Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation New pellet smoker, how do you do your turkey?

Just picked up a pellet smoker on a pre Black Friday sale. I'm going to try a turkey for the upcoming feast.
How do you like to do yours?

Get the bird in a brine NOW!!!!!!!!Lot of recipes and how to's on the net..........trust your meat thermometer, relax and enjoy. It is a really easy cook with either hickory or pecan pellets. aAso you need to season the smoker at least once before doing the real deal

I assembled the smoker today and ran it for a half hour per the instructions to burn off the new.
Do you wet or dry brine?

I wet brine, ease the skin open over the breast and down along the legs to allow the brine in. I use a ton of dried herbs, several bay leaves, choppped onion, garlic cloves, and brown sugar salt to make it hypertonic. I only brine for a couple hours and let the bird dry before putting in the smoker. I keep the heat down for the first couple hours ((140-150). If I am doing a big bunch like usual I finish them in the oven at very low heat. A few years back I did 16 at once and all were huge.

Go to smokingtex.com and spend a couple of hours reading their forums...........you will not be disappointed they know how to smoke everything.

Which smoker did you buy

Camp Chef DLX. Sportsman's Warehouse had them $100 off for $399.
Camp Chef DLX

Nice looking machine.


I see that hickory was mentioned.


Keep in mind that I am a rank amateur.......but I dont like hickory. On anything.


I have some post oak and pecan and cherry I like.

I reckon that I would use post oak or cherry on a turkey.

I’m with you Big Jim. I hate hickory. Must be a regional thing.
Give me mesquite or oak.

I was thinking the Hickory might be a little strong/sharp for a turkey Jim.
I got some cherry I will try and see how that turns out.

Fruit wood for poultry! Others are far too strong/bitter, especially hickory and mesquite. I use apple exclusively, but peach or plum are fine. Or alder.

Use a natural bird, not an injected "Butterball". I sometimes brine and sometimes not. Brined ones are a bit juicier, but can also be salty. Always let the bird dry at room temp until the skin is slightly shiny before smoking. That's essential for smoke penetration. Rub it with olive oil immediately before smoking.

I soak a handful of applewood chips plus three or four baseball-sized chunks overnight. I have a propane smoker with a water bath. I put all the wood in at the start and bring the temp up to 225-250°. There will be smoke for about an hour - plenty. I allow 20-30 minutes per pound of turkey, and leave the cavity empty so the bird cooks evenly inside and out. I do not open the smoked until 2/3 of the way to my estimated time, and then use a digital thermometer to check the meat. When it passes about 140° I check it every few minutes because the temp shoots up at that point. At 160° I turn off the gas and leave the bird in the closed smoker for 15 to 45 more minutes (depending on outside air temp) to let the internal meat temp "coast" up to 165°. Result:

Done so both ways, but I prefer spatchcock, smoke 4 hours, crank er up til she hits temperature

I use this or a close variant every year and it always turns out great.

Link to Weber turkey brine recipe

Thanks for the responses guys, good info.

If this is for Thursday, don't brine it until Wed morning. If you soak it too long it goes from brining to curing.

Yup. Unless you buy a fresh bird, anything from the supermarket is going to have some degree of saltwater injected into it, so brining really isn't necessary. And can make it too salty, too. Read the label and if it says it is treated, skip the brining.

Thaw completely, dry until the pellicle forms (shiny skin) and then lightly rub with olive oil. That's it.

Thanks Rocky, I'd be more than happy if I can produce a bird that looks close to the one you posted above.

I'm not sure I totally agree with this, as I've been brining frozen/cheap birds for 10+ years and it makes a huge difference. That being said, some brine recipes call for a couple cups of salt or more, which I think is too much. The recipe I posted doesn't go overboard on the salt and turns out great every time.

I do a very simple brine for a deep fried turkey. Cup of kosher salt, half cup light brown sugar and brine the turkey overnight. I think some people tend to overthink it.

I like to keep temp at 225F or so. Use oak or apple wood. I do stuffing separate. Naturally you are looking for 165f on the thermometer in the breast. It will be amazing.