Bring festive cheer to your holiday table with this Smoked Holiday Turkey featuring bold brining, savory herb injection, and slow smoking over aromatic hardwood. The result is juicy, deeply flavored turkey with a golden, smoke-crisp crust worthy of any celebration.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Deep flavor infusion from brine and herb-butter injection
- Smoky, crisp skin from slow smoking over fruit or hardwood
- Moist and tender meat that stays juicy across breast and thighs
- Showstopper presentation with minimal active cooking time
Smoked Holiday Turkey
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.3 stars by 30 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
8
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
3 hours
Calories
284
Warm your holiday feast with Chef Tom's unforgettable Smoked Holiday Turkey! Its classic flavors of apple, sage and garlic meld perfectly with a smoky grill flavor, while Chef Tom's modern seasoning technique adds a delicious surprise. Make your holiday special with this tantalizing dish!
Ingredients
- 1 (15 lb) whole turkey
-
Sweetwater Spice Classic Holiday Turkey Bath
-
Cattleman’s Grill Ranchero Seasoning
- 1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp fresh sage, minced
-
1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Ranchero Seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 lb Yellow onion, large dice
- 1 lb Baby red potatoes
- 1 lb Butternut squash, large dice
- 8 oz carrots, large dice
- 8 oz turnips, medium dice
- 8 oz parsnips, large dice
- 4 oz celery, large dice
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 4 sprigs rosemary
-
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-
1 tbsp Noble Saltworks Hickory Smoked Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
For the mayo slather:
For the bed of vegetables:
Directions
- Spatchcock the turkey. To take the backbone out, place the bird breast side down. Cut along both sides of the backbone with kitchen shears, from one opening of the cavity to the other. Release the skin of the turkey from the flesh, leaving it attached at the edges, but exposing the meat for seasoning.
Place the spatchcocked turkey in a large Briner Bucket. Pour the Sweetwater Spice Classic Holiday Turkey Bath over the bird along with two cups water. Dissolve the kosher salt into one quart of cold water. Pour the mixture over the turkey. Add up to one gallon of water to the bucket to cover the turkey. Lock the brining plate in place to keep the bird submerged. Refrigerate the turkey in the brine, one pound per hour.
- Remove the turkey from the brine. Pat the bird dry with paper towels. Place on a sheet pan and place in the refrigerator to dry out the skin. Let rest for at least two hours.
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 275ºF, set up for indirect grilling/smoking.
Combine all ingredients for the mayo slather in a food processor and process until well distributed and broken down.
- Pull back the skin from the turkey and season the flesh of the bird with Cattleman’s Grill Ranchero Seasoning. Pull the skin back in place.
Combine all vegetables in a bowl. Coat with the olive oil. Season with the smoked salt and black pepper. Toss well to coat and transfer to a half sized sheet pan. Spread out evenly and nestle the herbs into the diced vegetables.
- Place the turkey on the bed of vegetables. Slather the surface of the turkey with the mayo mixture. Spread evenly.
- Place the pan with the root vegetables and turkey on the main cooking grate inside the grill. Smoke at 275ºF until the internal temperature reaches 135ºF, about two and a half hours.
- Increase the temperature of the grill to 425ºF. Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 155ºF in the breasts, 175ºF in the thighs, about 45 minutes. Remove from the grill. Rest the Smoked Holiday Turkey for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
- Strain off the liquid from the pan. Reserve those drippings to add to your gravy, or for soaking the sliced turkey meat.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Can I inject the turkey without brining?
Yes injecting herb butter alone will still give moisture and flavor, though brining adds a deeper profile.
Which wood works best for smoking?
Apple or cherry provide mild sweetness; oak and pecan offer richer smoke for deeper BBQ notes.
How do I avoid overly dark skin?
Monitor temperature, reduce heat if needed, or tent loosely in the last hour to prevent over-browning.
Does the 155°F breast target get this turkey fully done?
Not on its own poultry needs to clear 165°F throughout, and this recipe's own directions stop the breast ten degrees short. The 175°F thigh target is fine as written; just continue cooking the breast past 160°F before pulling it.
How long does this turkey stay fresh?
Store carved turkey in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, or freeze portions for up to 6 months.
Can I cook these indoors?
We rate these as a 4 out of 5. Great in the kitchen, better on the grill.
Recipe Highlights
Roasted directly on a bed of vegetables: Drippings season the root vegetables underneath as the turkey cooks, and those same drippings can go straight into gravy afterward.
Two-stage grill temperature: A lower 275°F smoke builds flavor first; the jump to 425°F at the end is what actually crisps the skin.
Seasoning applied under the skin: Pulling the skin back to season the flesh directly, then replacing it, gets the Ranchero seasoning past the surface rather than just on top.
Mayo-based slather: Coating the skin in a herbed mayo mixture before the high-heat stage helps it brown evenly instead of drying out.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4
- per serving
- Calories
- 284
- Protein
- 34 grams
- Fat
- 10 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 2 grams
- Cholesterol
- 88 milligrams
- Sodium
- 406 milligrams
- Carbs
- 13 grams
- Fiber
- 2 grams
- Sugar
- 3 grams
