This recipe for how to make a Brined & Smoked Turkey makes the juiciest, most succulent smoked turkey ever! Brining your bird helps it stay extra moist, while the applewood smoke creates the most flavorful Thanksgiving turkey you will ever try!
How to Make a Brined & Smoked Turkey
Make your brined & smoked turkey using an electric smoker which makes it super easy! Which means you have more time to relax or work on the rest of your Thanksgiving dinner or holiday meal!
I don’t mean to come down on any of the other methods of turkey preparation with this post. Turkey is the centerpiece of most every Thanksgiving meal and I have had some incredibly delicious oven-roasted and deep-fried versions over the years, so I’m definitely not knocking on those.
But in terms of flavor and texture, none of them hold a candle to a properly smoked turkey. And as far as ease of preparation goes, cooking your turkey on a smoker is definitely less fraught with potential danger than using a deep fryer and much more convenient than roasting it in an oven in your kitchen! A few years ago, I got Paul an electric smoker for Father’s Day and it has turned out to be the gift that keeps on giving. As in giving us meal after meal of incredible, delectable smoked meat like bbq smoked chicken thighs, salmon, tri tip, beef brisket, ribs, and of course, smoked turkey.
If you don’t have a smoker, you really, really, REALLY should consider getting one. It could make a perfect Christmas present for someone you love. Just saying. Here’s an affiliate link for the one that we have, which works great! Cooking your Thanksgiving turkey on a smoker is the ultimate for so many reasons.
Be sure to try some of our other favorite Thanksgiving recipes, like this amazing turkey gravy, and our favorite cornbread stuffing! And of course lots of PIE!
Smoked Turkey tastes AMAZING.
I’ve already said that in this post, right? But seriously, a smoked turkey is so, so ridiculously good. We have had side-by-side turkey comparisons with a smoked turkey and a roast turkey, and even the best roast turkey just can’t get the same flavor that builds from hours of exposing your bird to applewood smoke. It’s unreal.
It frees up valuable oven space.
This way you have oven real estate for pies, rolls, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, baked macaroni & cheese, stuffing, and all the other fixings that go with a Thanksgiving meal! The kitchen is a hectic enough place on Thanksgiving so it’s nice to move the star attraction outside.
I basically think of a smoker like a giant, outdoor and more masculine version of a slow cooker.
You set your turkey out there and just make sure your temperature is set and then you just leave it alone while it smokes. When using an electric smoked, your smoked turkey cooking time will be around 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours for a 12-15 pound bird.
Process for Preparing a Brined & Smoked Turkey
To cook an amazing smoked turkey, you want to start the day before by brining the turkey overnight in a brine made of water, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice, fresh herbs, and orange peel. Brining keeps the turkey from drying out during the smoking process. For a more in-depth description of the brine recipe, and why brining is important, take a look at my Turkey Brine Recipe post.
We just use a large, 5-gallon plastic bucket and cover the brining bird with ice to keep the temperature cold and safe overnight.
Then the next day, you will want to pull your turkey out of the brine, pat it off well so that the skin is dry, and rub it with oil. Then the bird gets stuffed with aromatics like fresh herbs, apple and onion before you truss it and take it out to your smoker.
It can take 4-5 hours to smoke a 12-15 pound turkey once you get it on the smoker, so you will want to plan accordingly.
The first 1 1/2-2 hours the turkey gets smoked on the lowest “smoke” setting on your electric smoker before basting the bird with a rosemary butter mixture and increasing the heat to actually cook it all the way through.
2 ½ hours later the thickest part of the thigh should read 170-180° F on an instant-read meat thermometer and everybody will be absolutely drooling over the unbelievable smells coming from the smoker. It’s almost painful to wait 20 minutes before carving into it.
And it will be impossible to carve your smoked turkey without snitching tastes of the perfectly juicy, moist, unbelievably flavorful meat or crispy skin before transferring it to a serving platter.
When it’s Thanksgiving, I think it’s fun to go all out and garnish your serving platter with extra herbs or fresh cranberries, just to make things look fancy. But this turkey is so good that you won’t want to wait for Thanksgiving to come around each year to cook a turkey. We certainly don’t. And the leftovers are perfect for pot pie, sandwiches, or just reheated along with all your other sides the next day for a repeat meal that often tastes even better than the first one (cuz, you know, all the work and clean-up has been done already and you just have to reheat everything!).
I realize that not everyone has a smoker, but could not possibly help sharing our favorite Thanksgiving turkey recipe this year in case anybody has been on the fence about getting a smoker or has one but has never tried smoking a whole turkey on it before. It really is so, so easy!
And oh baby, the resulting bird just cannot be beat. I also intend to post some of our other favorite smoker recipes on here in the future like my Uncle Richard’s amazing smoked baby back ribs.
