Utilizing a pellet grill is a good way to attain unbelievable smoked taste whereas attaining crispy pores and skin for the very best smoked turkey. Study the important thing steps in tips on how to smoke turkey on a pellet grill each time.
Do you’ve got a pellet grill and hoping to smoke a turkey that is much better than any oven roasted turkey you’ve ever had?
It’s potential!
An ideal turkey has crispy pores and skin and juicy flavorful meat. When utilizing a wooden pellet smoker you’ve got a straightforward benefit that permits you to smoke it first then roast it to get the specified crispy pores and skin. This strategy is straightforward when utilizing a wooden pellet grill.
For this recipe, we’ll observe 4 easy steps of brining, spatchcocking the turkey, seasoning, and smoking.
[feast_advanced_jump_to]
Elements for Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey
- Complete Turkey – A recent turkey is right. If shopping for frozen turkey ensure you permit sufficient time to thaw. Should you plan to make your individual brine make sure to purchase a turkey that’s not already soaked in a brine answer. You will notice this on the packaging.
- Seasoning – We use a moist brine and a dry brine (seasoning) so as to add taste and assist put together the turkey for crispy pores and skin. Our dry brine is our savory turkey seasoning, which is a mixture of kosher salt and natural flavors like sage and thyme. You may as well add a candy factor with our final dry rub for rooster and pork.
Frozen Turkey Thawing Suggestions + Planning
Plan 1 day of thawing in your fridge for each 5-pounds of turkey. So for a 15 pound turkey plan 3 days. For a 20 pound turkey – 4 days. You additionally wish to plan 1 extra day to brine your turkey.
If it is advisable to thaw a turkey extra shortly you may utterly submerge a frozen turkey in chilly water in accordance with the USDA. Substitute the water each half-hour till thawed. Plan half-hour of time for each pound of frozen turkey. So a 15 pound turkey ought to thaw utilizing this technique in 7 ½ hours.
So mainly purchase a thawed turkey and add a day in prep time for brining. We even have our article on all of the recommendation in your first smoked turkey to plan and have the right vacation meal.
Turkey Shopping for Suggestions
When smoking turkey we at all times advocate shopping for smaller turkeys versus a big turkey. Bigger turkeys can dry out simpler when smoking low and gradual for a protracted time frame. Should you begin to want a turkey over 15 kilos then contemplate two smaller turkeys as a substitute of 1 giant. One of the best half is that you simply get twice as a lot of the darker meat.
For parts we at all times plan 1 ½ kilos of turkey weight per individual. So for an 8-10 individual dinner we plan for roughly 14-15 kilos.
Instruments Used
Be sure to have all of your provides prepared and ready.
- Giant Chopping Board – It must be an outsized board that may match an entire turkey. Should you don’t have a big board, you may place a smaller slicing board inside of a giant sheet tray. This helps stop spillage. Chef’s Tip: Place a kitchen towel below your slicing board or sheet tray to forestall it from transferring round.
- Paper Towels – You will want loads of them.
- Brine Bucket – We use a big 16-quart inventory pot, or you should utilize a brining bag. If utilizing a cooler we advocate brining in a bag, putting in a cooler with ice to maintain cool.
- Sharp Knife – Should you plan to spatchcock your turkey you need a sharp chef knife. Kitchen shears additionally work effectively for spatchcocking.
- Meat Thermometer – Don’t depend on the pop up tag on any turkey. Use leave-in thermometer with Bluetooth options so you may monitor the inner temperature of the turkey at any given time. Many pellet grills have these built-in into their management system. You additionally need a good immediate learn thermometer to verify a number of areas of the turkey within the thickest a part of the breast so you understand all components of the turkey are carried out. We use the Thermoworks Smoke Unit and the Thermoworks Thermapen One.
Moist Brine
Take away the giblets from the turkey (save them to make use of for a turkey gravy). We advocate spatchcocking after this step as a result of it’s simpler to depart the entire turkey within the brining pot.
In a big stockpot, add the chilly water, salt, and the sugar. Stir till it’s absorbed. Then add your extra components for flavoring. Place the entire turkey into the pot, place into the fridge and brine for twenty-four hours. We use this fundamental turkey brine on a regular basis and it’s simple to switch with extra flavors.
Spatchcock Turkey
After 24 hours within the fridge take away the turkey from water and place on a big slicing board. Discard the brine.
