Smoked Turkey on Big Green Egg | How To Smoke A Turkey BGE with Malcom Reed HowToBBQRight

Smoked Turkey on Big Green Egg

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How to smoke a turkey on the Big Green Egg. First you need a turkey, which typically comes frozen. Allow at least 3-4 days for the turkey to thaw in the refrigerator. When it’s time to brine, remove the turkey from packaging and remove everything from inside the cavity.

My smoked turkey on the Big Green Egg process involves a few steps: First I soak the turkey in a brine for at least 24 hours.

Turkey Brine Recipe:
- 2 gallons water
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ Cup Creole Seasoning*
- Fresh Herb bundle of Sage, Rosemary, Thyme
- 2 Lemons halved
- 2 Bay leaves
- 4-5 Garlic Cloves smashed
- 1 TBS Whole Black Pepper Corns
- 2 Small Onions quartered

Pour 1 gallon of the water into a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Add the salt and sugar and stir until dissolved. Pour this mixture into 1 gallon of cold water and add the Creole Seasoning, Herb Bundle, Lemons, Bay Leaves, Garlic, Black Peppercorns, and Onion. Allow the mixture to steep in the refrigerator and cool completely. The brine can be made a day ahead of time for better results.

Creole Seasoning:
- 1⁄4 cup salt
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 5 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 4 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

You’ll need a container large enough to hold the turkey and 2 gallons of brine, so I use an oversized ziplock bag.

Place the turkey in the bag and pour the brine over it. Pack ice along sides of the turkey and leave in a cool place for 24 hours. After 24 hours remove the turkey from the brine and place in the sink to drain. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel.

Now it’s time to season the outside of our turkey to smoke. First spray the skin with cooking spray (vegetable or canola). This helps the seasonings stick and keeps it from turning dark during the cooking process. I use two seasoning blends on the skin. First my AP seasoning (a blend of salt, granulated garlic, and black pepper) then the Creole Seasoning (recipe above). Layer both of these seasons on all sides of the turkey.

For stuffing the cavity I use a few stalks of celery, onion, and apple. You can use whatever you like here but skip the stuffing. We cook dressing in the south and not inside the bird. The vegetables and fruit add extra mass to the turkey which helps it cook evenly.

The next step is to inject the turkey for added moisture and flavor. I’m a big fan of Butcher’s line of injections, and David’s Bird Booster products are excellent with turkey. I use ¼ cup of Bird Booster Honey mixed with 2 cups of water. Inject the breast, legs, and thighs spreading the needle out about 1” for every stick.

The turkey is ready for the Big Green Egg at this point, so fire up the smoker and bring the temperature up to 300 degrees. You can duplicate this procedure on any cooker just hold your temps in the 275-300 range. Higher temps are needed for the skin to turn out perfect.

Use a couple small chunks of pecan and hickory and that’s all. You only need about 2 hours of smoke; any more will overpower the turkey and will eventually build up on the skin giving it a dark color.

Place the turkey on the smoker and close the lid. It’s going to take about 3-4 hours to hit the target temperatures of 165 in the breast and 175 in the thighs. Every 45 min to 1 hour spray the skin with cooking spray for moisture. At the two hour mark it’s time to monitor those internal temperatures. I use a Thermoworks DOT probe thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the breast. Set it for 165 and keep a close eye on the temps.

After 3 hours the turkey should be getting close. Internal should read 175 in the thickest part of the thigh and juice should run clear when you remove the probe. Get the turkey off the smoker when you see these temps and let it rest inside for a minimum of 15 minutes.

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