Smoking a turkey can be a lengthy process, especially if you’re going to use a brine to add flavor to your bird. If you’re going to invest all this time and money into a smoked turkey, you want to be sure you are selecting the correct smoking wood. Since turkey is such a lean meat, you have to be careful with the type of wood you choose and how much smoke you’re going to subject your bird to.
After smoking turkey for the last 15 years, my personal preference comes down to three different types of wood: Cherry, Alder, and Maple with Cherry being my number one pick. Cherry is not an overbearing smoking wood and it offers a subtle sweet flavor. Smoke your turkey at the right temp, for the right amount of time, with the correct wood and you have one of the best Thanksgiving meals you’ve ever had. Want to learn how to properly smoke a turkey? Read our guide and recipe on smoking a turkey. Also, inject your next turkey for even more flavor.
If you look beyond Thanksgiving and Christmas, a smoked whole turkey can be a delicacy to be savored on any occasion. Different woods can bring different flavor profiles to the meat. Turkey meat is bland and needs a little help. This is why smoking can be an excellent way to cook turkey. Used judiciously with processes like brining, marinating, and basting, cooking turkey over wood smoke can definitely lead to delicious results. You don’t have to confine yourself to only smoking whole turkey either. Smoked turkey breast is delicious and can be easier than a whole turkey!
Let us take a look at some of the best wood chips, pellets, and chunks for smoking a turkey and delve deep into what they can bring to the table in terms of flavor and aroma.
What’s the Best Wood to Smoke a Turkey? Our Top Picks for Flavorful, Juicy Birds
As Thanksgiving approaches, thoughts turn to roasting the perfect turkey. While the traditional oven-roasted bird is a classic, smoking a turkey lends incredible depth of flavor The wood you choose when smoking a turkey imparts subtle notes to the meat that complement and enhance its natural savor With so many options to select from, how do you know which type of wood will give you the best results? We’re breaking down the pros and cons of different smoking woods so you can make an informed decision.
Hickory
Hickory is a strong, robust wood that provides an intense, smoky flavor. This versatility makes it one of the most popular woods for smoking meats. The bold taste of hickory can stand up to the savory dark meat of a turkey. Use caution when smoking the white meat with hickory, as too much can make it bitter. We recommend using hickory in conjunction with a milder wood like apple or cherry. The resulting flavor will be a perfect balance of sweet and savory.
Pecan
Indigenous to the southern United States, pecan wood imparts a rich, mellow flavor. Its hint of nutty sweetness pairs exceptionally well with poultry. Unlike heavier mesquite, pecan wood won’t overwhelm the delicate white meat. The subtle smoke permeates the turkey, giving it a beautiful mahogany color. Pecan is an excellent choice if you want a more restrained smoky essence.
AppleApple wood lends a delicately sweet, fruity smoke that counterbalances the turkey’s hearty taste It’s milder than woods like hickory, making it a smart choice for smoking the easily-overpowered white meat. The faint smack of apple complements poultry so beautifully that this fruit wood has become a staple For best results, use apple along with a contrasting wood like cherry or maple.
Oak
Prized for its strong profile, oak infuses smoked meats with an intense flavor. Red oak offers a more pronounced smoky essence than White Oak. The striking reddish tint it confers to meat makes it a stellar pairing for turkey. Blending oak with a sweeter fruit wood yields optimal results. You’ll get delicious color along with balanced, multidimensional taste.
Cherry
cherry wood instills poultry with a subtly sweet, fruity smoke. Its mild character pairs well with turkey, enhancing the flavors rather than masking them. Cherry lends a gorgeous mahogany color that looks stunning on a smoked bird. Combining cherry with a bold wood like hickory or mesquite creates depth and complexity. The sugars in cherry also promote a lovely caramelized exterior.
Maple
Hailing from maple trees, this wood provides a smooth, mellow smoke. Subtler than oak, maple still makes its presence known with hints of earthiness and spice. Its touch of sweetness draws out the natural flavors of poultry. Maple pairs effortlessly with assertive seasonings, allowing herbs and spices to sing. This versatile wood accents turkey without overshadowing its deliciousness.
Alder
Alder boasts a delicate, woodsy flavor that graces smoked turkey with nuanced notes. This Pacific Northwest native burns cool, making it ideal for smoking large cuts of meat. Its lightness permits the white meat’s tenderness to shine through. To give your bird a flavor boost, blend alder with stronger apple, cherry or maple. The combination yields perfect balanced smoke.
Mesquite
Mesquite wood, dried in the desert, imparts an intensely earthy, pungent smoke. This very assertive wood can easily overwhelm more delicate proteins like turkey. We recommend exercising restraint with mesquite to prevent bitter flavors. Use it sparingly along with a sweeter fruit wood. Mesquite’s potency means a little goes a long way.
Ultimately the wood you select comes down to personal preference. Hickory, pecan, cherry, apple and maple are surefire choices for incredible smoked turkey. Experiment with different woods and combinations to discover your favorite. The beauty of smoking poultry is that you can continuously tweak your technique. Over time you’ll pinpoint the ideal blend of smoke intensity and nuanced complexity.
