Depending on the size of the turkey, smoking the turkey will take approximately 3 to 4 hours after salting. You can use a gas or charcoal grill for this recipe. Anyway, you will need a quality grill thermometer to measure the internal temperature and avoid overcooking the turkey.
How long does it take to smoke a 20 pound turkey on a charcoal grill?
It depends on the size of the turkey and the smoker you are using. In general, however, you should allow about 30-40 minutes of smoking per pound. Thus, if you have a 20 pound turkey, it will probably take you 10 to 12 hours to smoke it completely.
How long does it take to smoke a turkey with charcoal?
In general, it takes about 15 minutes per pound. For a 12 to 14 pound turkey, figure about 15 minutes per pound at 325 degrees. Begin checking for doneness at least 30 minutes before the low end of the time range to account for various smoking conditions.
How long does it take to smoke a 15lb turkey on the grill?
If your grill has a thermometer, set it to approximately 325°F. After approximately 90 minutes of smoking the turkey, rotate the turkey 180 degrees to ensure even cooking. Smoke the turkey for about 12 minutes per pound; for a 15 pound turkey, smoke for about 3 hours total.
How do you smoke a turkey and keep it moist?
My solution is to smoke the turkey directly over the grill grate, using a roasting pan with 1 inch of water under the grate, about 3 to 4 inches from the meat. This keeps the cooking environment moist but allows the outside of the turkey to crisp evenly.
How do you know when a smoked turkey is done?
The turkey should pass the critical range of 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit within four hours. If the internal temperature is still low after 3.5 hours, remove the turkey from the smoker and finish in the oven. Cook the turkey until the internal temperature is 175°F to 180°F for the thighs and 170°F for the breast.
Do you use water pan when smoking turkey?
Tips for using a water pan when smoking a turkey During cold weather, a water pan filled with boiling water will help maintain the temperature of the smoker. This is especially helpful when smokers cannot do their job well when it is cold outside.
How long does it take to smoke a 10 lb turkey?
How long does it take to smoke a turkey? When smoking a turkey at 225-250 degrees Fahrenheit, it is recommended to plan on 30 minutes per pound.
How long does it take to smoke a 20 pound turkey at 300 degrees?
A good rule of thumb is to smoke the turkey at 300 degrees for 15 minutes per pound. This is a faster way to smoke an entire turkey.
How do you smoke on a charcoal grill?
Open the lid and place the food on the grill according to the recipe. Close the lid and place the food so that the vent is opposite the coals of the grill. This will allow heat and smoke to vent over the food and out through the vent.
What position do you smoke a turkey?
Move the turkey away from the coals. Tie the legs together and place the turkey on the grill, breast side up, so that the legs are facing the hottest coals. In this way, the legs are exposed to higher temperatures, but the lean breast meat is kept away from the intense heat.
Do you need to brine a turkey before smoking?
But guess what? With smoked turkey, there is no need to brine the turkey first. This is because heating a smoked turkey at low temperatures slowly over a long period of time does not actually dry the bird out quickly. Low temperatures draw moisture into the bird, but do not allow it to evaporate.
How do you smoke a 20lb turkey?
At 225 degrees, a 20-pound turkey should cook at a rate of 30 to 40 minutes per pound. Increasing the temperature to 250 degrees will take 25 to 30 minutes per pound. When smoking this large bird, it is best to keep the smoker temperature above 225.
How long do I smoke a turkey at 225?
Smoke the turkey slowly at low temperature – Smoke the turkey at a low temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit for about 6 to 8 hours for a 22 pound turkey. Remove the turkey meat from the brine and pat dry with paper towels (this is an important step. Do not skip this step).
Should you wrap a turkey in foil when smoking?
After about 3 hours of smoke, check the turkey and if the wings or other extremities are too brown, you can stop the browning process by wrapping with a small piece of foil. I sometimes wrap the wings in the smoke at about 4-1/2 to 5 hours, but usually not before that because I prefer a nice dark mahogany look.
What do you spray on a turkey when smoking?
If you decide to bast the turkey while smoking, good choices are chicken stock, apple juice, or apple cider vinegar diluted with water. You can also spray the turkey with cooking spray.
What’s the best wood to smoke a turkey?
What is the best wood to smoke a turkey with?
- Pecan. One of the most common woods used in meat smoking, pecan provides an excellent combination of sweetness, smokiness, and sharpness to turkey meat.
- Maple.
- Cherry.
