THANKSGIVING SMOKED TURKEY RECIPE

THE TURKEY PREP

The hardest part about doing a Thanksgiving smoked turkey is all the prep. Watch the video below as you see from beginning to end how to do a spatchcock turkey on the grill. You can also follow the step-by-step rundown about how we prepped and cooked our Halenda’s Meats fresh turkey.

Kara from ScaleandTailor will walk you through on how to smoke the perfect Thanksgiving smoked turkey!

1. DRY. Pat dry and bring the bird up to room temperature. This is a crucial part of prepping your turkey. If it is wet and cold, the butter will not spread over the turkey easily.

2. WINGS. Tuck the wings of your smoked turkey. Using a little elbow power, you must tuck the wings under itself. This prevents burning. See the video for detailed instructions. An alternative is to wrap aluminum foil around them.

3. STUFFING. DO NOT STUFF this bird. I suggest NOT stuffing a whole turkey. I loosely placed my orange peels and rosemary sprigs from the brine in it instead for a nice flavour.

4. BACON. I love placing bacon under the skin of my smoked turkey. Some people like to place butter under the skin, but I find the slow release of fat from cooking bacon under the skin, yields a very moist flavorful bird. See the video for complete instructions.

5. BUTTER. Have your seasonings and butter at hand, evenly spread your room-temperature butter over the entire turkey. Use salt, pepper, and Italian herbs evenly over the smoked turkey. Place your turkey directly on the grill OR on a roasting pan to collect the drippings.

(Pro Tip: work at the bottom of your turkey first and then flip and do the top. Make your turkey picture perfect.)

THE COOK

This smoked turkey recipe is so easy, once you have it prepped, the cook is really simple. First, set your pellet grill to 250 degrees. Place your smoked turkey on a roasting pan to collect the drippings OR directly on the grill. No need for a water pan or spritzing. Set it and go!

Once your thanksgiving smoked turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, rest for 20 minutes, and then slice. Enjoy!!