Easy Smoked Turkey

This easy smoked turkey recipe makes a juicy, beautifully browned bird every time, with fresh herbs and hickory smoke for incredible flavor.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 4 hr
• Total Time: 4 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 693 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 (12 pound) thawed whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh savory
• 0.5 cup water
• 0.125 cup olive oil
• 2 (2-inch square) pieces hickory wood

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Light 20 charcoal briquettes and place 10 on each side on the lower grate of a kettle charcoal grill. Place a drip pan or disposable aluminum baking pan in the middle of the lower grate and pour in water. When the coals are gray with ash, place a 2-inch square piece of hickory or other hardwood onto each bank of coals.

Step 2

Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Combine savory, sage, salt, and black pepper in a bowl; rub 2 tablespoons herb mixture inside the turkey cavity and inside the neck cavity. Loosen turkey skin over breast and legs; rub remaining 2 tablespoons herb mixture underneath loosened skin. Rub olive oil over entire turkey.

Step 3

Place turkey on the cooking grate and cover the grill. Monitor the heat with a grill thermometer to maintain a temperature between 150 and 250 degrees F (65 to 120 degrees C); add 3 to 5 coals to each side, about every 90 minutes. Add more wood chunks as needed to maintain a gentle smoke. If open flames flare up when removing the lid, douse them lightly with water or beer.

Step 4

Smoke turkey for 20 minutes per pound, about 4 to 4½ hours; let the heat increase to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) during the last hour of smoking. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching a bone, should reach at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).

Step 5

Remove the turkey from the grill and rest, loosely covered with foil, before carving.