Let your taste buds guide you – there’s no right or wrong when it comes to finding wood smoking nirvana. With its outstanding adaptability, turkey can handle a wide spectrum of woods. Whether you opt for a bold mesquite, subtle alder or classic hickory, rest assured your bird will have scrumptious smoky flavor. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Who knows – maybe your new go-to smoking wood will be peach, mulberry or apricot. The possibilities are truly endless.
While the type of wood matters, proper technique and monitoring are also crucial. Always use a digital meat thermometer to ensure the turkey reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F. Resist the urge to constantly peek – opening the smoker repeatedly disrupts heat circulation. Patience is key, so let your bird gradually bathe in sweet smoke for best results.
When Thanksgiving rolls around, wow guests with your spectacular, wood-smoked turkey. Hickory-pecan, mesquite-cherry or maple-apple each lend their unique magic. A succulent, juicy smoked turkey is the ultimate showstopper. So ignite your imagination along with your coals, play with different wood combinations and ignite new holiday traditions. With the right smoking wood, you’ll give thanks for a turkey’s amazing ability to absorb flavor. Happy smoking!
Are There Any Types Of Wood To Avoid For Smoking Turkey?
If you’ve noticed, all the woods that we have shown you are hardwood. Regardless of whatever you’re smoking, you’ll always want to avoid soft woods like cedar and pine. When they burn, the resins present in the wood can give off unpleasant odors and ruin food.
We also wouldn’t recommend wood that is as strong as say mesquite. We want smoke flavor without oversmoking our turkey, and the intensity of mesquite would just overpower the turkey.
Best Woods For Smoking A 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. If you are looking for your turkey to be a statement piece without the aid of other flavoring components, brining your whole turkey and smoking it over cherry wood can be one of the best ways to cook it.
Smoking with cherry wood also gives your turkey a deep red color that is excellent for visual appeal during presentation.
Alder wood is a non-traditional choice for smoking turkey that can get you delicious results. While it is a more popular choice when it comes to smoking seafood, it can work wonders with turkey as well. If you want the smoking process to have a minimum impact on the flavor and instead want to focus on your dry rub, marinade, or herb butter flavors, alder is a poignant choice. It has a very light smoky flavor that adds a hint of smoke while leaving your main flavors intact.
Alder is also a wood that burns very slowly, giving off a gentle heat. A lot less can go wrong if you smoke your turkey this way—low and slow. If you’re using a pellet grill, then the burn rate of alder is not as much of a concern.
If you are looking for a mild, sweet, aromatic turkey that looks like a million dollars, you can definitely try smoking with maple. The flavor of maple smoke is extremely mild with a slightly sweet floral note and a hint of honey. This goes particularly well with the rich, golden color that maple smoke can bring to the turkey.
If you want to preserve the natural flavors of your turkey while complementing it with a few choice herbs and aromatics and a hint of sweet smoke, maple can be an automatic choice. Maple-smoked turkey also scores high on visual appeal, especially with the right glaze or sauce.
One of the best fruitwoods that can deliver a subtly sweet flavor to your whole turkey is apple. The smoke is not heavily aromatic and does not overpower the natural flavor of the turkey. The best way to smoke a turkey using applewood would be to take it low and slow, taking special care not to dry the bird out by introducing a water pan to the smoker or regularly basting the bird.
Apple is a great way for BBQ beginners to smoke a whole turkey. Very little can go wrong if you maintain the right temperature and ensure that the middle of the bird comes up to temperature. Using a meat probe can be a handy option. Apple is also a strong candidate if you are planning to mix different kinds of woods for a more complex, layered flavor profile.
Oak is one of the classic choices for red meat. However, it can yield excellent results with turkey if used the right way. The rich, earthy flavor of the smoke can do wonders to your turkey if you choose a relatively shorter cook time. The naturally savory, wooden aroma of oak smoke can flavor your meat quite heavily and create a turkey dish that does not really need the aid of multiple sauces and sides.
Oak is also a great base if you want to mix in other woods. Mixing some appropriate fruitwood with oak, for example, can lead to an excellent sweet and savory result. You just need to get the proportions right.
One of the most versatile woods for smoking, you may have found yourself wondering if you can smoke turkey with hickory. The answer is yes because hickory can be a fantastic way to get your turkey looking, smelling, and tasting magnificent. Since turkey is a relatively bland meat (certainly white turkey meat), it can benefit from the wide range of complex flavors and aromas that smoking with hickory can infuse in the meat (if you do this right – you can make turkey taste as good as it does in a sandwich). The rich, brown appearance can also be an inviting quality if you smoke your turkey with hickory.
However, it can be a little difficult to get the balance right and avoid getting too much smoke on turkey if you are using hickory smoke. It is a prudent idea to take your time and figure out exactly how much wood to use and how long you should smoke your bird if you want that perfectly balanced deep, rich flavor playing well with the natural flavors of the turkey.
Smoking With Wood – How to Choose the Right Wood for Smoking Meat
FAQ
What is the best wood to smoke a turkey with?
What are the best wood pellets for smoking a turkey?
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Baked Goods
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Alder, Apple, Cherry, Maple, Oak, Pecan
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Pork
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Alder, Apple, Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Pecan
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Pulled Pork
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Apple, Hickory, Pecan
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Ribs
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Cherry, Hickory, Oak, Maple
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Turkey
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Alder, Maple, Oak
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Is hickory or mesquite better for turkey?
Is almond wood good for smoking turkey?