Traeger Smoked Turkey
This Traeger Smoked Turkey is juicy, tender, slightly smoky and so easy to make! This Traeger turkey recipe will definitely make sure your dinner makes the holiday newsletter!
We start this whole turkey with an overnight apple cider and herb brine, then slather it with garlic herb butter before it hits the Traeger. It smokes low at 225°F to soak up that smoky flavor, then we crank the heat to 350°F to brown the outside while keeping the meat juicy.
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Recipe at a Glance
Traeger Smoked Turkey
Juicy whole turkey brined overnight, coated with garlic herb butter and smoked low at 225°F before finishing at 350°F for a beautifully browned outside. Turkey size: 13-15 pounds Prep: Brine overnight
Total time: About 4-5 hours for a 13-15 lb turkey
Difficulty: Intermediate
Best for: Thanksgiving & holiday dinners
Best Tip: Start at 225°F for smoky flavor, then increase to 350°F to brown the outside.
★ Reader Review
“Have done this recipe 3x and prepping another for today’s Canadian Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for sharing. My entire family does not want the turkey done any other way 🙂”
Tips for the Best Traeger Smoked Turkey
- Brine overnight – You’ve already got the full method below. This is what helps flavor the turkey throughout and keeps it juicy while smoking.
- Butter under AND over the skin – Getting that garlic herb butter directly against the meat adds more flavor than just rubbing the outside.
- Start low, finish hot – We start at 225°F for smoke, then increase the smoker to 350°F to brown the outside.
- Use a roasting rack – The turkey sits above the juices while the pan catches all those drippings for gravy.
- Trust your thermometer – Cooking time changes with turkey size, weather and how often you open the Traeger. We pull ours at 155°F to 160°F in the thickest part of the breast and let it rest before carving.
Traeger Smoked Turkey Ingredients
It’s a big meal – so this takes quite a few ingredients – but all worth it!
- Brine – cider, brown sugar, salt, bay leaves, allspice, fresh rosemary, fresh sage, fresh thyme, lemon, orange and water
- Bird – this recipe uses a 13-15 lb turkey
- Rub – butter, garlic, fresh rosemary, fresh sage, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, onion, lemon, apple
Why should you brine a turkey?
Brining your turkey is simply soaking it in salted water for many hours. Why do it? This is a great way to help the turkey absorb moisture while also soaking in any seasonings that are in your brining liquid, and the salt helps break down muscle proteins, which prevents the meat from losing moisture as it cooks.
How do you brine a turkey?
- Heat cider, brown sugar, salt, herbs and citrus in stock pot, bring to a boil and let cool
- Add cold water
- Place turkey in bag and pour in brine
- If you don’t have a container big enough – try these Ziploc XL bags! I put the turkey/brine in the bag and then used the cheese drawer to hold the bag upright (took the drawer out and put it on a shelf in the fridge)
- Refrigerate overnight
What seasoning do you put on the turkey after brining?
After brining, you’ll start the cooking process! I like to mix together a compound butter filled with herbs and seasonings and rub that bird! Here’s what you’ll need:
- softened butter
- garlic
- fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary & sage
- seasonings: black pepper, coarse sea salt
After the bird is coated – you’ll want to chop up an onion, a lemon and an apple and stuff the turkey with them and any extra fresh herbs. This helps add extra moisture which makes even more tender meat!
How do you smoke a turkey on a wood pellet grill?
After you’ve brined your turkey overnight, you’ll be ready to smoke the bird!
- 1. Prep the Turkey – Remove from brine, pat dry, make the herb butter, rub under and over skin, stuff cavity.
- 2. Preheat the Traeger – Set to 225°F and make sure that hopper is full.
- 3. Smoke at 225°F – Turkey goes onto a rack in the roasting pan. Smoke until it reaches 110°F internally.
- 4. Increase to 350°F – Finish at the higher temperature until your tested pull temperature.
- 5. Rest the Turkey – Tent and rest before carving.
- 6. EAT THAT TURKEY DINNER!
