Smoked Turkey Recipe on Pellet Grill - brined and basted with butter and herbs for the best Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey
#smokedturkey #traegerthanksgiving #howtobbqright
Butter & Herb Smoked Turkey
WHAT MALCOM USED IN THIS RECIPE:
- Malcom's Bird Brine bit.ly/H2Qbirdbrine
- Meat Bags bit.ly/bbqmeatbags
- Clear Seasoning Shaker bit.ly/SeasoningShaker
- Hand Saver Gloves bit.ly/HandSaver
- Black Nitrile Gloves bit.ly/NitrileBBQGloves
- Thermoworks DOT bit.ly/ThermoworksDOT
- Red Handle 5" Boning Knife bit.ly/H2QKnife5
- Red Handle 10" Chef's Knife bit.ly/H2QKnife10
It’s time to nail down that Thanksgiving bird and my Butter & Herb Turkey recipe will make you the star of Turkey Day! I started with a 17lb bird and allowed it to thaw in the fridge for 4-5 days.
First I brine the turkey for 48 hours. I use a bottle of my Malcom’s Bird Brine along with cold water…that’s all there is to it. The Turkey goes into a meat bag with enough bird brine mixture to fully submerge the bird. After the brine, I place the turkey on a wire rack over a sheet pan and let it hang out in the refrigerator for a couple hours to really dry.
I fired up my pellet grill at 300 degrees. I smoke turkeys at a little higher temp to help render the fat underneath the skin which helps it almost crisp on the smoker. I stuff the cavity with celery, onion, lemon, garlic cloves, an herb bundle and a stick of butter, then tie the legs together with butcher twine.
I brush the skin with melted butter and season it generously with a mixture of Kosher salt, granulated garlic and dry poultry seasoning.Place the bird on the pellet grill with a "Turkey Blend pellets" but pecan would work great too. After an hour I start basting the turkey with my herb butter - and continue to baste every hour.
I also insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part on the breast with target temp set for 165 degrees. Once the skin gets golden brown you can tent the whole turkey with foil. I reached 165 at about the 4 1/2 hour mark but trust your thermometer don’t go by time alone. Let it rest a few minutes before carving.
Butter Herb Turkey on a Traeger
- 1 bottle Malcom’s Bird Brine
- 2 gallons water
- 1 whole turkey
- 2 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup granulated garlic
- 1 Tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1 stalk celery cut into 2-3” pieces
- 1 onion quartered
- 1 lemon halved
- 8-10 garlic cloves
- Herb bundle (fresh rosemary, thyme, sage)
Butter Herb Baste
- 2 sticks melted butter
- 1 Tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 Tablespoon dried thyme
Directions:
1. Place turkey in a large meat bag inside a brine bucket or large container (stockpot will work). Pour the bird brine into one gallon of water and whisk. Pour the mixture over the turkey and add the additional water to cover the bird. Close the bag to keep the bird submerged and refrigerate for 48 hours.
2. Remove the turkey from the brine and allow it to drain. Use paper towel to absorb moisture from the cavity and skin. Place the turkey on a wire rack over a sheet pan and air dry in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
3. Prepare pellet grill for smoking at 300 degrees.
4. Stuff the cavity with celery, onion, lemon, garlic, fresh herbs and 1 stick of butter. Tie the legs together using butcher twine.
5. Melt one stick of butter and brush over the skin. Combing the Kosher salt, granulated garlic, and poultry seasoning in a shaker. Season the outside of the bird generously with the seasoning mix.
6. Place the bird on the smoker *tip: keep it on the wire cooling rack to make rotating and moving the bird on/off the grill
7. Smoke the turkey for one hour and then start basting it with the butter herb mixture every hour.
8. Insert a probe thermometer at the 2 hour mark to monitor internal temp. Shield with aluminum foil once the skin gets a golden brown color.
9. When the turkey reaches 165 degrees in the breast remove it from the pit and rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
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