- Alder.
- Hickory.
- Oak.
- Mesquite.
Does smoked turkey look pink?
Grill. Grilled or smoked meat and poultry outdoors may also appear pink, even when cooked to 165°F. There may be a pink edge about half an inch wide on the outside of the cooked meat. Commercially smoked turkey meat is usually pink because it is prepared with natural smoke and liquid smoke flavor.
Is it better to smoke a turkey at 225 or 250?
Turkeys can be smoked at lower smoker temperatures up to 225 degrees, but smoking at 275 to 300 degrees, or even higher, is much faster. When smoking at lower temperatures, you are seeing more times in the smoker, which means the turkey may have a richer smoke flavor.
Why is smoked turkey pink?
Scientists have discovered that the pink color occurs when heating gases or gases in the atmosphere of an electric oven react chemically with the hemoglobin in the meat tissue to give it a pink hue. They are the same substances that give smoked ham and other cured meats their red color.
What do you put in the water pan when smoking a turkey?
Use a roast holder to exclude the turkey from the water. You can place the roast holder in a drip pan or place the drip pan under a cooking grate. If you are using a smoker, you will want to put 2-3 liters of water, beer, apple juice, or wine in the water pan.
How do you keep meat moist when smoking?
How to Moisten Meat While Smoking: 12 Easy Tips You Can Try
- #1-Choose your cuts of meat carefully.
- #2-Salt the meat first.
- #3-Infuse the meat.
- #4-Wrap the meat to lock in moisture.
- #5-Low charcoal, high wood.
- #6-Cook with indirect heat.
- #7-Control the temperature of the smoker properly.
How do I get crispy smoked turkey skin?
High heat is needed to render some of the fat from the skin and make it crispy. Temperatures between 275 and 325 are ideal. Cooking at lower temperatures than that is the biggest cause of soft, rubbery skin. Of course, too high and the fragile skin burns off, drying out the meat and producing dry, white flesh.
Are Butterball turkeys brined?
Most turkeys are already swarming.” Butterball turkeys have a solution to help keep them moist, juicy, and tender. If you’re going to brine, I recommend using less salt.”
Is smoked turkey healthy?
While you can find fully cooked smoking turkeys and turkey parts at specialty stores, you can also smoke a turkey at home. Smoked turkey is a healthy lean meat choice for most people and is full of vitamins and minerals, but it is high in sodium and may not be appropriate for a low-sodium diet.
How long does it take to smoke a 12 lb turkey?
It takes about 3 1/2 hours to smoke a 10-12lb turkey, but it is important to check the internal temperature. You should hit at least 165 in the breast and 175 in the thighs. Again, this is when what can be done becomes really useful.
Is it safe to cook a turkey at 300 degrees?
Slow and steady cooking works best, keeping in mind that the lower the temperature, the longer the cooking time. Roasting at 300 degrees Fahrenheit can yield good results, but excellent results can be obtained at 325 F. If you take enough time to cook long enough, the rule of thumb is to choose a lower temperature.
How long do you smoke a 15 lb turkey at 275 degrees?
Smoke the turkey at 275 degrees, 15 minutes per pound. I had a 15 lb turkey and smoked it at 275 degrees in just under 4 hours.
How long does it take to smoke a 20lb turkey at 275?
At 275 f/135 C, a turkey takes 20-25 minutes per pound.
How long do you smoke a 18 pound turkey?
A: Small birds (8-12 lbs.) require 2-1/2 to 3 hours at 325 degrees F. Medium (12-18 lbs.) require 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours. And larger birds (over 18 lbs.) may take up to 6 hours.
Can you smoke meat with just charcoal?
Regular charcoal briquettes should be used to burn at the proper temperature for smoking. It is not necessary to shell out for boutique lamp charcoal. It is usually too hot for smoking. The best charcoal is standard issue. You will also want to add some wood chips to get the characteristic smoke flavor.
Is Kingsford charcoal good for smoking?
Kingsford’s Original Charcoal Briquettes are also recommended for smokers and charcoal grills. If any of these are at home, the best use you can put this to will be less smoking and slower smoking. Meat cooked this way will have a unique smoky flavor and a hard smoky crust called a smoke ring.
How long should charcoal burn before cooking?
Remove the top grate from the grill, place the chimney inside, and light the newspaper. But how long do you burn coal? Burn the charcoal or briquettes until they are covered with a white-gray ash (it takes about 5 to 10 minutes for the coal to reach high heat and 25 to 30 minutes to reach medium heat).
