Smoking a Turkey on a Traeger® Grill

Brining your turkey helps ensure a juicy, flavorful turkey.

• Select a prime turkey and know its weight.
• Choose a brine to fit your taste: sweet, savory, garlic, Cajun, Italian, etc.
• Defrost the turkey in the refrigerator and then remove the bird from the bag.
• Remove the packages from the bird containing organ meats.
• Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out.
• Place the bird into a bag in a bucket for brining.
• Follow the directions on the brine bag. Begin by adding your brine to 2 quarts of water in a pan on the stove.
• Heat on high for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar and salt in the brine.
• Cool the brine mixture by adding ice water and mixing well.
• Place the brine water into the bucket with the bird. Make sure the bird is completely covered with brine.
• Place it into the fridge. If your fridge is not large enough, use a cooler. Make sure the cooler is large enough to fit the bird in the bag. Ice around the sides and over the top to keep it cool.
• Brine for about 45 minutes per pound. Be sure not to over-brine. If you desire a stronger flavor, use a stronger brine solution for the same amount of time. Example: 1.5 bags of brine for 45 minutes per pound.
• Remove the turkey from the brine solution. Let the brine drain. There is no need to rinse. The turkey is ready to cook.

Make sure your Traeger® pellet grill is preheated and ready for your turkey.

• Set your Traeger® to 325-350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Load the hopper with your preferred pellets. Traeger Reserve Blend is a good flavor blend for turkey.
• Start out by cooking the turkey directly over the grill grates, to build up a lot of flavor all around the turkey.
• Remember to place the temperature probes into the thickest, meatiest part of the breast meat to get an accurate temperature.
• About halfway through cooking, put a disposable aluminum roasting pan under the bird to catch the juices for gravy later. You can also add celery and carrots to the pan.
• Approximate Traeger® cooking times per pound: 15 minutes per pound, set at 325-350 degrees.

Keep cooking the turkey, checking every 15 minutes until the thickest part of the breast measures 165 degrees, and the thigh reaches 180 degrees. The turkey is done.

• After cooking, rest the turkey, loosely covered with foil, for 15-30 minutes before carving.
• If you can push your thumb into the turkey and it leaves an impression, you know you have a beautifully cooked, moist turkey.