Smoked Turkey
Smoked Turkey cooked in a Pellet Grill is one of the best ways to cook a turkey. Smoking a turkey will help it stay moist and full of flavor for the perfect Thanksgiving Dinner.
Servings: 12 servings
Equipment
- Pellet Smoker
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Turkey 8 pounds
- 1 Stick Butter Unsalted and Room Temperature
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 1/2 cup Poultry Seasoning
Instructions
- Mix together your butter, salt, pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest in a bowl.
- Spread your butter mixture under the skin of the turkey. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour to allow the butter to reset.
- Preheat your smoker to 325 degrees.
- Sprinkle and rub on your seasoning over the entire turkey.
- Place the whole turkey right on the grates of your grill. Insert the thermometer into thickest portion of the turkey (near the breast and innermost portion of the thigh).
- Smoke for about 3 hours checking the temperature. You want the internal temperature of the turkey to be 165 degrees.
- Allow the finished turkey to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Optional Tip: For added moisture place an aluminum pan filled with chicken broth in one of the corners of your smoker to allow that to help keep the turkey moist.
Do you need to brine your turkey before smoking it?
This Whole Smoked Turkey is smoked on a pellet grill and no brine is needed for this recipe! Chad chose not to brine this turkey as he chose to use the lemon-infused butter to keep the turkey moist. Chad does not like the added salt that brining a turkey brings to the turkey, so he typically goes the butter route when he makes turkeys.
The seasoned butter honestly helps a nice crust form on the bird from smoking it.
Nutrition
Serving: 8oz | Calories: 1kcal | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg