One of the most common Thanksgiving conundrums is how to free up oven space so you can get everything on the table at the same time. The answer: dont roast your turkey—smoke it instead. By cooking the turkey outside, youll earn valuable real estate for all the dressings, casseroles, and rolls moving in and out of the oven.
And you dont need a fancy smoker to do it. (But if you want one, here are our tried-and-tested picks.) You can smoke a turkey on your regular grill—either gas or charcoal—as long as it has a lid and enough space to fit the bird and still have room for a two-zone fire. Heres how to do it on each kind of grill:
Smoking a turkey on a gas grill creates amazingly moist, tender meat with incredible smoky flavor. While it may seem intimidating, with the right techniques, you can master smoking turkey on a gas grill and impress your family and friends.
Gas Grill Smoking Turkey Benefits
There are several advantages to smoking your turkey on a gas grill rather than roasting it in the oven:
- Infuses the meat with delicious smoky flavor from wood chips
- Frees up oven space for side dishes and desserts
- Keeps the turkey incredibly moist and juicy
- Allows you to cook a large bird outdoors
- Provides a cool smoking method if you don’t own a smoker
With multiple burners and a lid, a gas grill creates the perfect environment for smoking turkey. Follow this guide for foolproof results.
Choosing and Preparing the Turkey
Pick the Right Size Turkey – Aim for a 12-14 lb turkey to feed most gatherings Larger birds can be tricky on a grill,
Brine for Moisture – Soak the turkey in a saltwater brine 12-24 hours before smoking. This infuses flavor and keeps the meat juicy.
Pat Dry and Season – Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry. Coat the outside and underside of skin with your favorite poultry rub.
Use a Disposable Pan – Place turkey in a foil disposable pan to catch drippings on the grill Add 1 cup water to the pan
Gas Grill Setup for Smoking
Light Side Burners – Ignite burners on just one side of grill. Keep opposite side off to create indirect heat.
Get the Temp Right – Preheat grill to 225°F-250°F. Use thermometer to monitor. Lower temp means more time to absorb smoke.
Use Wood Chips – Soak 2 cups wood chips 30 mins. Try apple, cherry, hickory, etc. Scatter over lit burners.
Add a Drip Pan – Set disposable pan under grill grates on unlit side to catch drippings. Keeps grill clean.
No Direct Heat – Place turkey on grill’s unlit side, over drip pan. Don’t expose it directly to lit burner and smoke.
Monitoring and Maintaining Smoke
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Keep grill temp steady between 225-250°F throughout the smoking time.
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Check turkey internal temp periodically with a meat thermometer. Target 165°F.
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Estimate 30-40 minutes per pound smoking time for a 12-14 lb turkey.
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Add more soaked wood chips every 45-60 minutes to sustain smoke. 2 cups is ideal total.
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Rotate turkey 180 degrees halfway through for even exposure.
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Close lid between checks to contain smoke. Don’t peek excessively.
Resting, Carving and Serving
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Remove turkey when internal temp hits 165°F. Let rest 20-30 mins before carving.
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Lightly tent with foil to keep warm. reserves juices.
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Carve turkey gently starting with breast meat. Cut against the grain.
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Arrange artfully on a platter. Serve warm with your favorite sauces.
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Enjoy your perfectly smoked turkey masterpiece!
With the right preparations and techniques, you can masterfully smoke a whole turkey on your gas grill. The succulent, smoky meat will be a big hit at your next meal!
Smoking Turkey on a Gas Grill FAQs
What size turkey is best to smoke on a gas grill?
Aim for a 12-14 lb turkey. Larger birds are harder to maneuver and may not fit properly.
How long does it take to smoke a whole turkey?
Estimate 30-40 minutes smoking time per pound. A 12 lb turkey takes 6+ hours at 225°F – 250°F.
What temperature do I smoke a turkey at on a gas grill?
Keep your gas grill between 225°F and 250°F for the entire smoking time. Lower temp infuses more smoke flavor.
What wood chips are best for smoking turkey?
Apple, cherry, hickory, maple and pecan all work well. Soak chips 30 mins before using.
How do I keep turkey moist when smoking?
Brining in saltwater and using a drip pan with water helps keep the turkey juicy when smoking.
Can I stuff a turkey while smoking it?
It’s not recommended. Stuffing makes it harder for smoke to penetrate and cooks unevenly. Smoke an unstuffed turkey.
Do I need to rotate the turkey while smoking?
Yes, rotate the turkey 180 degrees halfway through smoking to ensure it cooks evenly on all sides.
How to Smoke a Turkey on a Gas Grill: Soak wood chips.
To produce the most smoke, soak 2 cups wood chips (we like apple wood, but cherry, hickory, maple, or whatever you like works too) for about 30 minutes before setting up your grill. You could soak the chips in water—that will get the job done—but try soaking them in apple juice or white wine for more flavor. Dont soak them in spirits, like bourbon, or other flammable liquids which would cause the chips to burn up too quickly.2. Place seasoned turkey in aluminum pan.
Season the turkey however youd like by using a wet brine or a dry brine or no brine at all. Just make sure the bird is prepped and seasoned all over and then place it breast-side-up in a rack set inside a disposable pan. The pan isnt entirely necessary, but it will shield the bird from browning too quickly and prevent grease from dripping all over your burners.3. Place wood chips under grill grates.
