As with any smoked meat (up to and including meatloaf), its important to know which woods to use to smoke turkey — and which ones you need to avoid. The common thread here is mellow vs. strong flavors. Woods that are great for turkey tend to be on the lighter side, while the ones that dont work are heavier and tend to erase the birds natural flavor.
Turkey gets a bad rap from a culinary perspective. Sure, we eat it on Thanksgiving, but a lot of people complain about it — its dry, its too hard to work with, it makes you sleepy, etc. But while its certainly a trickier cook than something like chicken, turkey can be incredibly rewarding. You just have to take your time with it — and one of the best ways you can do that is to smoke it. That slow cook preserves the birds juiciness while imbuing it with a great pop of smoke flavor.
Mesquite wood is a popular choice for smoking meats like brisket and ribs. But when it comes to poultry like turkey, many backyard barbecue cooks debate whether mesquite is the right wood to use.
Mesquite has a very strong earthy smoke flavor that can complement rich red meats beautifully. However some people feel its bold flavor overpowers the more delicate white meat of turkey. So should you use mesquite wood when smoking a turkey? Or should you avoid it?
In this article, we’ll examine the pros and cons of using mesquite to smoke turkey. We’ll look at how to balance its intense flavor and whether combining it with milder woods is the solution for delicious mesquite smoked turkey.
The Bold, Robust Flavor of Mesquite Wood
Mesquite is an extremely strong flavored hardwood that comes from several species of small, thorny trees found primarily in the southwestern United States and Mexico It produces a very potent, earthy smoke that’s much more robust than milder fruit and nut woods like apple, cherry, pecan, and maple
The smoldering smoke from mesquite can have strong whisky or bacon-like flavor notes. This makes it perfect for stands up well to rich, fatty beef cuts like brisket and beef ribs. Mesquite’s hardy flavor complements and tenderizes these types of red meats beautifully.
However, poultry has a much more delicate flavor than beef. So mesquite’s forceful smoke can easily overwhelm the mild taste of birds like chicken and turkey. Instead of complementing the meat, it imparts a bitter, acrid flavor.
This makes mesquite a controversial choice when smoking turkey. While some barbecue enthusiasts swear by its use with poultry, others adamantly oppose it. They argue mesquite’s overpowering smoke ruins the flavor of the turkey.
Reasons to Avoid Mesquite When Smoking Turkey
Here are some of the main reasons pitmasters recommend avoiding the use of mesquite wood when smoking turkey:
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Overwhelming smoke – Mesquite smoke is simply too strong for delicate white meat like turkey. It overpowers the mild flavor.
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Bitter taste – Too much mesquite smoke can make turkey taste unpleasantly bitter and acrid.
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Drying effect – The high heat of mesquite can dry out turkey meat, making it tough.
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Difficult to balance – Mesquite’s robust flavor is difficult to offset with milder woods.
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Masks turkey flavor – The intense mesquite smoke masks the natural flavors of the turkey rather than complementing it.
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Too easy to oversmoke – It’s easy to overdo it with mesquite and ruin the turkey with too much bitter smoke.
These cons have caused many people to definitively conclude that mesquite has no place when smoking turkey. They suggest using mellower, more delicate fruit and nut woods instead.
Reasons Mesquite Can Work with Turkey
While mesquite certainly has some drawbacks when smoking turkey, there are also good arguments for why it can be used successfully:
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Adds smoky depth – Mesquite supplies a rich, smoldering smoke flavor that gives turkey great charry, barbecue-like notes.
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Burns hotter – The high heat of mesquite wood helps form a crispy, mahogany-colored skin on the turkey. Milder woods won’t sear the skin as effectively.
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Traditional flavor – Mesquite smoke flavor is quintessential barbecue taste in the American South and Southwest. Using some lends authenticity.
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Complementary flavor – When balanced properly with milder woods, mesquite’s earthiness can beautifully complement the sweetness of the turkey.
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Award-winning results – Many championship barbecue pitmasters use some mesquite when smoking turkey to take advantage of its qualities.
So while mesquite smoke can be challenging to work with, in the right amounts and when blended with other woods, it can provide wonderful flavor complexity and character to smoked turkey.
Best Practices for Using Mesquite to Smoke Turkey
Mesquite wood does require special care and technique when being used to smoke turkey. Here are some tips for success:
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Use very sparingly – Only use a small amount, less than 25% of your total smoke wood. More will make the turkey taste unpleasantly bitter.
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Combine with milder woods – Balance the mesquite’s intensity by blending with sweeter, more delicate apple, maple, cherry, or pecan wood.
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Use mesquite wood chips – Chips provide less concentrated smoke flavor than chunks. It’s easier to control the amount.
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Limit mesquite to the first 1-2 hours – After the initial mesquite smoke, switch to a fruit or nut wood to finish.
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Smoke at low temperature – Keep the smoker under 250°F to prevent bitter smoke. Higher heat intensifies mesquite’s acrid flavor.
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Watch for thin, blue smoke – Billowing white smoke means you’re using too much mesquite and oversmoking the turkey.
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Brine turkey first – Brining helps keep the turkey moist and well-seasoned, balancing out the drying effect of the mesquite.
