How To Make The Best Smoked Turkey On A Traeger Grill

The Easy Traeger Turkey Recipe 

Slow-smoking a whole turkey on my Traeger has become one of my favorite ways to cook a big turkey dinner. Tender and juicy white meat is perfectly seasoned with a dry brine. By smoking the turkey on a low temperature and finishing at a high heat at the end, we get a golden brown outside of the turkey without drying out the rest of the bird.

Should I Dry Brine or Wet Brine My Turkey?

Yes. My preference is a dry brine for three reasons. First, we can dry-brine the turkey in a roasting pan or aluminum tray, which takes up less room than a large vessel to wet-brine. Second, a dry brine is better for a crispy skin. The drier the skin, the more browning is possible. 

Finally, let me tell you, nothing fries my pickle more than wet turkey skin because I can't get the seasoning to stick. Even when I blot the skin of the turkey with paper towels, it is soooo hard to get the oil and seasoning to stay where I want it if I don't dry-brine first.

How To Keep A Smoked Turkey Moist

Keeping a smoked turkey moist has been a learning opportunity for me. After several smoked turkeys on my pellet smoker, I figured out that cooking to an internal temperature of 160 degrees f is the way to go. Over cooking is the number one reason why turkey comes out dry. The second reason turkey can be dry is that it doesn't get a chance to rest before it is cut into. Let your turkey rest for 30-60 minutes before carving.

Don't overthink your smoked turkey. Dry brine to lock in moisture. Use a meat probe or instant-read thermometer to follow the internal temperature. Rest the turkey for at least 30 minutes up to an hour before slicing. 

What Are The Best Rubs For Smoked Turkey?

For a great store-bought rub, look for one that combines smoky flavors like paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and that contain poultry seasoning like rubbed sage, rosemary, and thyme. 

This is my new favorite poultry rub and I really hope you try it! Listed are the amounts you need for one large turkey or two smaller turkeys.

• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pro Tip: Crush the dried thyme and rosemary for the best results. This lets out their flavor and has a better feel when the herbs are crushed super small. A great option is to grind the rub with a mortar and pestle. 

​Note: this rub recipe does not have salt included. That is because we are salting the turkey the day before. If you want to make this rub with salt, add one tablespoon of kosher salt to rub recipe. 

Tools You Want to Have 

The number one tool you need is a wireless meat thermometer or temperature probe attachment. It is the most important thing you need to achieve tender meat that is full of moisture. 

Other items include: a roasting pan of cooking a whole bird, heavy duty aluminum foil, large cutting board, cooking twine, and a sharp knife.

Prepping The Turkey Days Beforehand

One step to making turkey day a little easier is to prep as much as you can the day before. First, if you bought a frozen turkey as most of us do, make sure to let it thaw out completely in advance. It will take 4-5 days to thaw out a larger bird. 

The day before you plan to cook the turkey, remove it from the packaging and place it on a large cutting board. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and remove the turkey neck and extras if they were included. Season the entire turkey, inside and out with kosher salt. Tuck the wings behind the back.

Place the turkey in a roasting pan or aluminum tray and refrigerate, uncovered, until it is time to cook the turkey the next day. 

How to Smoke A Whole Turkey

1. Mix the dry rub and set it aside. 
2. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator an hour in advance. 
3. Preheat your Traeger Smoker to 225˚F-250˚F and let the smoker heat with the lid closed for at least 15 minutes. 
4. Tie the turkey legs together with butchers twine.
5. Drizzle the entire turkey with olive oil and season the rest of the turkey with your homemade turkey rub. Rub a few tablespoons of room temperature butter under the skin and spread it over the top of the breast and around the thighs as much as possible.
6. Place the prepared turkey directly on the grill grates and close the lid. Cook the turkey on the smoker for 4 hours and 15 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 120˚F.
7. Increase the temperature to on the pellet smoker to 375˚F. Brush the turkey with melted butter and continue to cook until the breast meat reaches 160˚F.
8. Remove the turkey from the smoker and let it rest for 30-45 minutes before slicing. 

Smoked Turkey Breast 

This smoked turkey breast recipe is the perfect alternative to a whole turkey dinner for a small family. I also love making this recipe any time of year, not just the holiday season. It's a great way to mix up the usual routine of chicken, beef, and pork. Plus, thinly sliced turkey breast is great for sandwiches and easy weekday lunches.

Favorite Side Dishes For Smoked Turkey

• Twice Smoked Mashed Potatoes
• Traeger Brussel Sprouts
• Green Beans
• Cornbread with Honey Butter

How Will My Turkey Turn Out?

Your turkey will come out juicy and delicious. The combination of brining the turkey to lock in flavor and using our pellet grill for consistent temperature is going to give us a perfectly juicy Thanksgiving Turkey. Your Traeger smoked turkey will have a reddish-pink smoke ring and delicious smoky flavor.