Once you own a pellet grill you look forward to smoking meat year-round and showing off all that juicy and delicious meat candy to all your family and friends–but during the holiday season, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
With everyone counting on you to create a perfectly seasoned and smoked turkey, anxiety can set in (especially for first-timers) and so we created this guide to walk you through it step by step, and answer any lingering questions about the turkey smoking process.
Here is a handy Table Of Contents we created so you can jump around to the different steps in the process…
Cooking turkey on a pellet grill is a great way to infuse delicious smoky flavor into the meat while freeing up oven space But nailing the right temperature is crucial for getting a juicy interior and crispy skin
So what’s the best temperature to cook turkey on a pellet grill? The ideal pellet grill turkey temperature is a two-stage process
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Low temperature (225°F – 250°F) for smoking: This allows the turkey to gradually come up to temp while absorbing smoky flavor.
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High temperature (325°F – 350°F) for crisping the skin: Bumping up the heat gives the skin a chance to render fat and get crispy right at the end.
Following this simple process will reward you with a perfectly cooked smoked turkey with tender and moist meat paired with crunchy, golden brown skin.
Why Temperature Control Matters
Maintaining the right temperature is crucial when cooking turkey in a pellet grill. Here’s why:
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Prevents drying out: Turkey dries out rapidly above 325°F. A pellet grill lets you smoke around 225°F to gently bring up the internal temperature without drying out the delicate breast meat.
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Maximizes smoke flavor: Pellet grills produce the most smoke flavor at lower temperatures below 250°F. Starting your turkey smoke at 225°F allows the meat to develop a deep, smoky taste.
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Crisps the skin: The high heat stage at the end crisps up the skin by rendering excess fat. This prevents limp, rubbery skin.
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Cooks dark and white meat differently: Dark meat needs to reach 175°F while breast meat cooks perfectly at 165°F. A 2-stage cook lets you get the ideal doneness on both.
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Speeds up cook time: Spatchcocking and high heat reduces smoke time compared to a whole bird in the oven.
How to Smoke a Turkey on a Pellet Grill
Applying the 2-stage cooking method on your pellet grill ensures juicy, smoky turkey every time.
Stage 1: Low and Slow
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Spatchcock and season the turkey. Spatchcocking helps the bird cook faster and more evenly. Apply a dry brine or wet brine for extra moisture.
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Set the pellet grill to 225°F – 250°F using a flavorful wood pellet like cherry, apple, or maple.
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Place turkey directly on the grill grates, breast-side up. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast.
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Smoke the turkey until the breast temp reaches 130°F – 140°F, about 1 hour per pound. This allows the meat to gradually come up to temperature.
Stage 2: High Heat Crisping
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Once the target temp is reached after a few hours, crank the grill to 325°F – 350°F.
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Baste the skin with oil or butter. The skin will rapidly crisp up at this high temperature.
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Cook until the breast temp hits 160°F for safe, juicy meat.
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Remove turkey and let rest 15 minutes before slicing. The temp will rise to 165°F.
Pellet Grill Turkey Cooking Times
The times below are approximations since cooking time varies based on turkey size, shape, and pellet grill model. Rely on a meat thermometer for perfectly cooked meat:
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Whole turkey: About 30 minutes per pound at 225°F until 130°F, then high heat to 160°F. A 12 lb bird takes 6 hours.
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Spatchcock turkey: Cooks about 25% faster than whole. A 12 lb spatchcocked turkey takes about 4.5 hours.
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Turkey breast: About 2.5 hours at 225°F until 130°F, then high heat to 160°F. Cook times vary for boneless breasts.
For best results, calibrate your thermometer and track turkey temp from start to finish. This guarantees ideal doneness regardless of variables like wind, outside temp, and grill model.
Turkey Pellet Grill Setup Tips
Proper pellet grill setup helps ensure your smoked turkey turns out right:
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Use a drip pan: Place a disposable foil pan under the turkey to catch drippings. Fill with water or apple cider for extra moisture.
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Try different rubs: Basic poultry seasoning works, but experiment with cajun seasoning, jerk rubs, or savory barbecue rubs for flavor.
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Pick a good pellet: Apple, cherry, pecan, and alder pellets pair well with poultry. Add oak for a hint of smokiness.
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Cook to temp, not time: Every grill and turkey cooks differently. Rely on an accurate digital meat thermometer, not times.
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Rest before carving: Letting the turkey rest allows juices to redistribute for better moisture after slicing.