Put the wood chips in a smaller disposable aluminum pan and then place that pan directly on the spot where the burners come together (usually the top left of the grill). Replace the grill grate once you have the wood chips in position.4. Light the grill.
Turn all burners to high and close the lid. Wait until you see smoke.5. Set up grill for indirect cooking.
Once you see smoke, turn off the burners that sit below where you plan to place the turkey and set the remaining burners to medium-low. If you have a three-zone grill, the best turkey spot is the center zone. If you have two zones, the best spot is opposite the side that the wood chips are on—never smoke food directly over wood chips or theyll impart an ashy flavor, instead of a smoky one.6. Smoke the turkey.
As soon as you have your grill set up and the burners adjusted, place the turkey (in the pan) on the grill over the portion thats turned off, and close the lid. If your grill has a temperature gauge, set it to about 325°F. About 90 minutes into smoking your turkey, turn the bird 180° to ensure even cooking. Smoke the turkey for about 12 minutes per pound—for a 15-pound turkey that means about 3 hours total. A thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast should read about 155°F while the thigh should be about 165°F.
How to Smoke a Turkey on a Charcoal Grill: Soak wood chips.
To produce the most smoke, soak 2 cups wood chips for about 30 minutes before setting up your grill. You could soak the chips in water—that will get the job done—but try smoking them in apple juice or white wine for more flavor. Dont soak them in spirits, like bourbon, or other flammable liquids which would cause the chips to burn up too quickly.2. Light charcoal briquettes.
Use a chimney to light 24 charcoal briquettes and set aside until theyre ashed over, about 15 to 20 minutes.3. Set up grill.
Place a disposable aluminum pan on the bottom grate of your grill and fill halfway with water (you could also use juice, beer, or another liquid). If youd like, add hearty herbs like rosemary and bay leaves to the liquid. Open the top and bottom vent halfway. Divide the ashed-over coals along the two long sides of the pan, toss a handful of drained wood chips over each pile of coals, and then place the grill grate on top with the open sides positioned over the charcoal piles.4. Place seasoned turkey directly on grill
Try to maintain a heat level around 300°F to 325°F. If you dont have a grill thermometer, do this by adding about 12 unlit briquettes to each coal pile every hour, along with another handful of wood chips—be careful not to use more than the 2 cups of wood chips called for in the recipe or your turkey could become too smoky, giving the meat an acrid flavor. You can also adjust the heat by adjusting the vents: opening them wider will raise the heat since more oxygen will reach the coals, while closing them will lower the heat. Never close the vents entirely since the movement of air helps to draw the smoke through the meat. A 15-pound turkey will take about 3 hours total (at 12 minutes per pound), depending on heat level. A thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast should read about 155°F while the thigh should be about 165°F.
How to Smoke a Turkey on a Gas Grill
FAQ
Is it better to smoke a turkey at 225 or 250?
325-350. It’s not a low and slow like a brisket or pork shoulder. Poultry soaks up the smoke flavor so you run the risk of having way too much smoke flavor if you go 225. Also 225 will never give you crispy skin.
How to smoke a turkey on a Weber gas grill?
smoke the Turkey in the Weber Smoky Mountain. over indirect heat at. 325 degrees with the fruity wood chunks of your choice. grab a beer. this cooks gonna take a few hours. open the lid every hour. during the smoking process. and spray the Turkey skin with your favorite oil spray.
Can you smoke a Turkey in a gas smoker?
Smoking a turkey in a gas smoker is a great way to infuse the bird with flavor and make it juicy and tender. Here are the steps I follow to smoke a turkey in a gas smoker: Once your gas smoker is preheated, it’s time to place your turkey in the smoker. Be sure to place the turkey breast side up on the grates.
How do you smoke a Turkey on a gas grill?
Brush the cooking grates clean. Drain 2 handfuls of the wood chips, add to the charcoal briquettes or the smoker box of a gas grill, and close the lid. When smoke appears, place the pan with the turkey on the cooking grates and cook over indirect medium-low heat, with the lid closed.
How long do you smoke a Turkey on a grill?
Place prepared turkey directly on the grill grate over the drip pan on the side without direct heat. Close smoker lid and smoke turkey for approximately 30-35 minutes per pound, until internal temp reaches 165°F. Check turkey temp periodically and add more wood chips if needed to maintain thin blue smoke.
How long do you smoke a 12 pound turkey?
When smoking at 225°F, it can take about 30 to 45 minutes to cook one pound of turkey. That means a 12-pound turkey should take at least six hours to cook in a smoker. To smoke your turkey faster, increase the smoker’s temperature to 250°F to 275°F. Can I smoke a turkey on my gas grill? And you don’t need a fancy smoker to do it.
How do you cook a Turkey on a grill?
The steady temperature and consistency, added with directional cooking, means that your grill is going to do most of the work, without much need for adjusting. Set a timer based on the size of your turkey, and monitor the temperature on your grill to ensure it stays steady around 300 degrees.
How do you cook a turkey breast in a gas smoker?
Use an instant read thermometer to check the thickest part of the thigh and breast, without touching the bone. The turkey is done when it reaches 165°F in both areas. Preheat your propane gas smoker to 275°F with soaked wood chips loaded. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Inject with chicken broth if desired.