Easy Smoked Turkey

Smoked turkey is a delightful way to cook a turkey while relaxing. I know lots of people are a bit apprehensive about preparing their first smoked turkey. I have smoked over 100 and never has a bad one. The skin is beautifully tanned and the meat is so juicy.

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

Ingredients

• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• ⅛ cup olive oil
• 1 (12 pound) thawed whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 1 tablespoon salt (Optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh savory

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Rinse the turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Combine savory, sage, salt, and black pepper in a bowl; rub half the herb mix inside the turkey's cavity and inside the neck cavity. Loosen turkey skin over breast and legs; rub remaining half of the herb mixture underneath the loosened skin. Rub olive oil over the entire turkey.

Step 2

Light 20 charcoal briquettes and place half of them 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 3

Place turkey on the cooking grate and cover the grill. Monitor the heat with a grill thermometer to maintain temperature between 150 and 250 degrees F (65 to 120 degrees C); add 3 to 5 coals to each side about every 1 1/2 hours. If pieces of hardwood burn away, add more to keep a steady stream of smoke rising from the wood. If open flames erupt when you open the lid, douse them with a drizzle of water or beer.

Step 4

Smoke the turkey for 20 minutes per pound, about 4 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 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).