Once you own a pellet grill you look forward to smoking meat year-round and showing off all that juicy and delicious meat candy to all your family and friends–but during the holiday season, the stakes couldnt be higher.
With everyone counting on you to create a perfectly seasoned and smoked turkey, anxiety can set in (especially for first-timers) and so we created this guide to walk you through it step by step, and answer any lingering questions about the turkey smoking process.
Here is a handy Table Of Contents we created so you can jump around to the different steps in the process…
Cooking turkey on a pellet grill is a fantastic way to enjoy moist, flavorful poultry with a delicious hint of wood smoke Pellet grills provide consistent low-and-slow heating that infuses smoke while locking in juices. With some simple techniques, you can master smoking turkey on a pellet grill
In this article, we’ll walk through the full process of prepping, smoking, and serving turkey using a pellet grill. We’ll also share tips to maximize flavor, ensure doneness, and avoid common mistakes. Let’s get started!
Benefits of Pellet Grills for Turkey
Here are some of the major advantages to cooking turkey on a pellet grill rather than a traditional oven:
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Infuses a subtle smoky flavor from the wood pellets. Apple cherry and maple work well.
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Maintains a steady low temperature that promotes even cooking. Prevents overcooking.
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Slow roasting retains moisture for incredibly juicy meat.Turkey stays tender.
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Allows finishing over direct heat to crisp the skin. Best of both worlds.
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Precise digital temperature control for perfect doneness. Set and forget.
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these steps for smoking a flawless turkey from start to finish on your pellet grill:
1. Thaw the Turkey
Make sure turkey is fully thawed in the fridge 1 day per 4-5 lbs. A 16 lb turkey takes 4 days to thaw. For faster thawing, use the cold water method. Never thaw at room temp.
2. Dry Brine the Turkey
Rub the turkey all over with kosher salt using 1⁄2 tsp per lb. Let sit overnight or up to 24 hours. This enhances flavor and retains moisture. Rinse off the salt before smoking.
3. Prepare the Pellet Grill
Ensure hopper is full and clean the grates. Preheat to 225°F using a milder wood pellet flavor like apple or cherry. Insert a meat probe if your grill has one.
4. Smoke the Turkey Breast Up
Place turkey directly on grill grates breast up. Smoke at 225°F for approx. 1 hour per pound until breast hits 165°F. This infuses flavor.
5. Crisp the Skin
Around 160°F, flip breast down. Increase temp to 350°F. Smoke 30 mins more until skin crisps and breast hits 165°F. The bones protect white meat.
6. Check for Doneness
Verify breast and thigh reach 165°F and 180°F respectively. If under, continue smoking. Once done, let rest 15-30 mins before carving.
7. Carve and Serve
Carve breast meat from bone. Slice evenly and arrange on a platter to serve. Spoon over resting juices for added moisture and flavor.
Handy Pellet Grill Turkey Tips
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Use a vertical roasting stand to elevate turkey for more even cooking. Catches drippings too.
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Avoid temperature swings by minimizing lid opening. Use a wireless meat thermometer for monitoring.
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Place disposable drip pan under grates to catch drippings and prevent flare-ups.
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Allow ample time. Figure minimum 1 hour per lb. A 16 lb turkey takes 16+ hours.
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Let turkey rest 15-30 minutes before slicing for redistribution of juices.
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For additional flavor/moisture, inject turkey with broth, wine, or marinade before smoking.
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Cook to proper temperature, not time. Use a digital meat thermometer for accuracy.
With some practice, your pellet grill will produce the most tender and juicy smoked turkey ever. Enjoy wowing your family with your smoked turkey skills this holiday season!
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the ideal temperature for smoking turkey on a pellet grill?
We recommend smoking the turkey at 225°F to infuse flavor, then increasing to 350°F at the end to crisp the skin.
How long does it take to smoke a turkey on a pellet grill?
Figure about 30 minutes per lb at 225°F. A 16 lb turkey takes around 16 hours including crisping time. Use a meat thermometer for doneness.
Can you cook a stuffed turkey on a pellet grill?
No, we don’t recommend stuffing turkey when smoking on a pellet grill. The stuffing may not reach a safe 165°F. Cook it separately.
Should you use a pan when smoking turkey on a pellet grill?
You can use a disposable pan to catch drippings but it’s not required. Skip the pan for crisper skin.
What’s the minimum internal temperature for smoked turkey?
Cook turkey on a pellet grill until the breast and thighs reach at least 165°F and 180°F respectively.
Smoking turkey on a pellet grill results in juicy, flavorful holiday poultry. With the proper techniques, your pellet grill will produce the most mouthwatering wood-smoked turkey your family and friends have ever enjoyed.
