Choosing the right turkey for your Traeger grill is crucial for ensuring a delicious and successful Thanksgiving feast. This guide will equip you with the knowledge to select the perfect bird, taking into account size gender, and other important factors.
Determining the Right Turkey Size:
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Guest Count: Use the following guidelines to determine the appropriate turkey size for your gathering:
- 8 people: 8-10 lbs.
- 12 people: 12-14 lbs.
- 16 people: 16-18 lbs.
- 20 people: 20-22 lbs.
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Bird Size Limitations: Avoid purchasing turkeys over 16 pounds. Larger birds are typically male which tend to be tougher than their female counterparts. Opt for multiple smaller turkeys or a combination of a 12-13 pound turkey and a bone-in turkey breast if you need more than 16 pounds of meat, especially for leftovers.
Selecting the Freshest Turkey:
- Fresh vs. Frozen: Whenever possible, opt for a fresh turkey. Look for these within a few days of Thanksgiving to ensure maximum freshness. Remember, fresh turkeys sell out quickly, so don’t wait too long.
- Frozen Turkey Thawing: If you must purchase a frozen turkey, allow ample time for thawing. Plan roughly one day for every five pounds of bird.
Avoiding Unwanted Additives:
- Enhanced, Flavor Enhanced, Self-Basting, Basted: Steer clear of turkeys labeled with these terms. These birds are injected with solutions containing significant amounts of water and salt, limiting your control over flavor and potentially resulting in a spongy texture. Additionally, they may contain artificial flavors and emulsifiers.
Additional Tips for Selecting the Perfect Turkey:
- Gender: Male turkeys are generally tougher than females. Opt for a hen for a more tender and flavorful bird.
- Label Information: Carefully examine the label for any of the terms mentioned above to avoid purchasing a pre-flavored or injected turkey.
- Brining: If you choose a fresh turkey, consider brining it for added moisture and flavor. Traeger offers a signature citrus brine kit that pairs perfectly with their Turkey Blend hardwood.
Traeger Turkey Recipes:
Traeger offers a variety of mouthwatering turkey recipes to elevate your Thanksgiving feast:
- Best Smoked Turkey: This recipe features a citrus-brined turkey rubbed with Traeger Turkey Rub and smoked over Turkey Blend hardwood for unparalleled flavor.
- Traeger Smoked Turkey: This classic recipe utilizes a simple spice rub and primal wood-fired flavor to create a crispy-skinned, juicy turkey.
- Pellet Grill Turkey: This recipe involves brining the turkey overnight in a flavorful solution and then smoking it on your Traeger grill while the sides cook in the oven.
- Smoked Turkey Breast: This recipe features a brined turkey breast slow-smoked and roasted for a tender and flavorful meal.
- Tim Hollingsworth’s Mayo-Coated Turkey: This unique recipe uses mayonnaise as a coating to keep the turkey moist and flavorful while achieving a beautiful golden brown color.
- ROASTED HERB TURKEY BREAST ON PELLET GRILL: This recipe features a herb-encrusted turkey breast brined in a salt and brown sugar solution and then roasted on your Traeger grill.
- Traeger Spatchcock Turkey: This recipe involves spatchcocking the turkey for faster cooking and more even flavor distribution, then rubbing it with Traeger Rub and an aromatic herb paste before slow-roasting on your Traeger grill.
Additional Resources:
- Traeger Turkey Selection Guide: https://www.traeger.com/learn/turkey-selection-guide
- How to Cook a Turkey On A Pellet Grill: https://www.traeger.com/learn/how-long-to-cook-a-turkey-on-a-pellet-grill
- How to Brine a Turkey for Smoking: https://www.traeger.com/learn/how-to-brine-a-turkey-for-smoking
- Thanksgiving Turkey Cook Time and Guide: https://www.traeger.com/learn/thanksgiving-turkey-cook-time-and-guide
By following these guidelines and exploring the provided resources, you’ll be well-equipped to select the perfect turkey for your Traeger grill and create a Thanksgiving feast that will impress your guests and leave them wanting more.
How long should I brine my turkey?
Opinion on this varies, but we recommend no less than 16 and no more than 32 hours. It turns out that 24 hours is just the right amount of time to add flavor without making the turkey overly salty.
Give Your Bird the Flavor it Deserves
This guide will help you understand all the basics of cooking a Thanksgiving turkey on a Traeger grill. We’ll talk about determining how big to make your turkey, defrosting it, cooking temperatures and times, and various Traeger turkey preparation techniques.
Let’s begin with choosing how much turkey you’ll need.
Depending on the grill size you have, we can tell how many turkeys you can fit
If you decide to buy a frozen turkey, make sure it has enough time to thaw completely before lighting the grill. You’ll need to make room in your refrigerator well in advance of Thanksgiving Day because the safest way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator, which takes about 24 hours for every 5 pounds of meat. However, if you’re in a pinch you can use cold water to speed up the process. Just be sure to change the water frequently.
After you’ve thawed your turkey, the next step is seasoning it. You can inject or brine your turkey to ensure that the flavor really seeps in, or you can keep it simple with a dry rub. Then it’s time to cook. The best method for achieving the most wood-fired flavor and having plenty of time is to smoke your bird slowly and low.
In a hurry? Try spatchcocking your turkey to reduce cooking time and guarantee exceptionally tender meat with perfectly crispy skin. And of course there’s nothing wrong with going the tried-and-true traditional route. As long as you’re cooking it on a Traeger, it’s going to be good.
How To Smoke A Turkey On A Traeger Pellet Grill – FULL STEP-BY-STEP
Can you cook a Turkey on a Traeger?
Spatchcock your turkey to cut down on cooking time while ensuring super juicy meat with perfectly crisp skin. And of course there’s nothing wrong with going the tried-and-true traditional route. As long as you’re cooking it on a Traeger, it’s going to be good. This a general guide to cooking times when doing a traditional roasted turkey.
How do you smoke a Turkey in a Traeger?
The low to high method of cooking a turkey in your Traeger lets the bird absorb a good dose of natural smoke. You start at 225 degrees Fahrenheit until the internal temperature reaches 100-110 degrees. Then, to finish the bird and get it on the table, you raise the temperature up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Ultimate Smoked Turkey Recipe
What is a Traeger Spatchcock Turkey?
Kick traditional to the curb with this wood-fired take on turkey. This Traeger spatchcock turkey is given a double dose of flavor with a Traeger rub and an aromatic herb paste, then slow-roasted on your pellet grill for a turkey that’s gorgeously golden, tender, and juicy. Enjoy the best smoked turkey this holiday season.
Is a Traeger smoked turkey worth getting Scrappy over?
This pellet smoker turkey is worth getting scrappy over. With a crispy outside and a juicy inside, the Traeger smoked turkey calls for simple spices and primal wood-fired flavor. Garlic, butter, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper combine to create an herbal rub to maximize flavor while you smoke the meat for 3-4 hours.