How Long to Smoke a Turkey on a Traeger
This is the question that has everybody sweating on Thanksgiving morning. Here’s our cheat sheet! These times are for our method: smoke at 225°F until the turkey hits 110°F inside, then crank it to 350°F to finish.
| Turkey Weight | Total Cook Time |
|---|---|
| 8 to 10 lbs | 2.5 to 3.25 hours |
| 10 to 12 lbs | 3 to 4 hours |
| 12 to 14 lbs | 3.5 to 4.5 hours |
| 14 to 16 lbs | 4.25 to 5.33 hours |
| 16 to 18 lbs | 5 to 6 hours |
| 18 to 20 lbs | 5.5 to 6.75 hours |
Now listen, HUSSY. These are estimates, not promises. Every bird is different, every grill runs a little different, and the weather outside matters more than you want it to. The thermometer is the boss, not the clock. We pull ours at 155°F to 160°F in the thickest part of the breast.
For a larger 18-20 pound turkey on the Traeger, plan on roughly 5½-6¾ hours with this method, but start checking the internal temperature early.
Pro tip from someone who has been there: give yourself a buffer. A turkey that finishes early can rest. A turkey that finishes late means everybody is eating rolls and staring at you.
How to Keep Smoked Turkey Moist
Dry turkey is the number one Thanksgiving fear, right up there with your uncle bringing up politics at the table. Here’s how we keep ours juicy:
- Brine it overnight. The salt helps the meat hang on to its moisture while it cooks. (Full brine details are above.)
- Butter under the skin. Our garlic herb butter goes under the skin AND over it. Don’t be shy.
- Use a roasting pan with a rack. It catches all those drippings, and hello, gravy.
- Pull it at 155°F to 160°F. Cooking it all the way to 165°F on the grill is how you end up with sawdust. The turkey keeps climbing while it rests, so take it off and let it sit for 15-20 min before you carve.
Should I put the bird directly on the grill or in a roasting pan?
I’ve seen this question all over Facebook – I put it in a pan for a couple of reasons: 1. To catch the drippings so I could use it for gravy 2. To not make a mess on my grill. The pan worked great – I did put it on a roasting rack so it wasn’t sitting in the juices. So I would say – 100% in a pan on a rack!
Best Pellets for Traeger Smoked Turkey
There are many flavors of pellets that work in your Traeger pellet grill. I keep it simple and always use the Traeger Signature Blend which is a blend of Maple and Cherry. That said if you’re looking for something specific for turkey – the best are Pecan, Apple and Cherry.
Tips, Tricks and FAQs for Traeger Smoked Turkey
The best thing to do is put it in the refrigerator 3-4 days before you’re going to brine. Exact time really depends on the size of your bird – a smaller turkey – like a 12 pound turkey will take 3 days to thaw, a large turkey – say a 16 pound bird will take 4 days, etc. As a general rule of thumb, 4 pounds = 1 day.
We don’t pick one and park it there. We start low at 225°F so the bird soaks up all that smoke, then bump it up to 350°F for the finish. That bump is what browns the outside. Smoke flavor is great, but nobody is taking pictures of a pale turkey!
Kind of…the dark meat had a much more pinkish hue (Seinfeld throwback for us old folks) than the breast meat.
No – you don’t have to – if you use a good rub – with some moisture (butter) – you could go without. That said, this Traeger Smoked Turkey recipe does brine because it helps tenderize the meat.
Salt, sugar, acid and herbs. You can create your own combo. For example, I used Kosher salt – be sure to check your recipe as the amounts for kosher vs. table are very different. Sugar – I used brown sugar and apple cider. Acid – I used apple cider (there’s some acid in there too) along with lemon and orange slices. Herbs/Seasonings – I used allspice berries (I bought a big bag super cheap for this Simmer Pot Gift Bag) and fresh sage, rosemary and thyme. Normally I go with dry spices but for this – I went the extra mile to use fresh.
I would not put your stuffing in the turkey if you’re smoking it. You’re cooking at a lower temp and that doesn’t work great for stuffing. Keep them separate for this method.
What side dishes to serve with your holiday smoked turkey?
Other delicious ways to make your holiday turkey…
- Smoked Turkey Breast – don’t miss this turkey breast recipe – if you’re just doing the breast – it’s the way to go!
