Smoked Turkey Recipe

If you wanting a change to your roasted turkey recipe, make this smoked turkey breasts recipe. The easy dry rub gives this turkey so much flavor and makes this the best smoked turkey recipe. We love the smoky flavor, the crispy texture and the juicy center.

We love making Smoker Recipes for many occasions. Skip the oven this year, and make your holiday meat in the smoker. You may like to try this recipe as well – Boneless Smoked Ham Recipe, Blackstone Turkey Breast, Grilled Turkey Tenderloin, Smoked Bone-In Turkey Breast, Smoked Cornish Hens or Smoked Chicken Breasts.

Why We Love this Recipe

Take your Thanksgiving Turkey to the next level and make it in the smoker. We love the way it tastes and how amazing it is when served with our favorite side dishes.

The turkey comes out so tender, delicious and this will be your new way of make your turkey for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full ingredients and recipe in the recipe card.

Variation Ideas

• Seasoning – We used simple ingredients to make the dry rub. You can easily use fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme to add to the seasoning blend.
• Butter – Feel free to add a layer of melted butter or oil to the texture of the turkey.
• Veggie – We love to add fruit and veggies to the inside of the turkey cavity. We have even added in diced carrots and celery.
• BBQ Rub – We love the dry seasoning rub, but you can also rub BBQ sauce over the turkey.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1 – In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.  

Step 2 – Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the apples, onions and lemon. Rub the seasoning mixture on the outside of the entire turkey.

Step 3 – Place the entire pan with the turkey on the smoker rack.  Start smoking the turkey for approximately 20-30 minutes per pound. Cook until the thickest part of the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Step 4 – Once the turkey has reached the internal temperature of 165 degrees. Then remove the turkey from the electric smoker.  Gently cover it with foil and let the turkey rest for 15-20 minutes.  

Recipe Tips

• Prepare Turkey – Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and place the turkey on a roasting pan or a baking sheet.  This helps for the dry rub to stick to the turkey. Make sure to remove the giblets before stuffing.
• Preheat Smoker – Preheat a smoker to 225 degrees to 250 degrees with a water pan.
• Meat Thermometer – To ensure that the turkey is fully cooked, use a meat thermometer to check. The internal temp should reach 165 degrees when is cooked.
• Turkey Rest – Make sure to let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes covered by aluminum foil. This helps to lock in the moisture for the best flavor.
• Cooking Turkey – We used a pellet grill to make this turkey recipe. Feel free to cook the turkey with a gas grill or a charcoal grill. Cook the turkey directly on the grill grates.
• Brine the Turkey – If you prefer, you can brine the turkey but it is not necessary to make this recipe. Smoked turkey brine gives this turkey more flavor.
• Smoking Turkey – We recommend smoking the turkey in a disposable pan. We find that it is a lot easier smoking in a pan whether than smoking directly on the rack.

How Much Turkey Per Person

It will depend if you want leftovers, we plan on about 1 lbs per person when making a turkey. When smoking a turkey, we recommend using a smaller turkey to smoke since it does take longer.

We try to smoke about 12 to 14 lb turkey for best results.

How Long to Smoke a Turkey

You will smoke the turkey for about 30 minutes for each pound the turkey it is. In this recipe we smoked it approximately 6.5 hours and it was cooked perfectly. 

Cooking time will vary based on your smoker and the size of your turkey.

How to Make Turkey Gravy

This smoked turkey drippings make the best turkey gravy. Check out How to Make Turkey Gravy with is easy recipe.