Smoked Turkey Big Green Egg Style Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to smoke a turkey on Big Green Egg? ›

Put orange, onion, garlic and herbs into the cavity. Smoke in the EGG until the internal temperature of the breast meat is 165ºF, the dark meat will be about 185ºF internal temperature. Typically, it is about 30 minutes per lb., between 6 to 8 hours. Let rest for 15 minutes, and serve!

Place the turkey on three big balls of aluminum foil to raise it up off of the pan and allow the fat to drip but not get inside the big green egg. Roast the turkey for about 4 and a half hours, until it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the skin is brown and crispy.

When smoking at 225°F, it can take about 30 to 45 minutes to cook one pound of turkey. That means a 12-pound turkey should take at least six hours to cook in a smoker. To smoke your turkey faster, increase the smoker's temperature to 250°F to 275°F.

An easy and generous formula is one pound of bird for every guest. If you have a medium Big Green Egg, a 10-12 pound turkey will work perfectly. If you have the large Big Green Egg, go ahead and grab that 18-20 pounder! The bigger the turkey, the more leftover!

Set the EGG for indirect cooking at 325°F/163°C, sprinkle smoking chips over charcoal and add the convEGGtor. Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse well to remove the brining liquid and pat dry with paper towels.

Set the smoker to 225° F. Place the turkey on a cooking rack and cook for 8 to 12 hours or until the inner thigh temperature reaches 180° F. Check the temperature of your turkey after 3½ hours. Your turkey must pass through a critical range of 40° F to 140° F in 4 hours or less.

Starting the smoker hot then turning it down to more traditional low n slow temps is how the achieve great textured skin. I use Kingsford Classic pellets in my smoker because they're 100% hardwood and a great combo of classic wood flavors.

Pellet Grill Turkey: The best way to smoke a turkey and ensure tender meat with crisp skin is to start at a lower temperature. Set your smoker temperature around 250 degrees Fahrenheit to slowly render the skin while maintaining the turkey's internal temperature for safe consumption.

Coat the exterior of the bird with olive oil or melted butter and then season on all sides with the Sweet Rub. Smoke the turkey. Place the turkey directly on the grill grates, close the lid, and smoke the turkey. At 225 degrees F, you can plan on approximately 30 minutes per pound for your turkey to smoke.

Don't forget to spray and sprinkle inside the turkey cavity with rub to get that great seasoned flavor on as much meat as possible. Also, the oil is not just to get the rub to stick to the skin, but it aids in crisping the skin and keep the skin from getting too dark during the smoking process.

What is the danger zone for smoked turkey? ›

Completely thaw meat or poultry before smoking. Because smoking uses low temperatures to cook food, the meat will take too long to thaw in the smoker, allowing it to linger in the "Danger Zone" (temperatures between 40 and 140 °F) where harmful bacteria can multiply.

You only need about two cups of wood chips, and you can choose any type of wood you like. We went with hickory because it has a sweet, bacon-like flavor. Fruit woods (like apple or cherry) are also a good choice here, as is pecan.

Cook for 12 minutes per pound until the turkey has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F/74°C throughout the bird. Reserve the drippings from the drip pan to make gravy. For complete roasting recipe for turkey on the Big Green Egg, click here.

The Large EGG can cook:

One 20-pound turkey.

At 225 degrees F, you can plan on it taking approximately 30 minutes per pound to smoke your turkey. Alternatively, if you are running your smoker at 250 degrees F, it will typically take 25 minutes per pound.

Put the turkey into the smoker and smoke for 30 to 40 minutes per pound, or until an instant read thermometer (or stay-in-the-bird probe thermometer) reads 160°F in the thickest part of the breast meat or 18ºF in the thickest part of the thigh.

This smoked turkey is smoked at 225ºF covered with tin foil for 6 hours (for a 12-15 lb. turkey) — low and slow. At 5 hours of smoking, we remove the aluminum cover and turn the heat up to 250ºF for an additional 1 hour to crisp up the skin. It's delicious!