room temperature then refrigerate until 40°F.

Brine the Turkey:

In a large container, add the remaining ingredients together into the apple juice mixture. Place the turkey into the brine breast side down. You might need to weigh down the turkey with a weight to keep it fully submerged. Set aside in the fridge for 12 – 24 hours (for best results leave for 24 hours).

Dry the Turkey:

After 12 (or ideally 24) hours remove the turkey from the brine. Thoroughly pat dry with paper towels and set on a rack inside a baking tray lined with baking paper and set in the fridge to air dry overnight undercovered. This step is not essential but will give you a nice crispy turkey skin.

Optional – Inject Your Turkey

Add some butter to a bowl, cover with a paper towel, and microwave for 30 seconds. After it has melted, pour some oil, the paprika, sea salt, bbq rub, lemon pepper, black pepper and cayenne pepper into the bowl and whisk until combined.

You’ll now want to add the marinade into a Marinade Injecting Syringe and inject the marinade into the turkey breast and thighs. When you’re injecting the turkey, stick the injector into the turkey breast and move it around to distribute the melted butter throughout the muscle fibers.

Step 2: Truss the Turkey

Remove the turkey from the fridge. Tie the legs together and fold the wings under the body. Set aside and let rise to room temperature. Now you can start to prepare and pre heat your smoker to 350°F.

Step 3: Prepare the Wet Rub and Season Turkey

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to another bowl and microwave for another 30 seconds. After it has melted, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to create a binder so that the rub will stay on

Stir the rub into the melted butter and oil to make a paste, generously work this paste into the turkey skin and cavity.

Then, tuck the wing tips under the turkey and loosely stuff the cavity with fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, and fresh sage for amazing aromatics.

Step 4: Smoke Your Turkey!

We started pre heating the smoker in step 2 but ensure its set to 350°F Traeger.  Place a small rack into a disposable aluminum pan so that the smoke can circulate around the turkey. 

Transfer the prepped turkey to the roasting pan and place the roasting pan onto the grill grate. 

Place your turkey in there then turn it down to 230°F.

Step 5: Adjust the Temp

As a rule of thumb at 230°F a whole turkey will take around 30 minutes per pound.

You need to smoke the turkey until a meat thermometer reaches 165°F in the thickest park of the breast.

This should be around 6 – 8 hours depending on the size of your turkey.

 Continue smoking the turkey until the breast temp comes to 150°F.

After it reaches an internal meat temp of 150°F, increase the smoker’s temperature up to 350°F until the thickest part of the turkey breast reaches a temperature of 165°F. 

Step 6: Continue Smoking and Basting Turkey

You can start basting the turkey when enough turkey drippings have accumulated in the bottom of the pan. These can be used to baste the turkey. 

Continue smoking the turkey until a meat thermometer inserted in the inner part of the thigh reaches 180°F and the breast temperature reaches 165°F. 

Step 7: Rest Smoked Turkey

Once the turkey is cooked remove from the gas smoker and rest for 20 – 30 minutes uncovered.

What Size Turkey to Buy

The size of the turkey depends entirely on the number of guests you are planning to host. You should ideally plan for 1 to 1-½ lbs of turkey per guest.

Remember that some of that weight may also account for the bones, neck, and giblets. Hence, if you have more than 10 guests, you should consider smoking another turkey or a turkey breast.

What Temperature to Smoke Turkey At

You’ll want to do most of the smoking at a temperature of 230°F which will allow the smoke flavor to penetrate the meat. 

Subsequently, you’ll need to change the temperature to 230°F and 350°F to get the meat to its desired internal meat temperature. 

How to Get Crispy Smoked Turkey Skin

If you want to get crispy skin on your turkey you need to wet and dry brine your turkey. The wet brine adds flavor to your turkey, while the second stage of dry brining helps to dry out the skin. The drying of the skin is what really makes a different when it comes to getting crispy skin.

How to Store Leftover Turkey

Smoked turkey is good for 3-4 days in the fridge, make sure it is in an airtight container tightly covered and sealed . You may also choose to freeze leftovers as they can be a quick meal for up to 4 months. You should always slice the turkey before freezing it.

