How To Smoke a Turkey on a Pellet Grill

How To Smoke a Turkey on a Pellet Grill

from windingcreekranch.org
315 min
6 servings

If you're looking to take your backyard grilling up a notch, then learning how to smoke a turkey on a pellet grill is perfect. This year, impress your dinner guests by making a Smoked Turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. This is hands down the easiest turkey recipe you will ever make. No brining required! The bird is seasoned with a dry turkey rub that adds fantastic flavor and gives the turkey a crispy skin. The final result is a smoked turkey that is incredibly juicy and flavorful. So, if you want to smoke the perfect turkey, use an electric smoker, you will be so glad you did! Let's fire up your grill and get started!

Ingredients

  • 8-10 pound turkey (neck and giblets removed)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (or melted butter)
  • 2 tbsp dry spice rub (ingredients below, or the link to the homemade rub recipe is down below in the notes.)
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp Roasted Garlic and Peppers seasoning (a Club House seasoning)
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp seasoning salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Directions

  1. 1

    Preheat the smoker to 225°F. Make sure it is topped up with wood pellets.

  2. 2

    Rinse the turkey inside and outside with cold water and dry the turkey with paper towels. Place the turkey on a large platter or roasting pan. If using homemade dry spice rub, mix the ingredients together with a spoon.

  3. 3

    Next, add butter or olive oil underneath the skin on the turkey breast. Rub the butter all over both breasts with your fingers. This helps to keep the breast moist, and it doesn't get dried out. Next, rub oil over the entire turkey. Sprinkle spice rub over the whole turkey. Don't forget underneath! Store leftover spice rub in a glass jar in a cool, dry place.

  4. 4

    If you want to make gravy, place an aluminum pan or baking sheet on the grill rack and a wire cooling rack inside the pan. This will catch all of the drippings. Next, place the turkey on the wire rack. Then, add a few cups of water to the pan at the beginning of cooking to ensure the drippings do not evaporate before the turkey is fully cooked. The water may evaporate during cooking, so refill the pan as needed to keep a few cups of water in there at all times.

  5. 5

    If you are not going to make gravy, place turkey directly on the rack of the grill.

  6. 6

    Place a temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast meat and the thigh. When the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165 degrees F in the breast and 175 degrees F in the thigh, the turkey will be cooked. The cook time for the turkey is 30 minutes per pound at 225 degrees F, or 25 minutes per pound at 250 degrees F. This recipe took 4.5 to 5 hours at 225 degrees F for an 8.5-pound turkey. Start checking the turkey about one hour before you think it should be done. If the turkey is done earlier, just shut the grill off and cover the turkey with aluminum foil. I would then place it in the oven on the keep warm setting.

  7. 7

    Allow the turkey to rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.

  8. 8

    Enjoy!