Well, who wants to know how to smoke a turkey in an electric smoker? Cooking a great holiday meal for your friends and family can be quite the challenge. Not only does it take time and patience to prepare all the courses, but you also need to make sure that everything tastes as delicious as possible. If you’re looking for something new this season, why not try smoking a turkey in an electric smoker? Smoking your own turkey can add fantastic flavor to your dish plus give it a unique texture – especially if you use different types of wood chips with it!
In this blog post we’ll discuss how to smoke a turkey in an electric smoker, so keep on reading if you want to serve up something extra special on Christmas Day!
What are the Benefits of Smoking Turkey?
When you are learning how to smoke a turkey in an electric smoker, here are a few benefits you should know before making this dish.
Not only can smoking turkey on a barbecue make you appear to be a grilling expert, but it also has a number of significant positive health effects. Read over this supplementary material first before moving on to the instructions for smoking a turkey in an electric smoker.
smoked turkey is a fantastic source of lean protein, which can help you feel filled for extended periods of time in between meals since it helps maintain your metabolism working normally. In addition to that, it has a good amount of zinc and vitamin B, both of which are quite important for your health. In addition, it has a significantly lower caloric content compared to other types of meat such as chicken.
How Long to Smoke a Turkey in an Electric Smoker?
In an electric smoker, smoking a turkey typically takes between three and four hours. The amount of time needed to cook the turkey will vary according to the size of the bird as well as the temperature at which it is prepared. Smoking your turkey at a temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit is something that we recommend doing.
What Kind of Wood is Recommended for Smoking Turkey?
Smoking a turkey over hard wood is traditionally done with hickory for a variety of reasons, including learning how to smoke a turkey in an electric smoker in the best way. Those who enjoy smoky flavors will recognize and appreciate its distinct flavor, which is robust and forward-tasting.
Maple wood produces a sweeter smoke, and anything smoked with it can take on a beautiful golden hue.
How to Smoke a Turkey in an Electric Smoker?
This is the main topic of today in series how to smoke a turkey in an electric smoker, let’s prepare the following ingredients and start cooking smoked turkey right away.
Ingredients
- one turkey (10lb)
- 1 cup wood chips (hickory or mesquite)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
The Rub
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- half a tablespoon ground black pepper
- half a tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
Aromatics
- 4 rosemary sprigs
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 garlic head
- All you need is half a peeled white onion.
Instructions of How to Smoke a Turkey in an Electric Smoker
#1: Brining your turkey
- Before learning how to smoke a turkey in an electric smoker, brine it.
- Bring the brine ingredients and 6 cups of water to a boil in a big pot.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, then remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Mix in 6 additional cups of cold water before placing in the refrigerator until totally cold.
- Once the mixture has cold, lay the turkey (neck and innards removed) breast side down in a brine bag or sealed container.
- Fill the bag or container with brine until the turkey is completely submerged. Add extra cold water if necessary.
- Place the bag or container containing the turkey in the refrigerator or a food safe cooler for 2-3 days.
- After that time has elapsed, remove the turkey from the brine and clean it thoroughly with cold water, paying special attention to the internal cavity.
When finished, pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
#2: Make the rub
- Combine all of the rub ingredients in a shaker.
#3: How to smoke a turkey in an electric smoker
- Preheat your electric smoker for 20 minutes at 275°F.
- Rinse and dry the turkey before laying it breast side up on a chopping board.
- Stuff the cavity with aromatics, then uniformly coat the outside of the bird with cooking oil.
- Rub all over before tying legs tightly and tight against breasts with butcher’s twine.
Place the turkey, breast side up, in a preheated smoker.
NOTE:
- Brush the grate with oil to keep the turkey from sticking.
- You must close the smoker and ensure that the vent is only half open.
- Set a timer for 30-40 minutes per pound of turkey.
- When the internal temperature hits 155°F, apply additional rub to any exposed skin areas.
- When the internal temperature of the breasts and thighs reaches 165°F, remove the turkey from the smoker (following USDA safety)
- Instead of depending on the small plastic pop-up indicator that some turkeys have, use a meat probe to measure this.
- Allow your turkey to rest for 30 minutes before carving, wrapped in butcher paper or tin foil.
- Now is the time to serve your scrumptious turkey!
Video of How to Smoke a Turkey in an Electric Smoker
Tips for Smoking a Turkey with an Electric Smoker
Here are two essential things to remember when learning how to smoke a turkey in an electric smoker:
- Select the appropriate cigarette
Because turkey absorbs smoke faster than red meat, select mild-flavored woods. Apple and cherry wood offer a pleasant flavor that compliments turkey and turkey bacon.
Hickory and mesquite are heavier woods with powerful flavors that can quickly overshadow the flavor of turkey. Blend 1/4 of the stronger-flavored wood with 3/4 of the milder-flavored wood.
- Butterfly the turkey
Remove the spine and loosen or remove the breastbone to allow the turkey to rest flat.
NOTE:
Spatchcocking the turkey has two advantages. For starters, more of the surface area will be exposed to the smoke, giving it a richer flavor. Second, because the chicken is thinner overall, it will cook faster than if it were left whole.
That’s all there is to it for how to smoke a turkey in an electric smoker; now we’ll move on to a quick FAQs section before wrapping everything up with a conclusion.
FAQs
Is it better to smoke a turkey at 225 degrees or 250 degrees?
Turkey may be smoked at temperatures as low as 225 degrees, although it cooks significantly faster at 275-300 degrees, or even higher. Smoking at a lower temperature requires more time in the smoker, but the turkey may have a stronger smoke flavor as a result.
When smoking a turkey in an electric smoker, is it necessary to use water in the pan?
Filling a water pan with boiling hot water and placing it in your smoker helps to maintain temperature and quickly heat things up, especially when it’s chilly outside and your smoker is struggling to do its job.
How do you cook a turkey while keeping it moist and juicy?
My preferred method of cooking a turkey is to smoke it directly on the grill grates. Under the grates, 3-4 inches from the meat, place a roasting pan filled with an inch of water. You can ensure that the turkey gets evenly crisp on all sides by keeping the atmosphere wet.
How does one smoke a turkey while keeping it moist?
My method is to smoke the turkey directly on the grill grates, with a roasting pan filled with 1′′ water underneath the grates, approximately 3-4 inches from the meat. This will maintain the cooking environment moist while allowing the turkey to crisp uniformly on the outside.
Conclusion
We hope this article was helpful in showing you how to smoke a turkey in an electric smoker. Smoking a turkey is easy and only requires a few simple steps. The most important part is to make sure that the turkey is cooked through before serving. We recommend using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey before removing it from the smoker. Make sure to keep an eye on the temperature of your smoker as well, so that it doesn’t get too hot or cold while smoking. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you soon at dixieshomecookin.org!