Once sliced, you may wrap it in foil, put it in a ziplock bag and then place it into the freezer until you next fancy some turkey.

What to Do with Turkey Leftovers

There are multiple ways that you can work with your turkey leftovers to whip up an exciting and quick dinner on a weeknight. Here are some ideas

Create a smoked turkey dip, by combining with cream cheese, hot sauce, yoghurt and a few other ingredients.

Of course, there are always turkey sandwiches, but you can also go a step further and make yummy Gourmet Grilled Turkey Cheese Sandwiches. 

Another thing you can do right after Thanksgiving is to make a broth with the leftover turkey bones and carcass, which can then be made into an amazing Creamy Turkey Soup! 

Can I Smoke My Turkey the Day Before and Reheat It?

Yes, you definitely can! In fact, this can actually be a fun way to spread the work of Thanksgiving out over multiple days!

Just keep a note that you need to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator after cooking. 

What to Serve With Smoked Turkey

Serving this smoked turkey with a good set of side dishes really makes the dish come through and satisfy your guests! 

Some side dishes you may choose to serve with your smoked turkey;

Traeger Bacon Mac and Cheese

Traeger Grilled Honey Carrots

Traeger Smoked Brussel Sprouts

Can I Use This Turkey Recipe With a Different Grill?

Yes, you absolutely can! We happen to have a Traeger grill, but even if you have a different brand wood pellet grill, you’re still sure to have great results with this recipe.

Pit Boss Smoked Turkey

Pit Boss Smoked Turkey Breast

Turkey Smoked in an Electric Smoker

Traeger Spatchcock Turkey

Tips for Making the Best Smoked Turkey

These are some pointers you should follow to always make the best smoked turkey possible: 

Smoke Two Turkeys Instead 

If you’re feeding more people, it’ll be better to smoke 2 smaller turkeys instead of one large one.

This is because a larger turkey takes longer to cook and as a result can result in a dry finished product from the lengthy cooking time.

Hence, multiple smaller birds will allow you to cook faster, have plenty of meat, and have meat that is still juicy.

A 12-14 pound turkey is the ideal maximum size while cooking. 

Skip the Stuffing

It’s not really recommended that you stuff your smoked turkey with traditional stuffing.

Not only does stuffing the turkey add to the total smoking time but the stuffing might not heat up enough to kill any bacteria that may be present which can present a food safety risk. 

Besides obvious safety reasons, the heat, and smoke, need to circulate freely throughout the bird to achieve optimal flavor.

Furthermore, the turkey will cook much faster without a stuffed cavity. 

Always Rest the Turkey

Although you may be tempted to skip the resting period once the turkey is done smoking, but don’t!

If you accidentally slice the turkey as soon as it comes off of the grill, the juices will most likely run out of the turkey, resulting in a dry turkey.

Don’t Wrap in Heavy Duty Foil

To keep the smoked turkey’s skin from getting soft or rubbery, make sure to only lightly tent the turkey as it rests.

You do not want to wrap or use heavy-duty foil that will create steam under the foil.

All Eyes on the Temperature

The internal temperature of the meat can continue to rise after you remove the turkey from the grill so make sure to keep an eye on it.

You Can Cook at a Higher Temp

If you need the turkey to cook faster, you can opt to smoke the turkey at a higher temperature.

Cooking at a temperature of 325°F — 350°F will drastically reduce the cooking time.

Don’t Toss Out the Bones

Make sure that you don’t toss out the turkey bones and carcass.

Instead, you can make a delicious smokey broth with it. You can then use the broth to make some delicious Creamy Turkey Soup. 

Smoke Extra 

You can choose to smoke extra turkey to keep as leftovers that can be popped out and whipped up into an easy dinner at anytime.

Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to 4 months. 

Use these leftovers to make the best Mini Turkey Pot Pies. 

Keep the Lid Closed

Heat and smoke tend to escape every time you lift the lid of your smoker.

Your Traeger smoker will have to then work much harder to keep up with the temperature settings. This is especially impactful on cold days.

There’s no real reason to do it as your thermometer will tell you everything that you need to know.

Smoke On!

Charlie

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