Dishes to Serve with A Smoked Turkey
Some of my favorite sides to serve with smoked turkey are these Green Beans with Bacon & Pine Nuts and this Winter Pear, Pomegranate & Swiss Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing.
Also, if you are still contemplating your pie menu for Thanksgiving Day dessert, check out my Homemade Blackberry Pie or Paul’s favorite Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie. Or change things up this year with a Salted Caramel Apple Pie instead of a traditional plain one!
More Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes
- Homemade Turkey Gravy
- Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
- Perfect Cornbread
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Lion House Dinner Rolls
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apples
- Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
- Easy Southern Cornbread Dressing
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Best Smoked Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
Smoked Turkey Brine
- 1 1/2 cups coarse kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 2 Tablespoons allspice berries
- 3-5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 5 cloves garlic smashed
- 1-2 oranges rind peeled off in ribbons
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 gallons cold water
- 1 bag ice
- 1 clean 5-gallon bucket
Turkey Ingredients
- 1 12-15 lb. turkey
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
- 1 Granny Smith apple quartered
- 1 medium yellow onion quartered
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- Butcher's twine
- Applewood pellets
Instructions
Brining
- In a 5-gallon food-grade bucket, combine the water, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice, fresh herbs, garlic, orange and bay leaves.1 ½ cups coarse kosher salt, 1 ¼ cups packed dark brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons whole black peppercorns, 2 Tablespoons allspice berries, 3-5 sprigs fresh thyme, 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary, 5 cloves garlic, 1-2 oranges, 2 bay leaves, 2 gallons cold water, 1 clean 5-gallon bucket
- Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and discard or set aside for later use. Remove any plastic or wire holding the turkey legs together and discard. Gently lower the turkey into the bucket of brine, making sure it is fully immersed. Place the bag of ice on top of the turkey to keep it submerged fully in the bucket. Cover the bucket a lid or a thick, tight layer of aluminum foil and set aside to brine overnight.1 12-15 lb. turkey, 1 bag ice
Smoking
- When ready to smoke the turkey, remove the bird from the brine, drain well and pat the skin and inside cavities dry with paper towels. Fold the wingtips behind the back and tie the legs together with butcher’s twine. Rub the turkey inside and out with the oil, then stuff both the main cavity and the neck cavity with the quartered apple, onion and fresh herbs.⅓ cup vegetable oil, 1 Granny Smith apple, 1 medium yellow onion, 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary, Butcher's twine
- Start an electric smoker on the Smoke setting with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Place the turkey directly on the grill grate, breast side up. Close lid and let the turkey smoke on the Smoke setting (between 150°F and 180°F) for 1 ½ to 2 hours.Applewood pellets
- Combine the melted butter and rosemary in a small bowl. After the initial Smoke, leave the turkey on the smoker and brush all over with the rosemary butter, then turn the smoker heat up to 350°F. Smoke the turkey for an additional 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until the internal temperature of the turkey is 170° F on an instant-read meat thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the thigh.½ cup salted butter, 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- Carefully remove the turkey from the smoker and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Notes
- Fresh or frozen turkey: Look for a fresh young turkey or use a frozen one that has been defrosted in the fridge for 3 days.
Gorgeous beautiful photos and I need to get a smoker so I can make this smoked turkey immediately!!!
Thank you! You totally should! Smoking meat is the BEST!
Smoked turkey is amazing and your turkey looks delicious. I could eat smoked turkey every Thanksgiving. It really tastes so much better than traditional oven roasting. What time should I be over for dinner:)
Lol – the more the merrier, right? 🙂
Wow, that is one beautiful bird! I don’t have a smoker and am not really a fan of smoked foods, but I would be totally willing to give this a try! Looks fab! Great pics, too!
That is one beautiful turkey platter! I once did a 30lb turkey in brine. It was an old hen that had been in the freezer for a few months. It came out very moist and tender. I don’t think it would have, had I prepared it the traditional way. Great post!
Wow, that is the biggest bird I’ve ever heard of!
I need to get me an electric smoker and try this delicious turkey! Sounds fantastic! The photos are stunning!!!
So beautiful and perfect looking! Thanks for sharing!
Your turkey is perfection! I definitely need your tips for Thanksgiving
What beautiful plating and food styling Amy! This looks like such a delicious dinner. I’ve never smoked anything before but you make it look easy. Come over and cook my Thanksgiving dinner for me please? LOL
Lol, thanks Taylor! Wish I could!
I have never tried to cook a turkey this way. I do love smoked turkey…this year I hope to “spatchcock” it…but this sounds delicious too.
I’m super interested in spatchcocking a bird as well!
Wow! This is the most gorgeous turkey I have ever seen! Wish I had a smoker so I can do this!
