Prep work for a tasty turkey on Thanksgiving
There are many different kinds of grill and smokers on the market these days and two of my favorites are Camp Chef with the Woodwind, Apex and SG models, and the Traeger of course with the Timberline, Ironwood and Pro series. With Thanksgiving coming up right around the corner it is time to start planning! I have not smoked many Turkeys but I did one last season and it was a hit so I am anxious to try again and perfect it. I will be using a Traeger grill and trying out the turkey pellets in their line. So many questions come to mind… How long do you smoke a turkey for? How big a turkey is needed? How to make a moist turkey? Wet brine or Dry brine? The list is endless.
First, I use this chart for figuring out how big a turkey I will need.
5-8 people = 8-12 lbs. turkey
8-11 people = 12-16 lbs. turkey
11-13 people = 16-20 lbs. turkey
13-16 people = 20-24 lbs. turkey
16-19 people = 24-28 lbs. turkey
Brining is a fancy word for adding flavor.
Dry brining is like a smoked turkey rub. It consists of rubbing the salt and seasonings directly onto the meat and skin. Then letting it rest for a period of time. This process will typically take between 24-72 hours, 2-3 hours / pound. The salt helps keep the turkey moist.
Wet brining is submerging the turkey in salt, spices, and water for an extended period of time. This process will typically take between 12-24 hours. It helps add flavor and keep the turkey moist.
I am planning to do a dry brine this year, trick is to remember to have the turkey thawed in enough time and also have enough time to let the dry rub rest too.
How long do I need to plan on for the smoking of the perfect turkey?
I choose to smoke at 325 degrees versus the low and slow version of 175 degrees, maybe next year I will try that out.
@325 degrees
10-15lbs 3-3.5 hours
16-20lbs 3.5-4 hours
25+lbs 4-4.5 hours
So much more goes in to the perfect smoked turkey but the basics will get you stared and hopefully you end up with a delicious result!
