pellet grill turkey

Would you like to impress your dinner guests with the best-tasting turkey they&#039;ve ever had? Then follow this easy recipe for how to smoke a turkey on a pellet grill.  This is hands down the easiest turkey recipe you will ever make.  Smoked turkey is incredibly juicy, tender, and infused with a unique smoky flavor. The bird is seasoned with a dry spice rub that adds fantastic flavor and leaves a crispy exterior on the turkey.  So, if you want to smoke a turkey, you have to try this delicious smoked turkey recipe; you will be so glad you did!

How To Smoke a Turkey on a Pellet Grill

turkey

olive oil

tbsp dry spice rub (link

Preheat the smoker to 225°F. Make sure it is topped up with wood pellets.

Rinse the turkey inside and outside with cold water and dry the turkey with a paper towel. Place the turkey on a large platter or roasting pan.  If using homemade dry spice rub, mix the ingredients together with a spoon.

Next, add butter or olive oil underneath the skin on the turkey breast. Rub the butter all over both breasts with your fingers. This helps to keep the breast moist, and it doesn&#39;t get dried out. Next, rub oil over the entire turkey. Sprinkle spice rub over the whole turkey.  Don&#39;t forget underneath!

If you want to make gravy, place an aluminum pan or baking sheet on the grill rack and a wire cooling rack inside the pan.  This will catch all of the drippings.  Next, place the turkey on the wire rack.  Then, add a few cups of water to the pan at the beginning of cooking to ensure the drippings do not evaporate before the turkey is fully cooked. The water may evaporate during cooking, so refill the pan as needed to keep a few cups of water in there at all times.

If you are not going to make gravy, place turkey directly on the rack of the grill.

Place a temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast meat and the thigh. When the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165 degrees F, the turkey will be cooked. The cook time for the turkey is 30 minutes per pound at 225 degrees F, or 25 minutes per pound at 250 degrees F. Start checking the turkey about one hour before you think it should be done.  If the turkey is done earlier, just shut the grill off and cover the turkey with aluminum foil. I would then place it in the oven on the keep warm setting.

Allow the turkey to rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!

A brined turkey smoked on a pellet grill will always be the best way to cook a turkey. Here we share the best turkey brine recipe, and our favorite turkey rub. Then we provide step by step instructions to smoke it on your pellet grill.

Smoked Turkey with Brine Recipe

Garlic Cloves

2.5 Cups Brown Sugar

Salt

Cup Soy Sauce

Bay Leaves

TBS Coarse Black Pepper

Quarts Water (cold)

lbs Turkey (thawed)

canola oil

onion powder

paprika

garlic powder

salt

pepper

sage

Cup Peanut Oil

Cup Butter (melted for basting)

garlic

Skin the garlic cloves and use a knife to crush each clove.

In the clean 5-gallon pail, add all the brine ingredients together and mix well with a large wooden spoon.

clean

Clean your turkey and make sure the giblets are removed.

brine

Submerge the turkey in the pail of brine. Do your best to make sure the turkey is completely submerged.

turn

Store in your refrigerator for 48 hours, turning the turkey 180 degrees after the first 24 hours.

brining complete

After the 48 hour brine is complete. Remove your turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry with paper towel and store in the fridge for 1 hour. The brine process is complete.

Turkey Brine Instructions

Mix all the rub ingredients together and set aside for later.

Turkey Rub Instructions

preheat

wings

Take your brined turkey out of the fridge and prep it for the smoker. Move the wings behind the body of the Turkey as shown.

legs

Tie the legs together with butcher twine.

season

Apply the turkey rub liberally to the entire turkey. Then lightly brush some of the peanut oil over the entire turkey.

smoke

Once the smoker hits 300F, place your turkey in the smoker and attach your meat probe into the breast of the turkey.

baste

After the first 1.5hrs, I'll check in on the turkey and see how it looks. I'll baste it with melted butter now and then. I'll sometimes spritz the turkey with a 50/50 mixture of apple cider vinegar as well. It helps attract the smoke to the skin.

rest

Once the Turkey reaches about 160F, I will remove it and quickly wrap in foil. The Turkey will keep climbing in temperature and reach the 165F while it is covered in foil. Let the turkey rest a minimum of 20 minutes under the foil. The longer it rests, the better.

You are done and ready to carve the turkey. Enjoy.

Smoking the Turkey Instructions

A Thanksgiving classic recipe but specifically tailored to cooking low and slow on a pellet grill.

Pellet Grill Turkey

14-16 lb turkey (defrosted)

butter

thyme (chopped)

garlic (minced)

rosemary (chopped)

sage (chopped)

tbsp black pepper

tbsp kosher salt

In a bowl, combine butter with thyme, minced garlic, rosemary, sage, pepper, and salt.

Separate the skin from the defrosted turkey breast and insert butter mixture into the pocket, covering the entire breast and outside of the bird generously.

Rub the exterior of the turkey with kosher salt and fresh black pepper.

Preheat pellet grill to 225°F

Place your turkey on the pellet grill and close the lid.  Place an aluminum foil drip pan underneath the turkey and fill with 2-3 cups of water to help keep the environment moist.

Smoke the turkey for 6-7 hours.  The turkey is ready to come off of the pellet grill when the centermost point of the breast reads an internal temperature of 165°F on your probe thermometer.

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The most viewed pellet grill turkey recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine