Learn how to smoke a whole spatchcocked turkey on your Traeger Grill! This comprehensive recipe provides you with both turkey prep and grilling instructions. This turkey recipe uses a dry brine and is smothered in an herb butter mixture that leaves it juicy, tender and delicious. Perfect for your pellet grill or other smoker, this how-to recipe is easy to follow with lots of step by step photos to show you how it’s done.
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Whether you’re new to smoking a turkey or have done it many times before, this recipe is going to be your go-to smoked turkey recipe.
I have been cooking a whole turkey on a Traeger for years and every single time it turns out juicy, tender, and just absolutely delicious.
And that’s not just me saying that – it’s my kids, my husband, my parents, even my mother-in-law. Which you know means it’s good.
There are three key things to smoking the perfect turkey.
- Spatchcock your turkey (meaning the backbone has been removed).
- Dry brine your turkey.
- Take the internal temperature of your turkey.
I’ll be talking about these further down in the post, but if you’re unsure about any of these then check out this post on how to spatchcock a turkey, this post on how to dry brine a turkey, and this post on how to use a meat thermometer.
This recipe begins with a fresh, raw turkey that’s already been spatchcocked.
If yours hasn’t, you can either do it yourself by following the link I provided in the last paragraph, or if you buy a fresh (not frozen) turkey from a butcher, you can ask the butcher to do it for you.
If you bought your turkey frozen, read this article about how to safely thaw a frozen turkey and come back to this post once your turkey is thawed.
And if you just know you’re going to have more turkey leftovers then you know what to do with, try this leftover turkey recipe idea.
For now, read on to see how to make, what my family calls, the best smoked turkey ever.
Grab these ingredients
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
- A fresh turkey – this recipe calls for one that’s around 14-15 pounds. If you have a smaller or larger one you’ll need to adjust the amount of salt, herbs, and ghee. If you have a frozen turkey, you’ll need to start thawing it 5 to 6 days ahead of the day you’ll be cooking it.
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt – this is the brand I use. If you use a different brand (like Morton’s), you’ll need to use less salt. See this article from Cook’s Illustrated about kosher salt and to see how to convert to different types of salt.
- Fresh herbs – sage, rosemary, and thyme. They are often sold together during the holidays, otherwise you can buy them separately. Definitely use fresh as the recipe won’t have the same flavor with dried herbs.
- Butter or ghee – any unsalted butter or ghee will work. I would not use a flavored butter or ghee as it may conflict with the flavors of the herbs.
Before you scroll through, there is important information throughout this post.
Smoking a turkey on a pellet grill
Step 1: Dry brine the turkey
First you’ll need to dry brine the turkey. I have a post that gives detailed instructions on how to dry brine a turkey (with photos and a video), but here are simplified instructions so you have them.
Get a baking sheet pan and cover it with foil. Place a baking rack inside of it and set it aside. Measure out the salt (I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt – Amazon affiliate link) with a measuring spoon and place it in a small bowl. Place the turkey on a large cutting board and dry it off with a paper towel (you may need more than one).
Lift the skin on the breast section of the turkey (at the tail end) and gently push your finger between the skin and the meat to separate it. Continue doing this until the skin is separate from both breasts as well as the thighs and legs.
Take a teaspoon or two of salt between your fingers and rub it on one of the breasts, on the meat underneath the skin. Repeat until you’ve rubbed salt on both breasts and both thighs and legs.
Dave Lewis
After 4 hours, my 18 lb was at 140F in the breast so I turned down the temp to 210. It still was done in less than 7 hours! The 30 min/ pound guideline is too long.
Other than that this method was excellent and moister than my many roasting bag ones.