Thanksgiving is all about tradition. We find ourselves cooking the same foods—the same way—year after year, and there’s really nothing wrong with that. An oven-roasted turkey is the classic way to cook your Thanksgiving bird for a reason, and it feels safer than delving into the unknown territory of a smoked or deep-fried turkey. It can be scary; after all, if you don’t know how to smoke a turkey, you might accidentally under- or over-cook it and ruin dinner!
We turned to Michael Parulski, the brother-in-law of one of our editors, for advice. He’s been smoking meats in his backyard for ten years. After we heard that his very first turkey turned out so juicy and tender it fell right off the bone, we knew we had to give his recipe a try.
If you still need convincing, there are a few reasons you might want to smoke a turkey this Thanksgiving:
- It tastes fantastic. An oven-roasted turkey is good, but a smoked turkey is really next level. Cooking over charcoal or wood chips infuses each bite with a sweet and smoky flavor, something that’s impossible to achieve inside.
- Smoking the turkey keeps it juicy and moist. Combine your favorite turkey brine with the low temperature of the smoker, and you have a recipe for juicy, moist turkey. Even the breast meat won’t dry out!
- It frees up the oven and gets you outside. This benefit has nothing to do with the turkey itself, but smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving can be a welcome excuse to hang out outside. Running the oven all day long can amp up the heat in the kitchen, so popping outside to check on your smoked turkey is a great way to cool down. As a bonus, the smoker also frees up the oven, so you’ll have more room to make Thanksgiving side dishes.
When you’re ready, fire up your smoker and follow our step-by-step instructions to make the most flavorful Thanksgiving turkey you’ve ever had. If you don’t have a smoker, never fear; you can convert your grill into a smoker.
How to Smoke a Turkey
Ingredients:
- 1 turkey (12 to 14 lbs.)
- Kosher salt for the brine (1/4 to 1/2 cup salt for every quart of water)
- 2 to 3 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
- 1 to 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 to 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 cups white wine, chicken broth or a mix
Tools:
- A smoker. This propane gas smoker can cook two 12lb. turkeys at once ($329)
- A large roasting pan or tinfoil pan
- Two cups of wood chips (if using)
Instructions
Step 1: Brine the turkey
There are some great recipes out there for brined turkey, Michael likes to brine his for 24 hours with water, kosher salt and garlic cloves, using a ratio of 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salt for every quart of water. You can also skip the water and use a dry brine, rubbing the turkey directly with a tablespoon of salt for every two pounds of turkey. Here are a few more ideas from our Test Kitchen to get you started:
Editor’s tip: No matter how you brine, make sure you’re not skipping this step. It takes some extra effort, but it’s worth it when you end up with moist and delicious meat.
Step 2: Prepare the smoker
Most people use cooler temperatures for smoking brisket or pulled pork, but we like smoking turkey between 325°F and 350°F. Smoking at lower temps can take too long for turkey, infusing it with too much smoky flavor. Instead, smoking at 325°F takes about 12 minutes a pound, so a 16-pound turkey will be finished in about three hours. It’s the perfect middle ground for smoky flavor and juicy, tender meat.
Get started by preparing a gas, charcoal, pellet or wood-fired smoker according to the manufacturer’s directions. If you’re using wood chips, be sure to soak them an hour in advance.
Editor’s Tip: We like using apple wood for smoking poultry. It has a sweet flavor that goes well with turkey, and its smoke won’t overpower the delicate flavor of the turkey. You can use another fruit wood like cherry, or look to mild woods like pecan or maple. Hickory or mesquite wood is too powerful to be used 100% for turkey, but you can definitely blend with more mild woods.
Step 3: Ready the bird
The first time Michael smoked a turkey, he put it directly onto the grill grates. It was so tender after cooking that it fell apart as he was pulling it off the smoker! After that, he learned to use a large tinfoil pan or a roasting pan. The pan also allows you to catch the turkey drippings to make gravy, and filling it with white wine or chicken broth adds humidity to the smoker to keep the turkey from drying out. Here’s your guide to making gravy.
Remove the turkey from the brine and pat it dry. Tuck the wings underneath the bird to help them cook evenly. Rub the turkey with the ground black pepper, garlic powder, paprika and any other herbs and spices you’d like to use. Place the turkey on a rack in the roasting pan and add the wine or chicken broth.
Editor’s Tip: If you don’t have a rack for your roasting pan, add the liquid to your smoker’s water pan or in a separate pan next to the turkey.
