Make the moistest, juiciest Smoked Whole Turkey in an Electric Smoker! This turkey is dry-brined then covered in a delicious dry rub and smoked until it is fall-apart tender. You've never had a turkey this moist before!
After serving your delicious smoked turkey, reserve the bones and carcass to make my flavorful smoked turkey stock.
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The Short Version
How to Smoke a Turkey in an Electric Smoker: Dry-brine the turkey for 12-24 hours, then coat it in a dry rub and smoke at 275°F until the internal temperature hits 165°F - about 30 minutes per pound. Rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
This smoked turkey was made in my Masterbuilt electric smoker, which uses wood chips. The flavor and juiciness are amazing! I highly recommend making my smoked chicken breast in electric smoker next!
This smoked turkey is the perfect centerpiece for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter! Finish off your holiday meal with smoked pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust, crustless pumpkin pie, or sweet potato pie for dessert!
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Why I Love This Electric Smoked Turkey Recipe
- This turkey is incredibly moist - like super moist - and has fantastic flavor.
- It's easy to make, even if you are a beginner to using an electric smoker.
- The leftovers are the best - I love making smoked turkey bean soup and turkey shepherd's pie.
- I love the delicious turkey gravy - which is easy to make from the drippings in the water pan.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Turkey. I used a whole turkey - just make sure to remove the giblets and neck.
- Dry brine. I used my turkey dry brine recipe made with kosher salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried thyme, and dried rosemary.
- Dry rub. I used my delicious Turkey Rub For Smoking, which contains brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, onion powder, black pepper, dried rosemary, poultry seasoning, and ground thyme.
See the printable recipe below this post for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Smoke a Turkey in an Electric Smoker
- Trim any excess skin from the turkey and remove the neck and giblets from inside the turkey cavity. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Make the dry brine by combining kosher salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried thyme, and dried rosemary in a small bowl.
- Place the turkey on a baking sheet or in a roaster and brine your turkey by covering the entire outside of the bird with the dry brine. Place the turkey in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 12-24 hours.
- When you are ready to smoke the bird, rinse it under cold water to remove the dry brine. Pat it dry with paper towels.
- Fill your electric smoker with wood chips and preheat your electric smoker to 275 degrees. F.
- Make the turkey rub by combining brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, onion powder, black pepper, dried rosemary, poultry seasoning, and ground thyme in a small bowl.
- Brush a light layer of olive oil or melted butter all over the outside of the turkey, including underneath the skin of the turkey breast.
- Sprinkle the dry rub evenly over the entire turkey, including underneath the skin over the breast. Use your hands to rub it in and get it under the wings and legs. Let the turkey sit at room temperature while the electric smoker preheats.
- Once the smoker reaches 275 degrees F, add chicken broth and a sprig of fresh thyme to the water pan. Place the turkey directly on the smoker rack above the water pan and insert temperature probes into the thickest part of the breast and thigh or leg without touching the bone.
- Close the door of your smoker and smoke until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165 degrees F. Add wood chips when your smoker stops smoking. I add wood chips every hour for my Masterbuilt smoker.
- Once the turkey reaches 165 degrees F, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
- To make delicious turkey gravy, transfer drippings from the water pan to a medium saucepan and heat it on medium heat. Combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the drippings, whisking until thickened. To thicken the gravy, add more slurry until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Serve this juicy smoked turkey with gravy and your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Electric Smoked Turkey
Serve this electric smoked turkey with Smoked Mashed Potatoes, Twice-Baked Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Green Bean Casserole, Smoked Cheesy Potatoes, or Smoked Baked Potatoes.
It also goes great with Campbell's Green Bean Casserole, Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole, Homemade Stuffing With Bacon, Sourdough Stuffing, and Whole30 Cranberry Sauce or Classic Cranberry Sauce.
Variations
You can change the seasonings to make it your own - use my Best Smoked Chicken Rub or your favorite poultry rub.
You can also wet brine the turkey instead of dry brining it. Use my Fresh Herb Citrus Wet Turkey Brine recipe.
Jeri's Expert Tips
- Apply the dry rub underneath the skin so the flavor penetrates deep into the meat.
- Use a meat thermometer and do not open the door until the turkey is ready. Opening the door will cause the temperature to drop and moisture will escape.
- Don't let those drippings go to waste - make smoked turkey gravy for the perfect finishing touch.
Storage Tips
Refrigerator: Store leftover turkey in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Remove turkey meat from the carcass and store it in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. You can also freeze the whole turkey carcass in a large Ziploc bag and use it to make Smoked Turkey Soup.
