A well-smoked turkey is a perfect ingredient for hunger pangs at home. The problem, however, is that smoking a whole turkey is never a simple task, even though the result can make your efforts worthwhile. Here is how to smoke a turkey in a propane smoker.
To smoke a delicious turkey, you need to follow the following instructions, bearing in mind that cooking turkey is not for the impatient. The steps include;
- Prepping the turkey to make sure that it ready for your smoke
- Smoking the turkey using an indirect heat
- Resting it before serving with your favorite dish
The above steps may sound simple and obvious, but the truth is that there is a lot to do to ensure that your turkey turns out perfect and delicious. Read on for detailed instructions.
How To Smoke A Turkey
While smoking a turkey can be intimidating for those doing it for the first time, following the proper process will see you cook a delicious meal that won’t last long. First, you need to be acquainted with the steps you should take when cooking your turkey. They include;
- Purchasing right Turkey
- Organizing all the essential tools and equipment ready for the task
- Making turkey brine
- Prepping the turkey
- Brining the turkey
- Rinsing and drying the turkey
- Seasoning the turkey
- Smoking
- Resting the turkey after smoking before serving
Purchasing The Best Turkey
Smoking a delicious meal starts by ensuring that you buy the right turkey for the smoker. A fresh and minimally processed turkey is the best for the smoker. Freezing makes the cells in the fresh to rapture. In addition, most frozen turkeys are processed and injected with brine to help thawed turkey remain moist, but you want your brine.
Brining Turkey
Brining the turkey can make a massive difference in the final products. It does more than seasoning it with other flavors. Brine alters the structure of proteins in the meat, making it juicier.
How to Prepare Turkey Before Smoking
How you prepare the turkey before smoking is an essential step as it can have a significant impact on your smoked turkey. Some of the preparations you need to make include removing the giblets, the neck, and the excess fat from the edges of the skin.
To protect the meat from drying when grilling, you must leave as much skin as possible. In addition, run the turkey over cold water and ensure that you clean the body cavity and the outside surface.
Seasoning The With Extra Goodness
You may proceed to season the brined turkey with a mix of spices and herbs. The trick to the effective seasoning of the brined turkey is to get your favorite seasoning under the skin. Seasoning the outer surface of the turkey will also make a difference.
Smoking Turkey To A Perfect State Of Deliciousness
Get your propane smoker to 225 degrees before you can start the cooking. It is also a good practice to oil the grate to prevent sticking. When grilling your turkey, you must maintain temperatures of 225 to 250 degrees throughout the entire cooking.
Baste the turkey with melted butter a few times while smoking it.
How Long To Smoke A Turkey
It takes 30 to 40 minutes per pound of the turkey to cook. However, the best way to tell the doneness of your turkey is by using a meat thermometer. Once the thick part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees, it is time to remove your turkey from the smoker. The final step is to cover the turkey with a foil. After that, rest for about an hour for all the juices and smoke flavor to evenly distribute throughout the meat.
To be precise, the duration it will take to smoke your turkey depends on its size. Since it takes about 30 to 40 minutes to smoke a pound of turkey, it will take 10 to 12 hours to smoke 20 pounds of turkey perfectly. It is a good practice to determine the doneness by checking the internal temperature and not the cooking duration.
A grilled turkey is safe for consumption once it attains internal temperatures of 165 degrees, registered on a functional meat thermometer.
Why Propane Grill Smoking?
When smoking a turkey, you are at the liberty of deciding on the best type of smoker to use. While in this context, the preferred smoke is the propane grill smoker, it is essential to note that any smoker can do it fine. There are several benefits of propane grill smoking, and some of them include;
Flavor
Some people believe a wood smoker is the only option to offer the best flavor. Although wood smokers are great, many blind tests also indicate that propane offers flavors that are on the same level as the best wood smokers. Therefore, you should not struggle to get wood smokers when you can accomplish the same milestone using a propane smoker.
Ease Of Use
With a wood smoker, you will need to constantly add or remove wood to adjust the temperature while smoking your turkey, and this can prove a bit tedious. With a propane smoker, you only add small wood for flavoring while the temperature remains constant.
Further, portability is one of the critical factors that people consider when deciding on the best smoker to use. A propane smoke is easy to use because you will need a propane tank and a small amount of wood. Due to this, you can easily carry it to a friend’s house for a grill.
Adjustable Temperatures
When smoking turkey, you need to be careful with your choice of temperatures because this will always directly influence your final product. In other words, you need a smoker that makes it easy for you to control temperatures, and this is what you get from a propane smoker. The simple controls allow you to adjust temperatures according to your smoking needs, up to 450 degrees.
Smoked Turkey and Roasted Turkey, Which one is the Best?
It is normal to find yourself torn between going for a roasted turkey or a smoked turkey. If you find yourself in such a situation, here are some critical facts to help you out.
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Taste
Although people have different taste preferences, the smoky taste of turkey is excellent. In addition, the taste is more exciting to the taste buds as it is brined before cooking. However, smoking may not be the best option for you if you are not a fan of woody flavors.
On the other hand, a roasted turkey has a milder taste, and you may need to be heavy-handed on seasoning and spices to make it delicious.
The Texture
The smoked turkey usually is blackened on the outside, while roasted turkey has crunchy skin. Further, the roasted and smoked turkey should be moist and juicy if cooked well.
Preparation
The difference in preparing the two is simple; a smoker prepares smoked turkey to produce a consistent result. Further, a smoked turkey is usually brined before cooking, and it takes longer to cook since it is cooked at low temperatures.
Conversely, a roasted turkey takes a shorter time to cook as it is cooked at around 325-350 degrees.
The Equipment
When smoking a turkey, it is a good idea to use a smoker. Since not many people have a smoker in their homes, this makes roasted turkey popular as it is prepared in an oven, and most people have an oven.
Also read: What Kind Of Brush Should You Use To Clean Your Grill?
Conclusion
It is understandable to be nervous if you are smoking a turkey for the first time. All you need is to ensure that you follow the above steps and use the seasonings of your turkey. Let your turkey rest for about 30 minutes to allow for the reabsorption and distribution of juices into the meat.
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Scot has loved smoking food in his free time for the last few years. Each major holiday or off-weekend, Scot spends days testing and prepping new recipes for perfection.