A: Mesquite is a very strongly flavored wood that can easily overwhelm the taste of the turkey. We recommend you keep it for more robust BBQ meats and stick to lighter woods for smoking turkey.
Can you use mesquite for turkey?
When it comes to the best wood for smoking turkey, you want something mild in flavor. Anything too strong (like mesquite or hickory) will take over the flavor of the bird. Poultry pairs nice with sweet woods, so find a fruit wood or another sweet wood that fits your taste profile.
What is the best smoke flavor for turkey?
For many, cherry wood is the best choice for smoking a whole turkey. The naturally bland and lean nature of turkey is perfectly complemented by the deep, rich, smoky flavor that cherry can impart to the meat.
What is the best wood to use to smoke a turkey?
Hickory is a classic hard wood choice for smoking turkey for several reasons. It has a distinct flavor that is robust and very forward and is familiar to those who enjoy smoky flavors. Maple wood gives off a sweeter smoke and can add a lovely golden hue to anything you smoke with it.
Is mesquite smoked turkey good?
And honestly, it always yields the best bird—juicy, wonderfully aromatic from smoky wood chips, as lustrous as polished mahogany. Mesquite wood gives a traditional Mexican flavor, but for Thanksgiving I go easy on the wood chips, creating a light smokiness that complements my traditional dressing and mashed potatoes.
What flavor of pellets is best for a turkey?
Mild woods with sweeter notes are best with turkey. Consider woods like maple, apple, cherry or pecan. You can blend your chosen wood with oak or hickory to give it a smokey tone, but be careful not to overpower the natural flavors of the turkey meat.
What pellets are best for smoking a turkey?
Use sweet smoke to add a layer of flavor to turkey. Try mixing cherry, pecan, or apple hardwood pellets.
How do you smoke a turkey and keep it moist?
My solution is to smoke the turkey directly on the grill grates, with a roasting pan filled with 1″ water underneath the grates, about 3-4 inches from the meat. This will keep the cooking environment moist but let the turkey get evenly crisp on the outside.
How long should you smoke a turkey?
Set the smoker to 225° F. Place the turkey on a cooking rack and cook for 8 to 12 hours or until the inner thigh temperature reaches 180° F. Check the temperature of your turkey after 3½ hours. Your turkey must pass through a critical range of 40° F to 140° F in 4 hours or less.
What is the best temperature to smoke a turkey at?
Turkey can be smoked at a smoker temperature as low as 225 degrees, but it’s much quicker if smoked at 275-300 degrees, or even higher. When smoking at a lower temperature you’re looking at more time in the smoker, but that means the turkey could potentially have a richer smoke flavor.
What do you put in a turkey cavity when smoking?
Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the apple, onion, lemon, and rosemary. Place the turkey in the smoker and smoke for 30 minutes per pound. Put the meat thermometer into the thigh without touching the bone, or about an inch into the thickest part of the breast. **see notes.
Should I baste my turkey while smoking?
I prefer to baste my smoked turkey because no one wants a dry turkey! I occasionally baste the turkey with a little chicken broth as it cooks to ensure a moist end result. If you’ve brined your turkey before hand, you can skip the basting step.
Should you inject turkey before smoking?
A meat injector – Injecting is a great way to get some more flavor and moisture into the bird. Poultry shears or a sharp knife – Makes it much easier to spatchcock the turkey. Drip pan for gravy – Even if you’re not making gravy, you’ll want a pan to catch the dripping to keep everything clean.
What is mesquite good for?
Mesquite wood is the best wood for smoking dark meats that can stand up to the strong flavor of mesquite, such as Texas-style brisket, wild game meat, duck, lamb, and Tex-Mex barbacoa. Try mesquite coals for grilling steaks, vegetables, and other quick-cooking, flavorful foods.
What is mesquite turkey breast?
4.6. (49) Slow-smoked over a mesquite wood fire, this premium-quality thin sliced turkey breast is packed with flavor. Carefully crafted meals deserve the highest-quality ingredients: now made with no artificial preservatives, no added nitrates and nitrites* and no artificial flavors.
Can you mix woods when smoking?
Just like spices, you can combine different types of wood chips to enhance your grilled fare. It’s easy to do. Soak the wood chips for about two hours. Then put the moist wood chips in a smoker box attachment on gas grills or directly on the coals for charcoal barbecues.
Can I use hickory pellets with turkey?
Hickory. Another deep ‘earthy’ wood, hickory is often used as a base layer for a lot of different types of meat. While hickory is indisputably a classic wood, it just too much of a distinct, heavy flavor for poultry.
Which pellets give the most smoke flavor?
It comes down to the types of pellets you use. The best pellets for smoking are hardwood pellets which provide a much longer overall burn time than the more common fruit wood pellets. Hickory wood pellets are most widely used to bbq. This is because hickory releases a strong flavor that enhances most meat cuts.
How long do you smoke a turkey at 225?
Low & Slow Smoked Turkey – Smoke your turkey at the low temperature of 225 degrees F for approximately 6-8 hours for a 22 pound turkey. Remove turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels (this is an important step, don’t skip it).
How long do I smoke a 15 pound turkey?
Smoke the turkey.
At 225 degrees F, you can plan on approximately 30 minutes per pound for your turkey to smoke. For example, this 15 pound turkey will take 7 and 1/2 hours at 225 degrees F. I always plan an extra 30 minutes, just in case.
How long does it take to smoke a 20lb turkey?
10-12 hours
Generally, though, you should allow for about 30-40 minutes of smoking per pound. So, if you have a 20-pound turkey, it’ll probably take 10-12 hours to completely smoke it. You should always determine doneness by internal temperature and not by time.