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Traeger Smoked Turkey with Stuffing

October 31, 2022

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This scrumptious Traeger Smoked Turkey with stuffing is extremely juicy and flavorful! It’s one of the best ways to make your Thanksgiving turkey with solely quarter-hour of prep, and the result’s moist, tender meat from a flavorful turkey filled with scrumptious apple stuffing and crispy, crunchy candied pecans.

Smoked Turkey with Candied Pecan and Apple Stuffing made using Kita Roberts Recipe

This smoked turkey with candied pecan and apple stuffing recipe might be the one turkey recipe I’ll ever use once more.

Okay, perhaps that’s a bit dramatic, however significantly. It’s that good. This smoked turkey has an attractive hickory crispy pores and skin, the right texture, juicy meat, and it’s infused with layers upon layers of savory flavors.

Bonus: it additionally doesn’t require a brine, and it offers you all the additional oven area because it’s made within the Traeger smoker (or no matter pellet grill you have got)!

Are you curious but? Good.

Why you’ll love this recipe

That is the right turkey recipe for anybody who’s smoking a turkey for the primary time.
The wooden pellets add a delicate smoke taste to the chook.
Extremely stunning crispy turkey pores and skin.
It really works on smaller turkeys or giant birds! You simply want to regulate the timing for the load of the turkey.
In case you love a basic scrumptious turkey with stuffing, this one is the perfect smoked turkey you’re ever going to make!

Whole Smoked Turkey with Candied Pecan and Apple Stuffing with raw ingredeients

What you have to make this recipe

Candied Pecans Elements

Pecans – use entire pecans, not chopped.
Water and Brown Sugar – the “sweet” for the pecans. The brown sugar dissolves into the water which then hardens across the pecans to type a candy, crunchy exterior.
Creole Seasoning – I take advantage of Tony Chachere’s Unique Creole Seasoning Apple Stuffing.

Apple Stuffing Elements

Wheat Bread – minimize into ½-inch cubes.
Apples – any tart apple will work. Remember to peel, seed, and chop into small chunks.
Butter – used so as to add taste depth and sauté the veggies.
Onion and Celery – sautéed with the apple so as to add sweetness, taste, and texture to the stuffing.
Garlic – I like to recommend utilizing freshly minced garlic for the perfect taste.
Parsley, Rosemary, and Thyme – I like to recommend utilizing contemporary herbs however dry herbs will work in a pinch.
Candied Pecans – from above.
Contemporary Parsley – extra for garnish, if desired.

Smoked Turkey Elements

Turkey – you’ll want one 12 to 17 lb contemporary turkey, or no matter dimension is true for your loved ones. Be certain that it’s thawed forward of time and now not frozen, with the giblets eliminated, so you have got loads of time to cook dinner it the day of. See our notes on cooking time under.
Injectable Marinade – I take advantage of Tony Chachere’s Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade.
Oil – you need to use vegetable or canola oil.
Creole Seasoning – once more, use Tony Chachere’s Unique Creole Seasoning Apple Stuffing.
Candied Pecans, Coarse Kosher Salt, and Contemporary Parsley – for garnish!

Whole Smoked Turkey with Candied Pecan and Apple Stuffing is ready to be served

The way to make Traeger smoked turkey recip

There are three elements to this Traeger turkey recipe, however don’t fear. They’re all straightforward to make!

Make the Candied Pecans

Warmth a big skillet over medium-high warmth, then toast the pecans till aromatic, stirring as wanted.

Mix the water, brown sugar, and creole seasoning in a small bowl.

Take away the pecans from the warmth and rapidly pour the brown sugar combination over them. Toss to coat.

Pour the coated pecans onto a wax paper lined baking sheet to chill.

Make the Apple Stuffing

Lay the bread out on two baking sheets in a single layer for 4-6 hours to permit it to grow to be stale.

Within the skillet you used for the pecans, warmth butter over medium warmth and swirl to coat the pan.

Add within the apple, onion, and celery, and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Add in garlic, parsley, rosemary, and thyme and cook dinner for an additional 30 seconds.

Take away from warmth, then fold the apple and onion combine into a big bowl with the bread.

Add the chopped pecans and toss to ensure every thing is mixed. Season with creole seasoning, if obligatory.

Close up of smoked turkey showing crispy golden skin on the bird and stuffing.

Smoke the Turkey

Prep your Traeger grill or electrical smoker on the smoke setting. When the smoker setting has warmed up, set it to 200-225ºF.

Pat the turkey dry with paper towels then place it into an aluminum pan or roasting pan. Tuck the arms again behind the physique and tie the legs collectively to depart a gap for the cavity later.

