easy smoked turkey

Ingredients

• Servings: 1
• 1 (12 pound) thawed whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh savory
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup water

Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ready Time: 4 hrs 20 mins


• rinse the turkey and pat dry with paper towels. combine savory, sage, salt, and black pepper in a bowl; rub half the herb mix inside the turkey's cavity and inside the neck cavity. loosen turkey skin over breast and legs; rub remaining half of the herb mixture underneath the loosened skin. rub olive oil over the entire turkey.
• light 20 charcoal briquettes and place half of them on each side on the lower grate of a kettle charcoal grill. place a drip pan or disposable aluminum baking pan in the middle of the lower grate and pour in water. when the coals are gray with ash, place a 2-inch square piece of hickory or other hardwood each bank of coals.
• place turkey on the cooking grate and cover the grill. monitor the heat with a grill thermometer to maintain temperature between 150 and 250 degrees f (65 to 120 degrees c); add 3 to 5 coals to each side about every 1 1/2 hours. if pieces of hardwood burn away, add more to keep a steady stream of smoke rising from the wood. if open flames erupt when you open the lid, douse them with a drizzle of water or .
• smoke the turkey for 20 minutes per pound, about 4 hours; let the heat increase to 250 degrees f (120 degrees c) during the last hour of smoking. an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching a bone, should reach 165 degrees f (75 degrees c).