Get a flavorful smoked turkey on a charcoal grill!Yield: 1 (12 lb) turkey
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time5 hourshrs
Total Time5 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8people
Author: Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere
Ingredients
For the Rub
2tablespoonground black pepper
1tablespoonsalt
1 ½teaspoongarlic powder
1 ½teaspoononion powder
1 ½teaspoonthyme
1 ½teaspoonoregano
1teaspoonground white pepper
1bay leaf,crumbled
1habanero pepper,minced (optional)
For the Turkey
12lbturkey,fully thawed and cleaned of giblets
4cupssmoking chips,soaked
1- 2 cchicken broth
Instructions
Clean your grill grates and set up your grill for indirect heating, with a drip pan directly in the center of the bottom grate and your coals arranged around the pan. Place an oven thermometer in the grill and preheat the grill to 200F.
Mix the rub together in a small bowl. Rub under the skin and inside the cavity of the bird. (For instructions on how to get under the skin, see our post on Roasting a Turkey.)
Place a handful of smoking chips over the warm coals and place the bird on the top grill grate, above the drip pan. Cover the grill.
Smoke for 5-6 hours. Pour ½ c of chicken broth into the cavity every 2 hours, as needed if the bird looks dry. Add new coals and chips every half hour and check to be sure your temperature is holding around 200F.
The bird is done when the internal temperature of a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh and breast registers 165F. (The leg bone should feel loose inside of the leg meat and the juices where you punctured the bird to take the temperature should run clear.)
Let the bird rest on the counter, loosely covered with foil, for 20 minutes before carving, to allow the juices to settle.