Combining Woods for Perfectly Balanced Smoked Turkey
One of the best techniques when using mesquite for smoking turkey is to blend it with other milder, sweeter woods. Here are some excellent wood combinations:
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Mesquite and cherry – The tart sweetness of cherry wood helps counteract the harshness of the mesquite smoke.
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Mesquite and apple – Apple adds nice subtle, fruity flavors to balance out the heavy mesquite.
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Mesquite and pecan – Pecan’s richness and hint of nuttiness pair beautifully with mesquite’s earthy tones.
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Mesquite and maple – Maple’s inherent sweetness helps tone down mesquite’s bold smoke.
Carefully combining woods allows you to create incredible complexity in the smoke flavor. You can highlight mesquite’s best qualities while diminishing its drawbacks.
Other Tips for Mesquite Smoked Turkey Perfection
Here are some other helpful tips to ensure the best results when adding mesquite to your turkey smoke:
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Cook to the proper internal temperature – Cook the turkey until the breast hits 160°F and the thighs reach 175°F to prevent drying out.
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Let the turkey rest before carving – Allowing it to rest 15-20 minutes makes the turkey incredibly juicy.
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Slice across the grain – Cutting across the grain of the meat guarantees tender, moist smoked turkey.
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Use a basic poultry rub – A simple rub adds seasoning without competing with the smoke.
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Try not to oversmoke – Stay alert to keep the smoke regulated and prevent too much mesquite bitterness.
Mesquite wood lends an assertive, spicy smoke flavor that can easily overwhelm the delicate white meat of turkey. But when used judiciously in small amounts, combined thoughtfully with milder woods, it can provide incredible smoky richness and depth of flavor.
We recommend experimenting cautiously with mesquite balanced out by fruitwoods like apple, cherry, or maple and nut woods like pecan. With care and the right technique, you can achieve fantastic smoke flavor in your turkey without the drawbacks of overpowering mesquite bitterness.
So don’t be afraid to add a touch of mesquite to your next smoked turkey. With restraint and the right wood pairing, it may give you the most incredible and flavorful Thanksgiving turkey ever.
The right kinds of wood have mellower, lighter flavors
The key here is mildness. You want woods that impart delicate flavors that let the turkey itself shine. Happily, youve got several options here. Cherry wood imparts a slightly sweet flavor that meshes well with turkey (similar to how cranberry sauce makes a great side at Thanksgiving). Pecan does the same thing, except it also has a nutty quality to it.
Maple has similar sweetness, but its also milder than the other two, making it a great option if youre not a fan of pecan or cherry. Apple wood can work well, too. But in this case, you have to be careful. Apple is so mild that it takes longer to impart its flavors, and turkey is especially susceptible to drying out.
There are a few woods you want to avoid at all costs when it comes to smoking turkey, though. Hickory and mesquite are great smoking woods for beef, but the flavors they impart are so heavy that they tend to overwhelm turkey. Oak is also a problem, but its lighter than the other two, so theres a caveat here in that you can use it in a blend with something like cherry.
Mesquite Smoked Turkey
FAQ
What is the best wood flavor for smoking turkey?
Cherry and apple wood, like other fruit woods, will infuse the flavor of their fruit into your food. Fruit tree woods are especially good for smoking lighter meats like chicken or turkey with their more delicate flavors. There is less risk here to overpower your meal with too much smoke forward flavor.
Is mesquite seasoning good for turkey?
Mesquite is great on turkey. I actually prefer mesquite on poultry and beef, and use hickory or apple for pork.
What is the best meat to smoke with mesquite wood?
Mesquite does well on anything you want a strong, spicy smoke flavor in. Beef holds up very well to it, and some treatments of pork do as well.
Can you smoke Turkey with mesquite?
Mesquite is another smoking wood to avoid when smoking turkey. It has a very strong, bold flavor that can make your meat taste bitter. You can mix in a little mesquite, but use it sparingly. Mixing and matching different woods can be a fun way to experiment with different flavors when smoking turkey.
Is mesquite good for Turkey?
Mesquite is one of the strongest flavors of wood out there. It’s extremely robust in flavor, and when being used with meat like brisket, it needs to be. But with turkey it’s just too deep a flavor, and will overwhelm the flavors of your turkey.
Is mesquite a good smoked meat?
The one thing that you should be wary of is that some people might not like how strong the taste can be, especially if they are used to oak-smoked meats. Mesquite, on the other hand, can be considered almost the complete opposite in this regard.
Does Mesquite make a Turkey taste bitter?
If you’re worried that mesquite’s strong flavor will make the turkey taste bitter, try one of these milder alternatives. The sweetness of cherry provides a nice counterpoint to the juicy turkey. As a bonus, the cherry wood will impart a lovely ruby-red hue to the turkey’s skin, giving it enormous eye appeal.
Which Wood is better smoked with mesquite or hickory?
Some meats are better smoked with mesquite, while others are better smoked with hickory. What both of these woods share in common is that they produce a very distinct flavor that is loved by millions and millions of people all around the world.
What wood should I avoid smoking a Turkey?
The turkey may also taste very smoky, which may not be desirable for some people. Mesquite is another smoking wood to avoid when smoking turkey. It has a very strong, bold flavor that can make your meat taste bitter. You can mix in a little mesquite, but use it sparingly.