Pour the Tony’s Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade right into a measuring cup, fill the injector, then plunge the injector into the turkey, about ½-1” aside every time, urgent the injection everywhere in the entire turkey.

Place the pan with the turkey into the smoker and smoke for 3 hours. After 3 hours, take away the turkey (within the pan), and use a baster to take away and reserve any drippings.

Stuff the turkey with the ready stuffing, combine oil and seasoning in a bowl, and brush 1 / 4 of it over the entire chook. Place the turkey again onto the grill and proceed to smoke.

Prepare dinner for an additional 3 hours, basting each Half-hour with the remaining oil combine and eradicating drippings as wanted. Remember to reserve them.

When the turkey has reached an inner temperature of 165º levels F with a meat probe or digital instant-read meat thermometer, take away from the smoker, cowl, and permit it to relaxation for 25-Half-hour earlier than carving.

OPTIONAL: make gravy from the reserved drippings and giblets, if desired.

Serve the turkey dinner garnished with extra candied pecans, freshly minced parsley, and gravy!

When do you add the stuffing to smoked turkey?

You’ll add the stuffing to the turkey midway by the cook dinner time. So the turkey will cook dinner on it’s personal for 3 hours, you’ll add the stuffing, then it should cook dinner for the ultimate 3 hours.

If the stuffing had been cooked for the complete 6 hours with the turkey, it might dry out.
In case you decide to cook dinner the stuffing outdoors of the turkey, place it in a shallow baking dish and cook dinner it within the pellet grill for 3 hours to warmth by.

What wooden to make use of for smoking turkey?

My favourite reply to this query is to make use of no matter you have got available. Nonetheless, in case you are going purchasing for wooden anyway, I like to recommend utilizing a candy wooden like cherry, apple, or pecan.

You can use hickory or mesquite, however the taste is fairly intense, particularly after 6 hours of cooking.

How lengthy does it take to smoke a turkey?

This is dependent upon the scale of your turkey, however for the 12 to 17 pound turkey we use on this recipe, it takes about 6 hours! A common rule is Half-hour per pound of turkey. Alter the whole cook dinner time accordingly.

TIP: Use a meat probe or thermometer to confirm that the interior temperature of the turkey is not less than 165ºF earlier than serving. This may occasionally imply your darkish meat (turkey legs) obtained to 170 F, however that’s completely okay.

How do you retain a smoked turkey moist?

Usually, I might say soaking the turkey in a chilly saltwater resolution, or a brine, is the important thing to a moist turkey. And most often, that’s true!

Nonetheless, since we’re utilizing Tony’s Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade, there’s no actual must brine the turkey. The injectable marinade provides moisture and taste like a brine would however with out the additional time.

Moreover, for the reason that turkey is cooked low and gradual within the Traeger smoker, there’s much less of a priority about it drying out.

Ideas, methods, and notes for this recipe

Know your smoker. How any smoker holds and maintains warmth will change the period of this cook dinner. Be sure you are monitoring the ambient temp when smoking and grilling.
Skip the brine time. Turkey loves brine, however with fast and simple injection directions, the brine isn’t wanted.
Reserve the drippings. Don’t neglect to save lots of any drippings you take away from the turkey. This can be utilized as the bottom for a do-it-yourself gravy!
Brush the turkey just a few occasions with the oil and spice mix whereas it’s smoking to maintain the pores and skin of the turkey fairly and add a bit additional taste.
Let the turkey relaxation. After the turkey is completed cooking, and has temped within the thickest a part of the thigh and the thickest a part of the breast to a meals protected 165 levels F, you should definitely let it relaxation for 20-25 minutes earlier than chopping into it. This permits the juices and taste to soak again into the meat so it doesn’t simply seep out if you minimize into it.
To prep forward of time: If you wish to prep a few of this recipe forward of time, you can also make the stuffing as much as a day upfront and retailer it within the fridge. You too can make the candied pecans as much as two days upfront and retailer them at room temperature.
You need to use a pellet grill or electrical grill if you happen to don’t have a smoker. In case you do that, I like to recommend utilizing pecan chips however you would additionally use cherry or hickory.

The way to retailer

The turkey could be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3-4 days or within the freezer for 2-3 months. To reheat, thaw within the fridge if frozen then microwave till heated by.

The stuffing will final within the fridge for 3-4 days or within the freezer for as much as 1 month. To reheat, thaw within the fridge if frozen then microwave or heat within the oven.

The pecans will final at room temperature for two weeks, within the fridge for 1 month, or within the freezer for two months. If frozen, thaw earlier than serving!

Methods to make use of leftover turkey

Extra Smoked turkey recipes

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Smoked Turkey with Candied Pecan and Apple Stuffing Recipe GirlCarnivore.com

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