Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Cooked on a Big Green Egg (2024)

FAQs

What temperature do you cook a turkey on the Big Green Egg? ›

Roasted turkeys may be cooked in oven but we prefer them cooked on a smoker or Big Green Egg. Roasting a turkey is best done in a two-step process. Set the EGG up for indirect cooking with the temp at 325°F/163°C.

The Large EGG can cook:

One 20-pound turkey.

You only need about two cups of wood chips, and you can choose any type of wood you like. We went with hickory because it has a sweet, bacon-like flavor. Fruit woods (like apple or cherry) are also a good choice here, as is pecan.

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.

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!

Roasting a whole turkey is easier than you think. Just follow these simple instructions for a fresh or thawed turkey: Preheat oven to 325° F. Drain juices and pat dry with clean paper towels. Place turkey breast-side-up on a flat rack in a shallow roasting pan 2 to 2½ inches deep.

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!

Also, I always recommend spraying the outside of your turkey with cooking spray. This also works to keep the skin crispy and give it that golden-brown color.

What Temperature to Cook the Turkey? Cook your turkey at 325 degrees F for most of the cook time; in the final 45 minutes, remove the cover or foil tent from the turkey, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and baste the bird with butter. The initial lower oven temperature cooks the turkey through evenly.

Place the turkey on the Roasting Rack in a Drip Pan; scatter the remaining potatoes in the pan and place the pan in the EGG. Cook for 12 minutes per pound until the turkey has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F/74°C throughout the product.

How often do you add wood chips to smoked turkey? ›

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.

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.

The best time to spritz your meat while smoking is just after the bark has formed. The bark on meat generally forms about 1:30 to 2 hours into your cook. It is important to spritz the meat every half hour to 45 minutes to prevent it from drying out.

Starting the smoker hot then turning it down to more traditional low n slow temps is how the achieve great textured skin. I use Kingsford Classic pellets in my smoker because they're 100% hardwood and a great combo of classic wood flavors.

At 325 degrees, your turkey will get to the necessary temperature without drying out. Regardless of size, you're normally looking at 3 to 4 hours total cook time. From there, all you've got to do is remove from the grill and rest for 15 minutes before carving.

It will take approximately 30-35 minutes per pound at 225°F; 25 minutes per pound to smoke a turkey at 275° F; and about 13 minutes per pound when you smoke it at 325° F.