Smoked Turkey Guides

These smoked turkey guides put every Popular BBQ turkey step in one place: how to thaw it, brine it, inject it, smoke it whole or spatchcocked, and take it to 165°F in the breast, thigh and wing.

Start with the clock. Our turkey planner works back from dinner to the hour you start thawing, our turkey cooking time calculator sizes the cook, and our Thanksgiving dinner planner lines up everything else on the table. Salt comes next: our dry brining guide covers salt by weight and brand, and our equilibrium brine calculator does the math for a wet brine.

One rule never changes. The USDA says all poultry is done at 165°F, checked in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh and wing. Our meat thermometer guide shows where the probe goes, and our smoking times and temperatures chart has the pit numbers for a whole turkey and a turkey breast.

Three Decisions Before Smoke Day

Is the bird already brined? Read the label first. Words like “basted,” “self-basted” or a percentage of added solution mean salt water went in at the plant, so skip the brine and season lightly.

Wet brine or dry brine? The USDA wet brine is ¾ cup of table salt per gallon of water, kept at 40°F or below. The USDA dry brine is 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per 5 pounds of turkey, sealed in a bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. A dry brine needs no bucket and no cooler, and the skin dries out for better color.

Whole or spatchcocked? A whole bird puts the lean breast up high and the thick thighs down low, so one side finishes before the other. Cut out the backbone and press it flat, and the breast and thighs cook at the same height and finish much closer together. Either way, the thermometer decides when it is done, not the clock.

Smoked Turkey Guides

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