When it comes to our Thanksgiving turkey we usually brine our turkey and cook it in the oven. I’ve perfected it over the years and we tend to enjoy that traditional route. We had an extra turkey in the freezer and decided to do something new! Mike smoked the turkey on the Traeger. It was fun to try a new cooking method and we had incredible results!
Preparing the Turkey
One way to cook a turkey on a smoker is by spatchcocking it. Spatchcocking means removing the backbone and flattening the bird before cooking. Opening the turkey this way helps it cook more evenly. You still need to check more than one part of the turkey with a thermometer before serving, but this helps it to all be done at the same time.
In order to do this, Mike used sturdy kitchen shears to cut down both sides of the backbone. Then he turned the turkey breast-side up and pressed firmly on the breastbone to flatten it.
Seasoning the Turkey
After the turkey was how we wanted it, we added a compound butter underneath the skin. You want to do this very carefully so that you do not tear the skin. Our compound butter is softened butter mixed with fresh sage and minced garlic. We gathered the sage from our herb garden, then mixed it into the butter with the garlic.
We coated the outside of the turkey with olive oil, then added the homemade rub. The seasoning blend includes garlic, paprika, basil, rosemary, parsley, and oregano.
Is My Smoked Turkey Cooked?
Use a food thermometer instead of judging by the color of the skin to determine if the turkey is ready. Check the thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh and wing, without touching bone. Each location should reach at least 165°F before the turkey comes off the smoker.
The turkey’s size, starting temperature, weather, and smoker performance can change the cooking time. Our turkey weighed a little over 14 pounds, and it cooked for about 2 and a half hours, but you always want to go based on the temperature and not time.
Always let the turkey rest before carving. A good resting window is 20–30 minutes and you can use this time to put the finishing touches on the rest of the meal.
Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Mashed potatoes and sourdough sausage and apple stuffing are the holiday sides I would pair with this turkey. You can serve it with whatever sides your family enjoys.
If you are planning an oven-roasted turkey instead, use my turkey brine post as your starting point. If you are smoking a turkey, you will not want to do the brine first. The compound butter and seasoning rub gave it plenty of flavor.
Using the Whole Turkey
We always save the bones from our turkey to make turkey broth. I keep veggie tops in my freezer for this purpose too and you can learn how to make stock in this blog post. The smoked bones will bring a different flavor to the stock, so keep that in mind when choosing how to use it, but you can still use it in a variety of ways.
I recommend portioning leftover turkey into small containers and refrigerating it within two hours after it comes off the smoker. Use refrigerated turkey within 3–4 days or freeze it for later meals. I freeze turkey in 1-2 cup portions which is what we use for different meals.
Turkey pot pie is one way to turn the leftovers into another dinner. I usually make one or two pot pies after Thanksgiving.
Dry Rub Recipe
- 1 T Garlic & Harb
- 1 T Smoked Paprika
- 1 T Basil
- 1 T Oregano
- 1 T Parsley
- 1 T Rosemary
**Can substitute basil, oregano, parsley, and rosemary for 4T Italian Seasoning
Compound Butter
- 4oz Kerrigold butter
- ¼ cup fresh sage chopped
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
Turkey Cooking Directions
- Cook at 225 degrees on Trager “Super smoke” until it reaches 105 internal temperature (this took about about 2 hrs)
- Increase temperature to 300 degrees, when turkey reaches 145 degrees check how crispy the skin is
- If the skin needs to be more crisp turn up to 350’ to continue cooking, if not, leave at 300 degrees
- Cook until it reaches 165 degrees internally at the breast
- Allow turkey to rest 20-30 minutes before cutting
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