Turkey in a Smoker

Learn how to smoke a turkey with this great recipe. It's nearly impossible to cook a large bird on a barbecue grill so a smoker is best for this. It may not be your traditional holiday turkey, but this moist, tender, hickory-flavored turkey will be surely be met with rave reviews.


Holidays and Events Recipes · Thanksgiving · Turkey · Smoked


Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 10 hrs
Servings: 13
Total Time: 10 hrs 20 mins

Ingredients

Ingredients List

  • 1 (10 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed

  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed

  • 2 tablespoons seasoned salt

  • ½ cup butter

  • 2 (12 fluid ounce) cans cola-flavored carbonated beverage

  • 1 medium apple, quartered

  • 1 medium onion, quartered

  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

  • 2 cups hickory wood chips, or more as needed (Optional)


Directions

  1. Preheat a smoker to 225 to 250 degrees F (110 to 120 degrees C).

  2. Rinse turkey under cold water, and pat dry.

  3. Rub crushed garlic over the outside of the turkey, and sprinkle with seasoned salt. Transfer to a disposable roasting pan.

  4. Fill the turkey cavity with butter, cola, apple, onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cover turkey loosely with foil.

  5. Add wood chips to the smoker according to the manufacturer's directions. Place the roasting pan in the preheated smoker. Smoke the turkey, basting every 1 to 2 hours with juices from the bottom of the roasting pan, for 5 hours.

  6. Add more wood chips if desired. Continue smoking and basting, until turkey is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 5 more hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 180 degrees F (80 degrees C).

Tips

I like to use hickory chips or hickory wood in my smoker. Hickory generates a more even smokiness than other woods, and it does not matter whether the wood is green or seasoned.

For best results, maintain a temperature of 225 to 250 degrees F (110 to 120 degrees C) while cooking and basting the turkey.


Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Nutrition Facts
625 Calories
32g Fat
10g Carbs
71g Protein


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