Reheating: Heat on the stovetop or in the oven, covered, with a splash of turkey stock or chicken stock to keep it moist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use a different type of smoker, such as a pellet grill. However, the cooking time and temperature might vary slightly. Follow my recipe for pellet-grill or Traeger-smoked turkey.
The general rule of thumb is 30 minutes per pound of turkey at 275 degrees F. It took 5 hours for my 10-pound turkey to be fully cooked in my Masterbuilt electric smoker.
According to The Online Grill, the best wood chips for smoking a turkey are pecan, cherry, maple, and apple. If you like a stronger smoke flavor, I would give hickory a try, or blend hickory with cherry or maple.
I do not recommend stuffing a turkey that will be cooked on a smoker. The stuffing can interfere with even cooking and might not reach a safe internal temperature, even if the turkey does.
If your smoker stops smoking, add more wood chips. I keep a bowl of wood chips soaking in water so they are ready to add when needed.
There's more than one way to do it. A lot of recipes call for 225-250°F over many hours. This recipe uses 275°F instead, which cuts the cook time to about 5 hours for a 10-pound turkey. Either approach works - what matters is pulling the turkey once it reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F, not the exact temperature you use to get there.
Three things make the biggest difference: dry-brining the turkey for 12-24 hours before smoking, keeping chicken broth in the water pan while it smokes, and using a temperature probe so you're not opening the smoker door to check on it. Opening the door lets heat and moisture escape.
Printable Recipe
How to Smoke a Turkey in an Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 8-10 pound whole turkey neck and giblets removed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
- 1 sprig fresh thyme optional
Dry Brine Ingredients
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary crushed
Dry Rub Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary crushed
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon ground thyme
Instructions
- Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel. Make the dry brine by combining ½ cup kosher salt, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, and 2 teaspoons dried rosemary in a small bowl. Cover the entire outside of the turkey with the dry brine. Place the turkey, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Before smoking, rinse the turkey under cold water to remove the brine. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Make the turkey rub by combining 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary, ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning, and ⅛ teaspoon ground thyme in a small bowl.
- Apply a layer of olive oil over the entire outside of the turkey, including underneath the skin and on top of the turkey breast. Generously apply the rub to the entire outside of the turkey, including underneath the skin on the turkey breast. Make sure to get underneath the turkey wings and turkey legs. Let the turkey sit at room temperature while you preheat your electric smoker.
- Fill your smoker with wood chips, and preheat your electric smoker to 275℉ per the manufacturer's directions. Once the smoker comes up to temperature, fill the water pan with 1 cup of chicken broth and a sprig of fresh thyme.
- Place the turkey directly on the bottom rack of your electric smoker above the water pan and insert temperature probes into the thickest part of the breast and thigh or leg without touching the bone.
- Close the door of your smoker, and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165℉. Add wood chips when your smoker stops smoking. For my Masterbuilt smoker, this is every hour.
- Once the turkey reaches 165℉, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- While it is resting, make turkey gravy. Transfer the drippings from the water pan to a medium saucepan and heat it on medium heat. Combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the drippings, whisking until thickened. To make the gravy thicker, add more slurry until the desired consistency is reached.
- Serve this juicy smoked turkey with gravy and your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!
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Notes
- Apply the dry rub underneath the skin so the flavor penetrates deep into the meat.
- Use temperature probes and do not open the door until the turkey is ready.
- Opening the door will cause the temperature to drop, and moisture will escape.
- Don't let those drippings go to waste. Make smoked turkey gravy for the perfect finishing touch.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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CATHERINE KUENNEN says
thank you for a wonderful recipe. this year i smoked the turkey using your recipe and It will be used every year. it was wonderful and the taste outstanding. i did forget to rub the turkey with oil olive. next year i will remember. i started out with the chicken broth, than beer and ended up using water. first i used apple wood from my apple tree removing the bark and when i ran out of that i used apple wood pellets. the turkey has an outstanding flavor and so moist. again thank you for sharing with everyone your amazing recipe.
Jeri Walker says
You're so welcome, Catherine! I’m thrilled to hear you loved the smoked turkey, and your comment truly made my day! I love that you experimented with different liquids—it’s such a creative way to layer flavors! And thank YOU for sharing your experience! It’s truly an honor to know this recipe will be part of your yearly tradition. 😊
Lauren says
What flavor of wood chips would be best??
Jeri Walker says
My favorite wood chips to use are pecan, cherry, maple and applewood.