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Use a water pan: Placing a foil pan filled with water or broth provides humidity to prevent the turkey skin from drying out.
Common Pellet Grill Turkey Problems and Solutions
Even with proper temperature control, you may run into a few issues while smoking turkey:
Problem: Turkey skin is not crispy
Solution: Crank grill to 400°F for last 10-15 minutes. Spray with oil. Don’t over-brine.
Problem: Turkey is undercooked
Solution: Cook longer, to 165°F breast temp. Check thermometer calibration.
Problem: Turkey is dried out
Solution: Brine turkey. Cook at 225°F-250°F. Add water pan. Don’t overcook.
Problem: Turkey has weak smoke flavor
Solution: Use stronger wood like hickory. Smoke at 225°F instead of higher temps. Add wood chip tube.
Problem: Turkey is finished too early
Solution: Lower grill temp, cook to temp not time. Place turkey in a cooler wrapped in towels.
Get Perfectly Cooked Pellet Grill Turkey Every Time
The best pellet grill turkey temperature is low and slow smoking around 225°F until the breast temp hits 130°F-140°F. Then turn up the heat to crisp the skin until 160°F for juicy meat and crispy skin.
Use a calibrated meat thermometer and cook to temperature, not time estimates. Rest the turkey before slicing. Follow these simple tips for mouthwateringly tender and smoky pellet grill turkey.
How To Prep The Pellet Grill For Smoking Turkey
Every pellet grill is a little bit different but this portion of the guide will remind you of the details we all need to remember when prepping a pellet smoker, electric smoker, or even a gas grill.
First, you will want to make sure the grill grate is sparkling clean. You can do this by heating the grill on high and brushing the grates well of any debris, or taking the grill rates into the house and cleaning them in the sink.
If your wood pellet grill has a flat bed under the grates, I like to line this with aluminum foil for easy clean up, so this is a good time to pull off the old foil and replace it with a sheet of new foil.
If your pellet grill has a grease run off with a little bucket, dispose of the grease, clean the bucket, and put it back for this cook.
How Long To Smoke A Turkey On a Pellet Grill
We will be smoking the turkey at 250 degrees until it reaches 165 degrees. This takes about 25 min per pound.
The cooking time will change from bird to bird depending on how many pounds of turkey you are smoking.
My 15 pound turkey trials consistently came to temp in 5-6 hours on my Rec Teq Bullseye, but depending on your type of smoker I would give yourself a buffer of 2 hours to account for inconsistencies in pellet smokers and outside temperature.
The best way to get juicy turkey is to always smoke to temperature, not to time, which often inadvertently overcooks the turkey meat.
Despite what other blogs say, as a chef and culinary expert with 15 years of experience you do not need to cook poultry beyond 165 degrees internal temperature. This is a Servesafe and FDA endorsed temperature taught in all culinary schools. Please do not overcook your turkey to 180 degrees, it is completely unnecessary and any cooking blog stating this is misinformed.
Pro Tip: Many people remove the turkey at 160 degrees because carry over cooking on a larger bird (like a turkey) will be at least 5 degrees as it rests.
For your first time, the important thing to know is you can speed up the cook time, at any time, by bumping the internal temperature of the pellet grill to 275 degrees to 300 degrees.
A turkey contains no connective tissue that needs to break down over low and slow temperatures, so at any time you can bump the temperature to help it hit 160-165 degrees if you need to get dinner on the table.
We love sprtizing the turkey with pineapple juice briefly during the smoking process to encourage a golden brown color and pops of flavor.
Let the turkey smoke for 1 1/2-2 hours so that the turkey paint can set. Then begin spritzing the turkey with a squeeze bottle of pineapple juice.
If you don’t like pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar or apple juice is also nice. For my Thanksgiving turkey, it’s got to be pineapple juice because the whole family thinks it makes the best smoked turkey.
Spritz the turkey every 30-45 minutes, unless it’s disturbing the compound butter. The compound butter should be fairly well set by now, but every cook is different and I wouldn’t prioritize spritzing the turkey over keeping that gorgeous herb butter intact.
As the turkey cooks, just give it a light spritzing to encourage a golden brown sheen on the skin of the turkey.
Easy Smoked Turkey Recipe for Thanksgiving (on a Pellet Grill!)
FAQ
What is the best temperature to cook a turkey on a pellet grill?
Is it better to cook a turkey at 325 or 350?
Is it better to smoke a turkey at 225 or 250?
Is turkey done at 165 or 180?