Step 4: Smoke until it reaches the proper temperature
Place the turkey in the smoker and close the lid. That’s it! Resist the urge to raise the lid too many times to check on the turkey, which can release most of the heat inside. If you’re using a charcoal smoker, you may need to add briquettes to maintain the smoker’s heat, so set a timer to remind yourself to add ten briquettes every hour.
Cook the turkey for about 12 minutes a pound, until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F on an instant-read meat thermometer (or 175°F if you’re probing the thigh).
Step 5: Let it rest
When the turkey reaches the proper temperatures, remove it from the smoker and tent it with foil. Let it stand for at least 20 minutes (but preferably 30 to 45 minutes) before carving. While you’re waiting, make gravy with the pan drippings.
While you’re out there, you may as well change things up this Thanksgiving with one of these amazing side dishes you can throw on the grill.
More Classic Thanksgiving Recipes
I take this dish to potlucks during the holidays. People always ooh and aah. Feel free to sub whipped cream for the celery curl garnish. —Carol Mead, Los Alamos, New Mexico
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I tried this sweet and crunchy casserole out on my 80-year-old parents and they loved it! Butternut squash now has a place at our holiday table year after year. —Barbara Busch, Henrico, Virginia
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These onions are stuffed with a delicious blend of cheeses and cooked in vegetable broth. Experiment to find the blend you like. Instead of goat cheese, try cream cheese or mascarpone cheese. For the blue cheese, you can use Gorgonzola cheese, and in place of Romano, you can use Parmesan. It’s all delicious! —Sonya Labbe, West Hollywood, California
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My grandmother made the best collard greens in the world. Eating them with a slice of buttermilk corn bread is pure bliss. —Sherri Williams, Crestview, Florida
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This simple but special deep-dish pie provides a down-home finish to hearty autumn meals served at home. Pecans and pumpkin-pie spices make this a comforting seasonal classic.—Paul Azzone, Shoreham, New York
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To ensure your family eats their veggies, why not top your beets with an irresistible orange glaze! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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To make it easier to bring this traditional Southern staple to a potluck or gathering, I updated it so that it can be cooked in a slow cooker. It's hard to go wrong with candied sweet potatoes when it comes to pleasing a crowd. —Deirdre Dee Cox, Kansas City, Missouri
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No one will guess this showstopper dessert with luscious cinnamon frosting starts with a mix! It's a year-round favorite. —Linda Murray, Allenstown, New Hampshire
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This was originally my daughter's recipe, and she or I will make it for one or more of our holiday get-togethers. It can be served as a fruit salad along with the meal or as a light dessert. It's particularly pretty in a cut-glass bowl on a buffet. —Ruth Bolduc, Conway, New Hampshire
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Plenty of pecans and bacon give this stuffing a unique flavor— while using a packaged mix cuts down on the preparation time. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee Wisconsin
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Acorn squash has been a favorite of mine since I was little and my mother baked it with sugar and cinnamon. This particular pie was something I improvised. We love pumpkin pie, but had fresh squash in excess. So I came up with this new variation! It's good to take to potlucks, to pie or cake walks at school, or to serve as a different dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas. —Mary Kelly, Hopland, California
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MOTHER could always rely on peas and onions when she was in a hurry and needed a quick side dish. Besides being easy to prepare, this dish was loved by everyone in our family. It was handed down to my mother by my grandmother. -Santa D'Addario, Jacksonville, Florida
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In Georgia where sweet Vidalia onions are king, I make big batches of creamy onions as a side dish for grilled chicken and beef. — Elaine Opitz, Marietta, Georgia
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My mother made this stuffing every Thanksgiving for my, father who loves it! And now I make it.—Amy Voights, Brodhead, Wisconsin
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I found myself in need of an impromptu potato dish, but no potatoes. Frozen hash browns and the plethora of cheeses I keep in the freezer offered me the solution to my side-dish dilemma. —Cynthia Gerken, Naples, Florida
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All my leftover bread ends (raisin bread is a favorite in this house) and buns go in the freezer. Then, when I've stashed away enough, I whip up a batch of this pudding. It's an all-occasion dish—I've made it for holidays, potlucks, picnics...for any occasion or no occasion! —Dawn Green, Hopkins, Michigan
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This pilaf is fantastic with fish or poultry and especially compatible with turkey. Since it's so colorful, I like to think it makes my turkey dressed for the holidays. —Erica Ollmann, San Diego, California
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We try lots of cranberry recipes, and this one is always requested when we have family get-togethers at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's also been a favorite dish at every church potluck I've taken it to! —Eleanor Arthur, Seattle, Washington
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Carrots and green pepper make this dish colorful, which grabs attention at a potluck. The corn casserole is also great when you need to prepare a dish ahead of time—just bake it before serving. —J. Brown, Fort Dodge, Iowa