Place the turkey breast aspect down so the spine is dealing with you. Utilizing your knife, start to chop alongside one aspect of the spine, slicing by way of the cartilage as near the bone as potential.
After you have lower by way of one aspect, repeat on the opposite aspect. You’ll be able to season and smoke the spine with the giblets for gravy. In any other case discard spine.
The final step is to open the previous cavity and crack the breast bone in order that your entire turkey lies flat.
For additional description you too can learn this put up on spatchcocking turkey or rooster.
Dry Brine
Utterly dry the entire turkey with paper towels. You need the turkey dry. That is the important thing step in attaining crispy pores and skin. After it’s been dried, liberally apply your turkey seasoning to your entire turkey. Place the turkey on sheet tray lined with a wire rack (or cookie cooling rack). Then put the turkey into the fridge, uncovered for at the very least 3 hours (ideally 12).
Throughout this course of the salt within the seasoning will proceed to tug out water within the fatty layer of the pores and skin and dehydrate the turkey. This is a vital step to getting that crispy pores and skin. Word that at no level within the dry brine course of will we use olive oil. We preserve the pores and skin dry.
Smoking a Turkey on a Pellet Grill
The entire chook has been brined, spatchcocked, seasoned, and now it’s time to smoke it. One of the best a part of any pellet grill is that it’s simple to start out at a low temperature for smoke taste after which cranking it as much as get the upper roasting temperatures. There may be NO NEED to permit the turkey to take a seat for an hour and are available to room temperature. This can be a delusion and won’t materially change the cooking occasions in any respect.
- PREHEAT SMOKER: Set your smoker to 250 levels F.
- SMOKE TURKEY: Place the seasoned turkey on the grill grate, breast aspect dealing with up. Insert the leave-in thermometer temperature probe into the thickest a part of the breast. Shut the lid and smoke for 2 hours. See FAQ part on utilizing a water pan.
- INCREASE HEAT: After two hours the inner temperature of the turkey must be round 100 – 120 levels F, and smoke taste could have built-in with the outer layer of the turkey. Improve the temperature of your pellet grill to 375 levels Fahrenheit. Proceed to smoke for a further hour, or till the inner temperature of the turkey on the thickest a part of the turkey breast is 160 levels F. Use your immediate learn thermometer to verify the turkey in a number of locations on the breast. The legs and thighs at this level will likely be nearer to 180 levels F which is ideal.
- REST: Take away from the smoker and let relaxation 20 minutes.
This technique will work for any kind of pellet grill. We used the Camp Chef Woodwind Professional 24 and added wooden chunks to their distinctive smoke chamber along with the wooden pellets.
Relaxation
After the turkey has come to the correct inside temperature, relaxation it for 20 minutes on a slicing board. Loosely tent with aluminum foil. Don’t wrap tightly or it can steam the pores and skin and begin to rubberize it. The interior temperature of the turkey will improve by 5 levels due to carry over cooking (to the really useful temperature of 165). Because of this we let meats relaxation, in order that they end cooking.
Carve + Serve Smoked Turkey
Carve the turkey with a pointy knife. Take away the wings first, then the thighs and legs. This frees up area to then carve the breast. I prefer to carve the breast into thick strips, as seen beneath, in order that company can get the juicy meat and among the crispy pores and skin.
Regularly Requested Questions on Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey
We advocate a fruit wooden like cherry or apple for the brighter and sweeter taste. You should purchase Thanksgiving blends, and in case you do be certain that it has fruit woods in it.
Cooking time will differ based mostly on climate. However a turkey usually takes 20 minutes per pound when smoking an entire turkey. A spatchcock turkey takes quarter-hour per pound. When smoking then roasting in a pellet grill it ought to take roughly 3 ½ hours complete together with resting. Plan extra time for a bigger chook.
There isn’t any must wrap turkey when smoking. Wrapping will truly stop the pores and skin from getting crispy.
We do not advocate utilizing a water pan in a pellet grill when smoking turkey. It raises the humidity stage and can make it tougher to get crispy pores and skin.
Different Thanksgiving Recipe Inspirations
You’ll be able to try our whole spherical up of Thanksgiving Recipe concepts or try a few of our favorites.
