To make a smoked turkey on your Big Green Egg you will start by cleaning your turkey, making a brine for your turkey, and allowing it to soak overnight. When ready to smoke, soak your wood chips and preheat the EGG to 325°F. Remove the turkey from the brine, pat dry, stuff the cavity with lemon and herbs, and smoke the turkey until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Guide for How to Smoke Turkey on a Green Egg Grill
Clean the Turkey
Remove the giblets from inside the bird, and discard the turkey neck. You can freeze these parts to make soup stock with or toss them.
Make a Brine
You can choose to make any type of brine that you wish, including a dry brine.
A great wet brine recipe should include water or chicken broth, salt, spices, and herbs to infuse flavor and moisture into the turkey. You can add liquid smoke for extra smoke flavor if desired.
Brine the Turkey
If you opt for a liquid brine, pour the brine over the turkey, ensuring it is entirely covered by the brine. If you opt for a dry brine, rub the turkey inside and out with the dry brine and place the turkey in the refrigerator. Brine for 24 hours.
Preheat the Big Green Egg and Add Wood Chips
Soak two cups of hickory or pecan chips in water for one hour. Prepare the EGG for indirect cooking and set the temperature to 325°F/163°C. Sprinkle smoking chips over the charcoal, and add the conveggtor.
Ready the Turkey for Smoking
As soon as the turkey is taken out of the brine, it should be rinsed well to remove any brining liquid (or mixture) and patted dry with paper towels. Brine liquid and solids should be discarded after brining.
Stuff the turkey with lemon and onion quarters, cloves of garlic, and fresh thyme and sage. The legs should be tied together with butcher’s twine to keep the stuffing inside the bird. The turkey should be brushed with olive oil and seasoned with pepper and garlic powder before it is smoked.
Smoke the Turkey
Put the turkey on a roasting rack with a drip pan underneath and place the pan in the EGG. For every pound the turkey weighs, you should allow it to smoke for 12 minutes. You’ll know the turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Remove the turkey from the EGG once it reaches this temperature, and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving it.
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Best Green Egg Smoked Turkey Recipe
- Total Time: 3 hours, 5 minutes
Description
This brined turkey recipe is perfect for smoking on a kamado grill and beats a traditional roasted turkey or a bird on the BBQ because of its incredible wood-fired flavor. You can opt to spatchcock the turkey and omit the stuffing ingredients if you are short on time. You can also make this Thanksgiving turkey on a pellet grill if you don’t have a BGE.
Ingredients
- 12lb turkey
- 3 cups chopped potatoes
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1–gallon water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 garlic head
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 3 yellow onions, quartered
- Rind of 1 navel orange
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 10 sprigs thyme
- 10 sprigs sage
Instructions
- Prepare the turkey brine by placing the water in a large bowl and adding the salt. Add brown sugar, orange rind, rosemary, salt, two-thirds of the quartered lemons and onions, and one clove of garlic that has been halved into the mixture. Once the sugar and salt have been dissolved, stir the mixture until it is combined.
- The giblets from the turkey should be removed from the bird and stored for use in the future. Place the turkey and brine into a container and refrigerate for 24 hours, ensuring the turkey remains fully submerged in the brine.
- Soak 2 cups of hickory or pecan chips in water.
- Preheat the BGE to 325°F/163°C. It is important to sprinkle the smoking chips over the charcoal before adding the conveggtor.
- As soon as the turkey has been taken from the brine, it should be rinsed thoroughly to remove brining liquid and then blotted dry with paper towels. Stuff the turkey with the remaining lemon and onion quarters, the remaining halved garlic head, thyme, sage, and 1 cup of potatoes. The turkey should be brushed with olive oil and then season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder liberally.
- In the drip pan add any remaining potatoes, then place the roasting rack on top of the pan. Place the drip pan in the EGG and place the turkey on the roasting rack.
- The turkey should be smoked for 12 minutes per pound until the internal temp reaches 165°F/74°C. Be sure to check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast and the thigh, without touching the bones. The turkey should be tented with aluminum foil if it begins to brown too quickly. Drippings from the drip pan can be used to make gravy if you desire.
- After removing the turkey from the BGE, let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before you carve it. Then load up your plate and enjoy the best turkey you’ll ever have!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Rest Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 145 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 ounces
- Calories: 192
- Sugar: 6.9g
- Sodium: 2040mg
- Fat: 5.1g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 13.2g
- Fiber: 0.7g
- Protein: 23.1g
- Cholesterol: 93mg
How Long Does it Take to Smoke Turkey on a Big Green Egg?
Smoke the meat in the EGG until the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 165°F, and the internal temperature of the dark meat reaches 185°F. Generally, it takes approximately 12 to 30 minutes per pound, over the course of 6 to 8 hours, depending on the EGG’s temperature. Serve after resting for 15 minutes.
How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Turkey at 225 degrees F?
At 225 degrees Fahrenheit, the turkey will take about 30 minutes per pound to cook, and it should take approximately 8 to 12 hours, depending on the size of the turkey.
What is the Best Rub for Smoked Turkey?
Wet and dry rubs can be used for smoked turkey, and is a matter of preference, though a dry rub yields better results.
Making homemade turkey dry rub is as simple as mixing, shaking, and seasoning!
This homemade smoked turkey rub uses a variety of seasonings to impart a deep smokey flavor, including paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne.
What Are the Best Side Dishes for Smoked Turkey?
So many delicious side dishes go well with smoked turkey – these sides can be made using an EGG too!
Smoked Vegetables
Smoked Baked Beans
Smoked Corn on the Cob
Smoked Mac n Cheese
How to Store and Reheat Smoked Turkey
To preserve a leftover turkey, keep it tightly covered and inside a sealed container once it has cooled and place it in a refrigerator. It is also possible to freeze turkey leftovers in an air-tight container.
Reheating Turkey in an Oven
It is a good idea to use an instant-read thermometer when reheating large turkey pieces to ensure that each piece reaches 165°F.
- The oven should be preheated to 300°F which is low enough to prevent the heat from drawing moisture away from the meat, but high enough to prevent it from taking hours to reheat.
- Place your leftovers in aluminum foil and spoon gravy or chicken stock over them. Add a pat of butter.
- Close the foil tightly. You can also use a casserole dish but cover the dish with aluminum foil to keep the steam inside.
- Make sure the turkey is warmed for 30 to 45 minutes until it reaches a safe eating temperature.
Reheating Turkey on a Stovetop
It’s faster than the oven, and the turkey turns out juicier. You can also reheat skin-on pieces this way!
- Add 1/2 inch of chicken stock in a pan with the turkey pieces.
- Turn the stovetop on using medium-high heat. Cover the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Let the turkey simmer for a few minutes until it’s warmed through.
- For crispy skin, discard the liquid and dry the pan with a clean towel. Heat a teaspoon of oil over high heat. Reheat the turkey skin-side down for 3 to 5 minutes until it reaches your desired texture.
Reheating Turkey in a Microwave
You can use this method if you’re reheating one or two servings. I recommend cutting the turkey into bite-size pieces first, so the outside doesn’t dry out before the inside gets hot.
- Put the turkey pieces in a microwave-safe container.
- Add some chicken stock and butter. Put a lid or plastic wrap over the container.
- For every pound of reheated turkey, heat at 70% power for one minute.