How Long To Let A Turkey Rest After Smoking For Maximum Juiciness

Smoking a turkey is a great way to infuse delicious smoky flavor into the meat while cooking it slowly at a low temperature. However, there is one crucial step after removing your smoked turkey from the grill or smoker – letting it rest before carving. Properly resting your turkey allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat resulting in a tender juicy smoked turkey everyone will love.

So how long should you let a smoked turkey rest before slicing and serving it? The recommended resting time for a smoked turkey is 20 to 40 minutes For very large birds, resting up to 1 hour can allow juices to fully redistribute Resting is a key step to prevent losing those flavorful juices onto your cutting board.

Why You Need To Let Smoked Turkey Rest

There are two main reasons why letting your smoked turkey rest before carving is so important:

• Allows juices to redistribute
• Prevents moisture loss

As the turkey cooks in the smoker, the heat causes proteins in the meat to denature and contract, forcing moisture out of the cells. If you were to immediately carve into the smoked meat, these juices would spill out onto the cutting board rather than being reabsorbed back into the turkey.

By allowing the smoked turkey to rest off heat, the proteins start to relax and the moisture migrates back into the meat through a process called carryover cooking. The internal temperature of the turkey will continue rising about 5-10°F during the resting period as heat evenly distributes.

Resting gives those delicious juices a chance to be reabsorbed into the meat, rather than losing them. The results will be a smoked turkey that is incredibly flavorful and moist, even the typically drier white breast meat.

How Long Should You Let Smoked Turkey Rest

The recommended resting time for smoked turkey is 20 to 40 minutes. This gives time for carryover cooking to occur and for juices to redistribute before carving.

For small turkeys (10-15 lbs), 20 to 30 minutes of resting time is sufficient.

Larger turkeys over 15 pounds benefit from resting for a full 40 minutes up to 1 hour. This extended time allows juices to fully redistribute throughout the thicker muscle sections.

Resting for less than 20 minutes is not advised as the turkey will likely still be quite hot in the center with juices collecting rather than absorbing. Letting it rest too long (more than 1 hour) can result in the turkey cooling too much before serving.

Should You Cover Smoked Turkey While Resting

You can rest the smoked turkey uncovered, loosely tented with foil, or wrapped in foil. Here are the pros and cons of each method:

• Uncovered – Allows skin to remain crispy.
• Loosely tented – Prevents full moisture loss or drying.
• Wrapped in foil – Keeps all moisture in but will steam the skin.

Many pitmasters recommend resting the turkey uncovered on a cutting board or baking sheet placed on a wire rack. This allows any steam to escape, keeping the skin nice and crispy. However, cover it very loosely with foil if concerned about drying.

If holding the turkey for longer than 1 hour before serving, then wrap in foil to retain heat and moisture. Be aware that steam will cause the crispy smoked skin to become soggy.

Step-By-Step Guide To Resting Smoked Turkey

Follow these simple steps for properly resting your smoked turkey:

1. Remove turkey from smoker once internal temp reaches 165°F.
2. Place turkey breast-side down on a cutting board or wire rack setup.
3. Let rest for 20 to 40 minutes uncovered. For large birds, up to 1 hour.
4. Check internal temperature to confirm it has risen to 170-175°F after resting.
5. Carve turkey and serve immediately for best texture and flavor.

The longer you let the smoked turkey rest, the more tender and juicy it will be when sliced. Be patient and allow carryover cooking to finish so the meat retains all its natural moisture.

If holding for 1-2 hours before serving, loosely tent foil over the turkey rather than fully wrapping, to help retain crispy skin. Remember food safety guidelines to not let turkey sit out too long before serving.

Use A Meat Thermometer

It’s crucial to always use a good digital meat thermometer when smoking turkey to determine accurate doneness. Relying on cook time alone isn’t a guarantee, as factors like thickness and type of smoker can vary.

Check the temperature in the thickest part of the breast and thigh, without hitting the bone. The USDA recommends smoking turkey to 165°F minimum internal temperature.

After resting 20-40 minutes, the temperature will rise another 5-10°F due to carryover cooking for a total of 170-175°F. Then you know it’s perfectly safe to serve.

Juicy, Well Rested Turkey

While it may be tempting to immediately carve into your smoked turkey masterpiece, exercising some patience yields big rewards. Allowing your turkey ample time to rest off heat enables the juices to redistribute throughout the meat for unbeatable flavor and tenderness.

For a general guide, allow smaller birds to rest a minimum 20 minutes and larger turkeys up to 40 minutes or longer. Just be sure to loosely cover the turkey if holding more than 1 hour before serving to retain moisture without steaming the skin.

Trust the process and let that smoked turkey rest properly. Your patience will be rewarded with a beautiful, mouthwateringly juicy turkey that will be the star of the table!