- Smoked Turkey with Bourbon Brine – Bourbon brine and smoked complete turkey makes for one of the flavorful complete smoked turkeys you’ll ever eat.
- Methods to Spatchcock – Study the small print on tips on how to take away that spine and butterfly the turkey.
- Cajun Smoked Turkey – Use our Cajun seasoning on a spatchcocked and smoked turkey.
Greatest Sides for Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey
- Smoked Turkey and Bourbon Gravy – We smoke an additional turkey leg so we will make our personal turkey and bourbon gravy. So darn good!
- Southern Collard Greens – That is all about nice taste, smoked turkey thigh for added taste, and love. Tremendous tender collards with wealthy taste.
- Smoked Sausage Dressing – We make skillet cornbread after which add smoked sausage and caramelized onions for this flavorful dressing.
Mary (a licensed sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (yard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Hearth + Wine, and have been creating content material for the IACP nominated web site Vindulge since 2009. They stay in Oregon on a farm simply exterior Portland.
Tried this recipe? Give us a star ranking and we might like to see! Point out @vindulge or use the hashtag #vindulge on all of the social media handles. And contemplate subscribing to our e-newsletter the place we drop all our favourite concepts and inspirations each week.
Smoked Pellet Grill Turkey Recipe
#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #ffffff; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-33 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-33); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-50 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-50); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-66 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-66); }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-33 cease { stop-color: #ffffff; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-50 cease { stop-color: #ffffff; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-66 cease { stop-color: #ffffff; }
Tools
-
1 Depart-In Bluetooth Thermometer
-
1 Inventory Pot (That is ultimate for brining)
Elements
- 15 pound thawed complete turkey (giblets eliminated)
- 1 cup turkey seasoning
Pellet Grill Turkey Brine
- 8 quarts chilly water
- 1 ½ cups kosher salt
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 2 oranges, quartered
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 1 purple onion, quartered
- ¼ cup complete black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 complete dried cloves
Directions
-
Brine: In a big stockpot, add the chilly water, salt, and the sugar. Stir till it’s absorbed. Then add remaining components for flavoring and stir. Place the entire turkey into the pot, place into the fridge and brine for twenty-four hours.
Spatchcock and Season
-
Reduce Spine: After 24 hours within the fridge take away the turkey from water and place on a big slicing board. Discard the brine. Place the turkey, breast aspect down, so the spine is dealing with you. Utilizing your knife or kitchen sears, start to chop alongside one aspect of the spine, slicing by way of the cartilage as near the bone as potential.
-
Take away Spine: After you have lower by way of one aspect, repeat on the opposite aspect. Discard spine (or use for inventory). The final step is to open the previous cavity and crack the breast bone in order that your entire turkey lies flat.
-
Dry Brine: Utterly dry the entire turkey utilizing paper towels. You need the turkey dry. That is the important thing step in attaining crispy pores and skin. Liberally apply turkey seasoning to your entire turkey. Place the turkey on a sheet tray lined with a wire rack (or cookie cooling rack). Then put the turkey into the fridge, uncovered for at the very least 3 hours (as much as 12).
Smoke
-
PREHEAT SMOKER: Set your smoker to 250 levels F utilizing a fruit wooden like apple or cherry, or a mix of pellets.
-
SMOKE TURKEY: Place the seasoned turkey on the grill grate, breast aspect dealing with up. Insert the leave-in thermometer temperature probe into the thickest a part of the breast. Shut the lid and smoke for 2 hours. See FAQ part on utilizing a water pan.
-
INCREASE HEAT: After two hours the inner temperature of the turkey must be round 100 – 120 levels F, and smoke taste could have built-in with the outer layer of the turkey. Improve the temperature of your pellet grill to 350 levels Fahrenheit. Proceed to smoke for a further hour (checking on it sometimes), or till the inner temperature of the turkey on the thickest a part of the turkey breast is 160 levels F. Use your immediate learn thermometer to verify the turkey in a number of locations on the breast. The legs and thighs at this level will likely be nearer to 180 levels F which is ideal.
-
Relaxation: Take away from the smoker and let relaxation 20 minutes loosely masking the turkey with aluminum foil.
Notes
Carving: Carve the turkey utilizing a pointy knife. Take away the wings first, then the thighs and legs. This frees up area to then carve the breast.
Diet
The put up The Greatest Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey Recipe appeared first on Vindulge.
