Turkey doesn’t just have to be prepared for Thanksgiving, it can be cooked year-round. However, just like chicken, it is a fairly versatile meat. Not only do you have to grill, you can also smoke in your smoker or grill. Here’s how to cook a turkey in a staggered smoker.
Given the choice between roast and smoked turkey, I would always recommend going for the smoked one. Smoked turkey tends to be a bit juicier while remaining crispy and has a nice grilled flavor from the charcoal grill.
Another benefit of smoking is that if you’re juggling many different foods cooked at once, smoking the turkey frees up the oven so you can cook other meats or vegetables.
Don’t have an offset smoker? How to smoke turkey in an electric smoker.
Because the meat IS exposed to long periods of heat when smoking, it’s easy to go wrong and dry out the meat. Either cook it too low or go the other way and sear it too high.
In today’s guide, I’ll show you exactly how to roast it in an offset smoker and how to keep it from drying out.
What does it take to roast a turkey?
Without stating the obvious, you need a smoker big enough to hold an entire bird. The best offset smokers are usually large enough to cook large turkeys, but it’s always important to compare the maximum size of the rack to the size of your bird.
You also need to make sure there is room around the bird to allow airflow and that you have a large enough drip tray to catch your bird’s runoff.
If this is your first time roasting a turkey, I recommend choosing a slightly smaller one(say, no larger than 12-13 pounds).
Another important thing you need is a thermometer that is easy to read . The key to good smoking is maintaining a steady, consistent temperature throughout the cooking time and ensuring the meat’s internal temperature has reached a level where it is safe to eat.
The best way to ensure all of this is to use a ready-to-use thermometer . The best of these have two probes, one to read the ambient temperature of your smoker and the other in the meat. Read my full guide to using an instant read thermometer here.
If your grill has a built-in thermometer, I recommend reading it right away. Built-in analog thermometers tend to be unreliable and very inaccurate, so try to get something well-verified and digital.
Then you need a good fuel source. It can be tempting to buy briquettes because they’re cheap, but they’re usually made from a lot of rubbish, making them bad for the environment and even worse for your food. Always choose lumpy charcoal . They tend to burn longer and cleaner, and can add a nice grilled flavor to meat.
I also recommend buying a chimney starter. Charcoal is notoriously difficult to light and maintain a flame, but chimney starters are an excellent tool to help light the embers. They are a tool in the form of a chimney in which you make the embers light first. The closed environment of the starter makes it easy to light the coals before transferring them to the smoker.
How do you prepare turkey for smoking?
Just like smoking, you need to thoroughly clean the bird inside and out.
Below is a list of brine and rub recipes you may want to try. If you don’t like either of those, then squirting turkey with marinade is a great way to avoid them.
How to pickle turkey for roasting
Salting is a cooking method I use with many of my cuts of meat. The brine can help the meat become more tender and retain its moisture when grilled( source ). This involves soaking your bird in brine for several hours or overnight. Also plan ahead if you decide to put your turkey in brine.
They need to be meat salting for an hour per pound.
Pickle recipes tend to vary, but generally follow a very simple recipe like the following:
- 2 cups of salt
- 2 liters of cold water
- 2 tablespoons rosemary
- 2 tablespoons of dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons crushed sage
- 1 THE dried savory
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl before giving to your bird. Submerge your turkey as best you can, then place the container in your refrigerator. Leave overnight or for as many hours as needed.
After brine, remove the turkey from the container and place it on a wire rack to dry. Pat with kitchen paper to remove excess brine.
How to apply BBQ Rubs to your turkey
Now that we’ve marinated the meat, it’s time to start thinking about the flavors.
You can go two ways here, one with marinade, the other with massage. The marinades add a deeper flavor, but since we’ve already picked this I don’t want to overdo it, adding moisture. So I recommend a plain barbecue rub.
Everyone has a choice to rub, and I’m no different. This is actually my favorite BBQ seasoning for chicken , but it also goes perfectly with turkey.
The son ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of peppers
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 2 tablespoons chilli powder
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher/table salt
- 2 tablespoons of black pepper
Just mix all the ingredients together with a little pain before applying liberally to your bird’s skin. Also, be sure to get under the skin and work on the aromas of the massage.
How long turkey roast?
This ends entirely with the size of your bird, but a good rule of thumb is to cook 30 minutes per pound of bird at 230°F(110°C). Smoke until the meat’s internal temperature reaches 73°C(165°F).
Those are the rules I try to stick to. However, the reality can be that sometimes smoking a whole turkey takes a little longer or a little less. That’s why it’s so important to use a thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of your AV. Once it hits the 165°F mark, it’s ready to go and the turkey is safe to eat.
What is the best wood for smoking turkey?
A lot of this can be down to personal taste, but I prefer to use cherry with some hickory or mesquite. Both produce a smoky, traditional grill flavor that pairs well with your grill seasoning of choice.
Some people like a slightly sweeter wood, in which case apple or maple might be a good choice.
Read more: The Best Wood for Smoking Turkey
How to smoke a turkey in an offset smoker
Start by soaking your wood chips in cold water for about 4-6 hours.
If the fries are ready quickly, remove the turkey and brine container from the refrigerator. Carefully remove the turkey from the container and place the bird on a drying rack. Gently tap with a kitchen towel to absorb any runoff. Let the turkey sit for 30 minutes to allow excess sea to drain. Remove the wood chips from the water and let them dry.
First, while the turkey and wood chops are resting, heat up your smoker. Use a chimney starter to light the coals. Once the coals are lit, transfer them to your offset smoker. Close the smoker door, but leave both flaps open as wide as possible to maximize airflow through the smokehouse.
Use your instant thermometer to take your smoker’s internal temperature. We want the grill’s ambient temperature to reach 230°F.
Add the wood chips to your smoker. I like to use a smoker box to house the fries.
Transfer turkey to smoker and carefully place on smoker grill grates or racks.
Cook 30 minutes per pound of bird or until internal temperature reaches 165°F during turkey.
Remove turkey from smoker and place on cutting board. Leave for 20-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Here are some quick tips to help you get the most out of preparing your turkey.
Use a drip tray
An integral part of your smoker is a drip tray. This is a small pan that sits under the meat and is positioned to catch any juices or fat that drips off the bird as it cooks. This will help keep your smoker clean and prevent grease from building up on the surfaces of your smoker, building up over time and disrupting the flavor of anything you cook in the future.
Unfortunately, not all smokers come with one, so you may need to make a separate purchase. Although they are quite cheap. For example, on Amazon, these packages are quite cheap but extremely reliable.
Do not interrupt the grill.
It can be tempting to constantly check on your turkey, but opening the smokehouse WILL cut off the airflow in the smoker, causing the temperature to fluctuate lately.
Learn to trust your thermometer and use the reading for the temperature of your meat as a guide.
Likewise, in inclement weather conditions, there is a good chance that wind changes will disrupt your smoker’s airflow and temperature levels. Get to place your smoker in a sheltered or protected area behind a wall.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