- Grilled Turkey Tenderloin
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Pork Roulade with Cranberry, Pear & Spinach (ok – it’s not a turkey but it’s a great Thanksgiving option!)
Turkey Leftover Recipes
- Leftover Turkey Casserole
- Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich
- White Chicken Chili (just swap the chicken for turkey!)
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Traeger Smoked Turkey
Equipment
Ingredients
Brine
- 2 quarts apple cider
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups Morton Kosher Salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp Whole allspice berries
- 1 sprig Fresh Rosemary
- 2 sprigs Fresh Sage
- 5 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 lemon sliced
- 1 orange sliced
- 4 qts cold water
Turkey
- 13-15 lb turkey
- 1/2 lb butter softened
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 5-10 sprigs fresh Thyme
- 1 sprig fresh Rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh Sage
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
- 1 onion
- 1 lemon
- 1 apple
- extra fresh herbs
Instructions
Brine the Turkey
- Heat cider, brown sugar, salt, bay leaves, allspice berries, fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon and orange in stock pot, bring to a boil and let cool2 quarts apple cider, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/4 cups Morton Kosher Salt, 3 bay leaves, 3 tbsp Whole allspice berries, 1 sprig Fresh Rosemary, 2 sprigs Fresh Sage, 5 sprigs Fresh Thyme, 1 lemon, 1 orange
- Add cold water4 qts cold water
- Remove turkey from packaging and rinse. Be sure to remove neck and bag of innerds (check both ends of the bird) and discard
- Place turkey into brining container (I used a Ziploc XL bag)13-15 lb turkey
- Pour in brine mixture and be sure turkey is covered
- Refrigerate the turkey in bring between 12-24 hours (at least overnight)
- Remove turkey from brine and set on counter in roasting rack
Smoke the Turkey
- Mix together softened butter, garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, pepper and salt with a spatula1/2 lb butter, 6 cloves garlic, 5-10 sprigs fresh Thyme, 1 sprig fresh Rosemary, 1 sprig fresh Sage, 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
- Create a pocket between skin and meat on turkey breast and as much around the bird as you can
- Rub softened butter mixture into the pocket – once inside the pocket – push further into the skin by pressing on the outside
- Rub remaining butter mixture on outside of bird
- Chop apple, onion and lemon into quarters and stuff inside bird with extra fresh herbs1 onion, 1 lemon, extra fresh herbs, 1 apple
- Place turkey in refrigerator for 1 hour to chill
- Turn Traeger to smoke. Once smoke dissipates (about 5 min) – change temp to 225 and bring to temp.
- Place turkey in roasting pan onto Traeger
- Smoke turkey (be sure the hopper is full) until the internal temp is 110 degrees. This will take approximately 2 hours – but always check with your instant read thermometer or temp probe on Traeger
- Increase the temp to 350 degrees on the Traeger.
- Continue to cook until internal temp registers at 160 (or the red plastic thing pops!). Be sure to check temp in the thickest part of the breast. Check the temp every 30 minutes or so. This will take approximately 2 hours. But be sure to check yourself as things can vary depending on outside temp, size of bird, etc.
- Remove turkey from the grill and let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving
Notes
- 8 to 10 pounds = 2-1/2 to 3-1/4 hours
- 10 to 12 pounds = 3 to 4 hours
- 12 to 14 pounds = 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours
- 14 to 16 pounds = 4-1/4 to 5-1/3 hours
- 16 to 18 pounds = 5 to 6 hours
- 18 to 20 pounds = 5-1/2 to 6-3/4 hours
Mmmm! I need to get a Traeger! You make this turkey look easy and delicious! I love that you brined it. I’m bookmarking so I can make this as soon as I get my Traeger!
the perfect recipe for Thanksgiving! I was really looking forward to make a new recipe this year and this one ticks all my boxes!
Omg! this surely looks delicious and perfect for this season. Printing the recipe for my sister, she’s the one who likes to make those birds every year 🙂
The flavours in this sound amazing. Such a great way to use turkey!
Have done this recipe 3x and prepping another for today’s Canadian Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for sharing. My entire family does not want the turkey done any other way 🙂
heard about this on rebetiko radio, decided to give it a try.