325°, butter, and a probe in the breast
Apple-wood holiday turkey
Weekend · 3–4.5 hr · Apple or maple
- Time
- 3–4.5 hr
- Pit
- 325°
- Wood
- Apple or maple
- Serves
- 10–14
Brine or dry-brine, herb butter under the skin, 325°F on apple pellets. Pull the breast at 160°F. Spatchcock if the oven of record is also busy.
Cook-along
Watch it cooked
The method on this page is ours. The video is the pitmaster walking the same cook.
Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
HowToBBQRight
Ingredients
Bird
- 1 turkey, 12–16 lb, fully thawed
- Wet brine or 24-hour dry brine
- 2 sticks butter, poultry herbs, garlic
- Salt, pepper, paprika
Method
- 1
Thaw in the fridge 3–4 days. Brine. Air-dry uncovered overnight for skin.
- 2
Herb butter under the breast skin. Season the outside.
- 3
325°F, apple pellets. Probe the breast and the inner thigh.
- 4
Baste with melted butter every 45 minutes if you like. Do not chase a mahogany breast into a dry one.
- 5
Pull at 160°F breast, 175°F+ thigh. Rest 30–40 minutes tented loosely.
Spatchcock to even the breast and thighs on a smaller grate.