How To Brine The Turkey
Step One
Before you remove your turkey from the refrigerator you will want to start your wet brine. We use 2 brines here at Urban Cowgirl…
Both brines require you to boil salt, sugar, spices, and water for 5 minutes and then allow the ingredients to steep in this liquid until they are cool. We call this the brew!
An additional 1 gallon of cold liquid (water or apple cider depending on the recipe) is added to the brew to make it a finished brine.
I recommend making and chilling your brew, transferring it into the large brine bucket, then adding the remaining 1 gallon of liquid, before moving forward to Step 2.
So, you should have a large 5-gallon bucket (please see either turkey brine post for full instructions) filled with your turkey brine before moving forward.
Step Two
When the turkey is fully defrosted, place it in a clean kitchen sink and cut the packaging open. All the juices will run down the sink. In the turkey cavity, there may be a turkey neck and/or a little bag of giblets.
Remove both the neck and giblets and either save for your gravy or discard.
Run clean cold water over the turkey and bring the bucket of brine near the sink. Insert the entire bird into the brine and cover it with a lid.
You can leave the turkey in this brine for up to 36 hours. We think 24 hours works just fine and even overnight provides a lot of extra flavor and juiciness to the finished turkey.
Once you start brining your turkeys, youll never go back. the flavor and juiciness are simply unmatched.
Step Three
When youre done brining the bird, remove the bird from the brine and place it into a clean kitchen sink. This allows brine to run off the bird and out of the center cavity.
Transfer the bird to a sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Discard the brine down the sink, and wash your bucket and sink with hot soapy water to prevent cross-contamination of raw turkey juices to any of the surfaces in your kitchen.
(Especially if this is a holiday and you have all kinds of pies and side dishes around!)
Now were going to season the outside of the turkey and I recommend doing this with our Turkey Paint Recipe, which is a compound butter that leaves the turkey looking like a turkey on a magazine cover!
If you just want to use a simple smoked turkey rub, I have a recipe for my favorite one right here.
Either way, slather on that turkey compound butter or sprinkle heavily with smoked turkey dry rub, on all sides of the turkey…youll want the turkey to be placed breast side up on the sheet pan and completely dry of brine before you begin.
If using the smoked turkey rub, you can drizzle the surface of the turkey with olive oil first to help the rub stick to the skin. Dont forget the little crevices!
The most important thing is to paint the turkey paint on evenly because where you paint it, it will stick throughout the cooking.
Now we will just leave the turkey out on the countertop while we prep the pellet smoker, allowing it to come to room temperature while we set up outside.
How Long To Smoke A Turkey On a Pellet Grill
We will be smoking the turkey at 250 degrees until it reaches 165 degrees. This takes about 25 min per pound.
The cooking time will change from bird to bird depending on how many pounds of turkey you are smoking.
My 15 pound turkey trials consistently came to temp in 5-6 hours on my Rec Teq Bullseye, but depending on your type of smoker I would give yourself a buffer of 2 hours to account for inconsistencies in pellet smokers and outside temperature.
The best way to get juicy turkey is to always smoke to temperature, not to time, which often inadvertently overcooks the turkey meat.
Despite what other blogs say, as a chef and culinary expert with 15 years of experience you do not need to cook poultry beyond 165 degrees internal temperature. This is a Servesafe and FDA endorsed temperature taught in all culinary schools. Please do not overcook your turkey to 180 degrees, it is completely unnecessary and any cooking blog stating this is misinformed.
Pro Tip: Many people remove the turkey at 160 degrees because carry over cooking on a larger bird (like a turkey) will be at least 5 degrees as it rests.
For your first time, the important thing to know is you can speed up the cook time, at any time, by bumping the internal temperature of the pellet grill to 275 degrees to 300 degrees.
A turkey contains no connective tissue that needs to break down over low and slow temperatures, so at any time you can bump the temperature to help it hit 160-165 degrees if you need to get dinner on the table.
Let the turkey smoke for 1 1/2-2 hours so that the turkey paint can set. Then begin spritzing the turkey with a squeeze bottle of pineapple juice.
If you dont like pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar or apple juice is also nice. For my Thanksgiving turkey, its got to be pineapple juice because the whole family thinks it makes the best smoked turkey.
Spritz the turkey every 30-45 minutes, unless its disturbing the compound butter. The compound butter should be fairly well set by now, but every cook is different and I wouldnt prioritize spritzing the turkey over keeping that gorgeous herb butter intact.
As the turkey cooks, just give it a light spritzing to encourage a golden brown sheen on the skin of the turkey.