Smoked Turkey Big Green Egg Style Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to smoke a turkey on a 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!

Once you try brined turkey on the EGG, you'll agree that nothing does a better job of roasting meats. The turkey has a subtle smoky flavor and is moist and succulent, but if you prefer a bolder smoky flavor, add more hickory or pecan smoking wood chips in increments during cooking.

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!

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.

When it comes to smoking a Thanksgiving turkey, we think high and fast is the way to go. Set your smoker to 325 to 350 degrees. Many veteran smokers start a turkey at a lower temperature, closer to 200 degrees, and then turn up the heat and blast it for the second phase.

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.

Only add the wood for the first half of your cook. Anything more will not really add flavor to the turkey.

For smoking turkey all year long, try hickory, pecan, and apple smoking wood. Our favorite wood chips and wood chunks are by Western Wood because they are kiln-dried and burn clean. Our favorite pellets for smoking turkey are B&B Pecan pellets or Jack Daniel's Pellets.

Hickory is a classic hard wood choice for smoking turkey for several reasons. It has a distinct flavor that is robust and very forward and is familiar to those who enjoy smoky flavors. Maple wood gives off a sweeter smoke and can add a lovely golden hue to anything you smoke with it.

The Large EGG can cook:

One 20-pound turkey.

How long does it take to cook a 20 lb turkey in a Big Green Egg? ›

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.

(USDA guidelines recommend an internal temp of 165°F/74°C. Remember that the turkey's internal temp will continue to rise a few degrees after it's removed from the EGG.)

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.

If you decide to baste the turkey while smoking, good options are chicken stock, apple juice or apple cider vinegar diluted with water. You can also spray the turkey with cooking spray. How often should you baste? I'd say every 45-60 minutes.

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.

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!