Smoking a Butterball Turkey: A Guide to Deliciously Smoked Flavor

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With each bite, this turkey roast will leave everyone saying “wow,” thanks to the way I smoke it with a little bacon inside the cooking net. It will be incredibly tender and delicious.

These can be found all year long in most places where you shop for groceries and meats. They are usually frozen so be sure to allow time for thawing.

I noticed when I went to get these that there are some that are already flavored and seasoned. To customize them, I suggest purchasing those that aren’t already seasoned or flavored.

These roasts are sometimes all breast meat and sometimes they are a mix of white and dark meat. I purchased the latter.

Most of these are around 3 pounds and will feed 4-6 depending on how hungry everyone is. If in doubt or you have more than 4 eating, it wouldnt hurt to make an extra one.

When you put these in the refrigerator, it will take one to two days for them to thaw completely.

Place the wrapped frozen turkey roast into the sink. If it tries to float, place a heavy plate on top of it to keep it submerged.

The turkey roast will thaw in approximately three to four hours if you replace the water every thirty minutes to keep it cold.

The turkey roast is enclosed in a cotton net, which you will notice. Leave it there to prevent it from breaking into pieces (ask me how I know this).

Important: pull at the net to loosen it from the meat all over. This will make the net easier to remove once its done cooking.

I frequently receive anxious emails from people who are unsure if brining the turkey is necessary because it has already been brined at the factory. my answer: it doesnt hurt anything.

The method used in the factory is far inferior to the loving care you can give that piece of meat at home. Go ahead and show it a little brining love!.

Add ½ cup of coarse kosher salt to ½ gallon of cold water. Mix well until the salt is completely dissolved.

Then add ½ cup of brown sugar (dark is best but light will work). Mix that in until everything is dissolved.

When the turkey was ready, I poured the brine into a one-gallon tea pitcher and dropped the roast directly into the pitcher.

If it appeals to you, you can also put the turkey roast in a bowl or even a zip-top bag and cover it with the brine (whatever that means).

It is important that the turkey roast is submerged in brine. You might need to prepare an additional batch of brine if you plan to use a container that is significantly larger than the turkey roast or if you plan to cook more than one turkey roast.

Place the turkey roast in the refrigerator so it will stay cold throughout this process while it is submerged in brine.

It only needs four hours, but even if you have to leave it in the brine all night, it will still work fine.

After the brining process is finished, remove the roast from the brine and give it a thorough rinse under cold water to get rid of any salt residue that may have remained on the exterior of the meat.

Pour olive oil all over the turkey roast making sure the net and the meat are well coated. Be generous!.

I mean, get the top, bottom, sides and all around really good. This will be the crust and once you slice it, this is a bit part of the flavor. Since its low in salt, it wont be a problem to be generous with it.

You might think its ready for the smoker now.. its not. We have one more very important step!

We are going to add a little bacon to the outside to keep things self-basted while it cooks.

Where we place the bacon is determined by how you plan to place it in your smoker.

This is my preferred method of cooking these turkey roasts, and it’s really simple with a smoker like the Bradley Smart Smoker.

Theres already a net so it will be easy to hang it and Ill show you how later.

If you choose to use this method, place four thick bacon slices inside the net directly on top of the turkey roast.

As the turkey roast cooks, the bacon will render and run down the roast, keeping it moist and even adding some flavor.

Not everyone enjoys hanging their food, so if that’s you, you should turn the turkey roast over.

In this instance, I suggest putting the turkey roast on a Weber grill pan or Bradley rack, then draping the bacon lengthwise over the roast.

I used the Bradley smoker for this cook but you can use ANY smoker for this.

It’s time to add the meat to the smoker once it’s heated up and ready to use.

I twisted the cotton net’s end and poked it through one of the holes in the Bradley rack to use it.

Then, to make it safe and hold it in place, I put a chopstick through a few of the holes in the net. For this purpose, you could also use the handle of a spoon or even a sturdy yardstick.

The Bradley rack was then placed at the uppermost position with the turkey roast hanging down.

Just below the meat, I positioned a second Bradley rack in case the unimaginable occurred and the net broke. Leave nothing to chance!.

You can simply place the Bradley rack, Weber grill pan, or whatever you’re using to hold the turkey roast onto the smoker’s grate if you’re not hanging it.

For smoke, I used maple bisquits in the Bradley Smart Smoker. This is a fantastic option for smoking in any kind of smoker, or you can use any available smoking wood.

This roast should take about five to six hours, depending on a number of factors, such as how cold it is when it is placed in the smoker, how frequently you peek inside, how well your smoker maintains the temperature, etc.

Make sure to check the temperature with an accurate thermometer, like the “Smoke by Thermoworks,” so you can determine when it reaches the ideal done temperature. Although it is done at 165°F (74°C), I advise removing it from the smoker at 160°F (71°C) because of carryover cooking.

I am a big fan of ThermoWorks’ new thermometer, Signals, which was released a while back. It has four probes, bluetooth and wifi connectivity, the ability to graph temperature using a smartphone app, min/max temperature on all four channels, and a ton of other features.

Fortunately, the Bradley Smoker came with 2 meat probes that can be plugged into the controller. The Bradley app on your smartphone allows you to set a done temperature, and it will notify you when the meat is 10°F from done and again when it is.

I double checked the meat with my Thermapen hand-held thermometer and it matched the Bradley probe reading exactly.

Let it rest with foil tented over the top for 10-15 minutes before slicing into it.

After it has finished resting, cut the net and carefully remove it from the meat, being careful not to agitate the rub crust more than is absolutely necessary. You can discard the bacon, eat it, feed it to the dog, your choice.

It looks a lot like a ham, doesn’t it? The texture created by the combination of my original rub and the net is lovely.

Cut the turkey roast to your desired thickness and serve right away with all the fixings—corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, and so on!

HOW TO SMOKE A BUTTERBALL TURKEY VS ORGANIC TURKEY PART 1

FAQ

Should you brine a Butterball turkey for smoking?

Is it better to smoke a turkey at 225 or 250?

How long does it take to smoke a 15 pound turkey at 225 degrees?

How to prepare a smoked Butterball turkey?