Is it better to brine or inject a turkey?
Advantages of infusing turkey:. The infusion process is faster than brining. You can infuse the bird right before cooking. Fat such as melted butter, duck fat, or olive oil can feed deep into the meat flesh and increase its succulence.
Do you rinse the turkey after brining?
After salting, thoroughly rinse the turkey under cold water for a few minutes. Remove the brined turkey from the brine bag or pan (or container set up for brining), discard the brine, and place the turkey in a clean sink.
How long does it take to smoke a 21 pound turkey?
Look for smoking for about 30-40 minutes per pound.
How long does a turkey take to smoke at 250?
It usually takes at least 6 hours to smoke an average size turkey at 250 degrees F. Plan to cook the turkey for approximately 30 minutes per pound.
How long should a 15lb turkey cook?
The easiest way to figure out how long to roast a turkey is to calculate 13 minutes per pound at 350°F for an unstuffed turkey (about 3 hours for a 12-14 lb. If the turkey weighs 15-16 pounds, roast as follows
- 3 to 3¼ hours at 425°F.
- 3¼ to 3 hours at 400°F.
- 35 to 3¾ hours at 350°F.
- 325°F 3¾ to 4 hours.
Is turkey done at 165 or 180?
Insert close to thigh bone but not touching. When the thigh reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit and the breast reads 170 degrees F, it is done and ready to deliver. (For stuffing, check the center of the stuffing to make sure f is also 165 degrees).
Can you mix woods when smoking?
As with spices, you can combine different types of wood chips to enhance your grilling fare. It’s easy. Soak wood chips for about 2 hours. Then place the moist wood chips in a smoking box attachment to the gas grill or directly into the coals for a charcoal barbecue.
What pellets to smoke a turkey with?
Use sweet smoke to add a layer of flavor to the turkey. Try mixing in cherry, pecan, or apple hardwood pellets.
Should you soak your wood chunks before smoking?
Soaking the chips in water for at least 30 minutes before adding them to the fire (no need to soak the wood chunks) will greatly prolong the burn and smolder more than the flame. Drain the water wood first to keep the fire going.
How do you tell if a turkey is done without a thermometer?
To find out if the turkey is done without a thermometer, poke a hole in the mid-thigh muscle at the junction, explains Nicole Johnson, co-director of the Butterball Turkey Talk line. When the juices are clear and no longer red or pink, it’s a good sign that the turkey is done.”
What happens if turkey is undercooked?
Not cooking a turkey leaves the door wide open for salmonella and other pathogens like campylobacter and clostridium. This can lead to the following food poisoning symptoms in you and your guests: stomach upset and cramping. Nausea.
Is a turkey done at 150 degrees?
Technically, removing the turkey breast from the heat when it reaches 150 degrees is not a problem. At this temperature, salmonella are destroyed within 4 minutes. Therefore, if the temperature remains above 150 for that long, the meat is safe to eat.
How do you smoke a turkey and keep it moist?
My solution is to smoke the turkey directly over the grill grate, using a roasting pan with 1 inch of water under the grate, about 3 to 4 inches from the meat. This keeps the cooking environment moist but allows the outside of the turkey to crisp evenly.
What temp pull turkey off smoker?
Smoking Tip. The turkey should pass through the critical range of 40°F to 140°F within 4 hours. If internal temperatures are low after 3.5 hours, remove the turkey from the smoker and finish in the oven. Cook the turkey at an internal temperature of 175°F to 180°F and 170°F at the breast.
How long do you smoke a 20lb turkey?
However, you should generally allow about 30 to 40 minutes of smoking per pound. Thus, if you have a 20 pound turkey, it will probably take 10-12 hours to smoke it completely. You should always determine den den nature by the internal temperature, not the time.
Is it OK if turkey is slightly pink?
A turkey will remain pink even after cooking to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F. Smoked turkey meat is always pink.”
Does bacon make turkey pink?
Nitrites and nitrates are often added to cured meats like bacon and ham to make them pink. But they also occur naturally in vegetables and water. Thus, turkeys are exposed to both throughout their food. When sufficient nitrites and nitrates are present, they can give the meat a pink tint.
Can turkey be eaten medium rare?
Can turkey burgers be eaten medium-rare? What is this? No. All poultry is safe to consume. All poultry should be cooked to at least 165 degrees before safe for consumption.