Learn how to smoke a turkey in a vertical smoker. This makes the most delicious, juicy turkey you’ve ever had!!
With a bunch of hungry growing boys to feed, we love to cook a whole turkey whenever possible. The indirect heat from a smoker gives the turkey a unique flavour profile that you are sure to love!
We’ve shared how we smoke salmon in this vertical smoker and how we love to cook garbage can turkey too. Be sure to check out those posts!
Too busy to make this right away?! Pin it for later! Pin this recipe to your favorite camping board on Pinterest and it’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.
Our smoked turkey starts with the most amazing turkey brine recipe that you have ever had – promise! We like to leave our turkey in the brine overnight at the very least. If we are camping, I have been known to put the brine and entire turkey in a cooler to travel together to our campsite.
Be sure to defrost your turkey and/or prepare a fresh turkey. Thaw time in cold water is about 30 minutes per pound refreshed every 30 minutes. A 20 pound turkey would take about 10 hours.
How to smoke a turkey:
- Prepare the turkey in brine overnight.
2. Drain the brine from the turkey cavity and pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Coat the skin with butter or olive oil and your personal preference of seasoning. We like to use a chipotle dry rub but brown sugar and black pepper is good too. Tie the wing tips to the body of the bird if needed.
3. Light the smoker with briquettes and a handful (about 1/2 cup) of wood chips. Keep the briquettes and wood chips stocked and lit throughout the smoking process.
4. Place the whole bird in the lit smoker. We use a DIY turkey stand covered in aluminum foil in this vertical smoker. It’s important to allow the smoke to circulate around the entire bird. Use a baking tray as a drip pan.
5. Smoke the turkey for 8 -12 hours at 225 degrees or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees fahrenheit with a probe thermometer.
Doesn’t this bird look amazingly delicious?! It makes the best crispy skin and juicy turkey breast for thanksgiving dinner.
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Kitchen essentials for smoking:
- These rubbermade containers are perfect for storing and packing food.
- These silicone tongs are perfect for flipping and grasping food.
- This Henckel Knife is my favorite for slicing and dicing in the kitchen.
- I love using this non-stick bakeware for all of my cooking.
Have you ever smoked a turkey?! How did it turn out? This is seriously the best smoked turkey we’ve ever had!
An important thing to note is that you don’t always need an electric smoker or oven roasting pan to make the best turkey. This thanksgiving turkey makes the perfect holiday meal!
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How to Smoke a Turkey
Learn how to smoke a turkey in a vertical smoker. This makes the most delicious, juicy turkey you've ever had!!
Ingredients
- 18-20 pound turkey
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp dry rub
- 1 bag briquettes
- 1 bag wood chips
Instructions
- Prepare the turkey in brine overnight.
- Drain the brine and pat the turkey dry. Coat the skin with butter and seasoning of choice. We like to use a chipotle dry rub. Tie the wings to the body of the bird if needed.
- Light the smoker with briquettes and a handful (about 1/2 cup) of wood chips. Keep the briquettes and wood chips stocked and lit throughout the smoking process.
- Place the turkey in the lit smoker. We use a DIY turkey stand in this vertical smoker. It's important to allow the smoke to circulate around the entire bird.
- Smoke the turkey for 8 -12 hours at 225 degrees or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees fahrenheit with a probe thermometer.