We have a smoker that we use all the time! Why we haven’t thought to do turkey on it? Im seriously slapping myself for that! Im definitely going to be trying this! Thanks!!
First things first, your photography is beautiful! Second, you make smoking a turkey look and sound so simple. If I didn’t live in a condo, this would be something I would absolutely try. I’m sad that I’m missing out.
Beautiful, Amy!! Beautiful table, presentation and such artful carving! We plan on smoking our turkey this year. My husband is in charge of the smoking and I plan to give him your recipe!
Thank you, Carol! My husband is the one who handles all the carving and he does a great job! I’m so glad you are planning to smoke your turkey this year! I would love to hear how it turns out!
This is an awesome post Amy! Is your smoker a Traeger? I should try this out for our bird this year assuming it would work on a Traeger which has a smoker setting.
Shannon – yep, it’s a Traeger! And it works great!
I gotta try this. Smoked flavor is so amazing, thanks a lot
Sounds great but I am unclear about the heat setting in step 2 of smoke. I have a gas smoker that I am planning on using so it does not have a “smoke” setting. Do you know what your preliminary temperature is?
Thanks for the comment, Jordan. The temperature should be between 150-180 on the smoke setting. I’ll make that note in the recipe instructions for anybody else in the same situation!
Yes it truly is the best…ive been doing it now more,than 15yrs…. I don’t have a smoker, but my Webber does,an amazing job!!
I used my Bradley electric smoker with Bradley Sage Bisquettes and it turned out amazing. Brined the 12lb turkey for a full day and smoked for 8 hrs at 230 with the turkey in a foil roaster pan. I brushed melted butter mixed with garlic and and Albanian Sage inside and outside as well as underneath the skin. It turned juicy and very flavorful. Best turkey I’ve had in a long time.
That sounds amazing! Where did you find Albanian sage? I’ve never even heard of it!
Your Turkey looks amazing! I own a Traeger Grill and have used it more than my oven, everything goes on the Traeger. I have not done a Thanksgiving Turkey, I have 48 people coming for Thanksgiving and I am making two Turkeys One 11 lbs. and one 12 lbs. and would like to do both on the Traeger. How much longer do you think it will take to smoke 2 Turkeys?
Aren’t Traeger’s amazing? We love ours and use it all the time as well. I haven’t tried two turkeys at once so it’s difficult to say and would depend on how much room there is in your Traeger. If there is enough space around the birds for heat and smoke to circulate, I wouldn’t think that it would affect the cook time very much (we’ve done multiple whole chickens and two large pork shoulders at the same time without any significant increase in smoke time since there was still plenty of space for smoke and heat to circulate). My guess would be to give yourself an extra hour, just in case? I wish I was more help here but let me know how it works out for you! That’s a lot of people for Thanksgiving dinner!
We do our turkey in the Traeger every year but have yet to actually smoke it for part of the cooking time. I usually just use the Traeger as a second oven and put it in a roasting pan. I do have a question though, I need the drippings for gravy, have you ever done this method in a roasting pan in the Traeger?
I have not used a roasting pan in the Traeger, mostly because we never make gravy so I never have thought to collect the drippings!
I’m going to give it a shot in the roasting pan and see how it goes! 🙂 Thank you Amy!
I’m curious how this turned out in the roasting pan?
Thanks in advance!
I would like to add this to our Christmas dinner, it sounds amazing. Would I need to make any changes for an 8 lb turkey?
This would make a wonderful Christmas dinner! It might not take as long to cook, but as long as you are using a thermometer to monitor the temperature of your turkey, you will be fine.
I tried your recipe and mixed it up with a couple of others. I split the water with apple juice and used the apple, onion and fresh herbs in the brine and used them and more fresh for stuffing before smoking. It turned out amazing. I had a 20 pound turkey so it took longer but your tip about starting low and then turning it up was the key to getting it done without overcooking I think was key. Both times were longer but it’s the best turkey ever and the left over bone broth from smoking is delicious
I’m so glad your turkey turned out so well! We completely agree that a smoked turkey really is the best ever!
This was THE BOMB!!! So happy I gave it a try. Everyone raved!! No allspice berries in my area so added just a touch of allspice powder.
Thank you, Tiffany! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and you were able to just use a bit of allspice powder!
We loved it! I received lots of compliments on the flavorful turkey, even though I had to roast it in a turkey roaster due to time. Forgot to add the fresh thyme and rosemary and still it was one of the best turkey we’ve had! Thank you for a great recipe and directions.
Our turkey is 20 pounds, do you have any suggestions on how much longer to smoke it?
You should aim for 30-40 minutes per pound. It could take anywhere from 10-12 hours. You will want the thickest part of the thigh should reading 170-180° F on an instant-read meat thermometer.