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When our children were small, we always celebrated Christmas at our house. This was one of many recipes I relied on that can be prepared a day in advance, which gave me more time to spend with guests. Everyone expected to see this vegetable dish on the table every year. —Barbara Caserman, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
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A dear friend and I wanted to make an easy apple crisp. We made a Parmesan filling, stuffed the apples and baked them whole. They were a hit! —Susan Stetzel, Gainesville, New York
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When I was growing up, it was a family tradition to make creamed peas with pearl onions for every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. My dad would not be a happy camper if he didn't see this dish on the table. It was his favorite! I made the dish for my own family while our kids were growing up; my daughter now makes this dish for her family. —Nancy Heishman, Las Vegas, Nevada
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I created this recipe for our local persimmon festival, using homegrown squash. Make sure the persimmons are ripe! I like to use a few extra toffee bits and pecans in the garnish. —Betty Milligan, Bedford, Indiana
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My husband first tried this comforting casserole more than 10 years ago when he was still my fiance. Having enjoyed it so much, he said I needed to offer it at every Thanksgiving dinner. I was happy to oblige!—Maura Calusdian, Londonderry, New Hampshire
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Fresh beets are delicious when combined with aromatic spices and a hint of orange. These have the ideal balance of sweet and sour flavors. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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I pack these easy candied pecans in jars tied with pretty ribbon for family and friends. My granddaughter gave some to a doctor at the hospital where she works, and he said they were too good to be true! —Opal Turner, Hughes Springs, Texas
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I love serving this satisfying corn bread pudding recipe with shrimp or other seafood. I actually adapted the dish from my mom’s recipe, and it always reminds me of her. —Bob Gebhardt, Wausau, Wisconsin
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This fluffy fruit salad gets its sweet-tart flavor from cranberries and whipped cream. We like it because it's not as sweet as many other "fluffs." I'm often asked for the secret to this luscious holiday salad. —Lavonne Hartel, Williston, North Dakota
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Tarragon balances the tangy flavor from lemon in the creamy sauce covering colorful asparagus and green beans. I serve this as a side dish as well as an appetizer. —Bonnie Hawkins, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
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I’ve made many types of scalloped potatoes but I always come back to this rich, creamy and fail-proof recipe. This is a dish where the bottom gets scraped clean. —Kallee Krong-McCreery, Escondido, California
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Salty pretzels pair nicely with the sweet fruit in this refreshing layered salad. It’s a family favorite that is a slam-dunk at potlucks. —Peggy Boyd, Northport, Alabama
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Comfort-food flavor comes in attractive packages that are just the right size! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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The first time my friends tasted my new side dish, they said it was phenomenal. The longer you let it chill in the fridge, the more tender the sprouts will be. —Nick Iverson, Denver, Colorado
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Cranberries grow in the coastal area about 50 miles from our home. When they become available, I always make this creamy salad. —Faye Huff, Longview, Washington
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When I make pineapple casserole, I double the amount —because guests frequently request a second helping for dessert! Sweet-tangy fruit is even better combined with savory cheddar cheese and buttery cracker crumb topping. —Catherine Ann Goza, Leland, North Carolina
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Serve this refreshingly sweet side dish to your guests in separate cups you craft…from oranges! All you have to do is cut oranges in half, scoop out the fruit and fill the peel with the sweet potato mixture. It's a hit among our family and friends. —Melonie Bowers, Sugarcreek, Ohio
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I remember being excited right before Thanksgiving and Christmas, because that's when my family made this salad. There were five children and only the oldest helped peel the apples. It was fun when one of our boyfriends would come for the holiday for the first time. My dad would give him a huge bowl of grapes, hand him a sharp paring knife and tell him to start peeling. We all kept a straight face until he had the first grape peeled. —Debra Slone, Crossville, Tennessee
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I developed this recipe through the years to get it exactly where we want it. I've entered several pie contests with it and placed first each time—one bite and you'll know why this pie's a winner! —Laurel Dalzell, Manteca, California
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The herb butter can be used for everything from vegetables to roast chicken, turkey, game hens—let your imagination be your guide.—Sandra Corey, Caldwell, Idaho
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My mom always made this dessert with her homegrown squash. It was my dad's favorite after-dinner treat. I continue to make it to this day. —Johnna Poulson, Celebration, Florida.
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Lindsay D. Mattison
