Southern Style Smoked Turkey
A delicious, mouth-watering Southern-style smoked turkey, brined overnight and finished low-and-slow on the grill.
Turkey is the bird most often ruined by the most attention. Once a year, a 16-pound centerpiece gets four hours of high heat, no brine, and a carving knife taken to a desert of breast meat. Heritage-breed turkeys — the Bourbon Reds, Narragansetts, and Standard Bronzes raised on the small farms in your box — deserve more thought than that.
The fix is mostly chemistry, not technique. Brine the bird. Spatchcock or break it down. Dry the skin overnight. Cook the breast and the dark meat to different finished temperatures. Do those four things and a turkey eats like the holiday food it's supposed to be — not the obligation it usually becomes.
Guides
How to cook turkey
How to Spatchcock and Grill a Turkey
Brine overnight, spatchcock, and grill at 375°F to a 165°F breast for a juicy, evenly cooked Thanksgiving turkey.
How to Cook Bacon Wrapped Turkey Tenderloin
Pre-seasoned, bacon-wrapped turkey tenderloin baked until juicy — easy enough for a weeknight.
How to Deep-Fry a Pasture-Raised Turkey
Deep-fry a pasture-raised turkey safely with this step-by-step thaw, prep, and fry guide.
Turkey Thawing Guide
Thaw a frozen turkey in the fridge at roughly 6 hours per pound, then hold for up to 1-2 days before roasting.
Recipes
Turkey recipes
Sweet and Smoky Chili
A tomato-based chili with brown sugar, smoked paprika, and a kick of cayenne — works with any ground meat.
Turkey Chili
An easy turkey chili that puts leftovers to work — hearty, warming, and big enough to feed the whole family.
Turkey Pot Pie
A flakey, golden pot pie packed with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, vegetables, and creamy filling.
Turkey Noodle Soup
A hearty, herb-filled homemade soup that turns leftover Thanksgiving turkey into a comforting weeknight meal.
Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich
Turn Thanksgiving leftovers into one stacked sandwich with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry.
“Spatchcock the bird, salt it 24 hours ahead, roast it on a sheet pan at 425°F. Done in under 90 minutes, breast and thigh both right. The traditional whole-roast is a centerpiece, not a meal.”
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Premium Turkey, shipped frozen
From trusted farms — sourced direct, hand-cut, and shipped overnight.
Shop Turkey →Fundamentals
If you remember nothing else
Brine, every time
A wet brine (5% salt by weight in water, plus aromatics) for 12 to 24 hours seasons the bird through and gives you a meaningful margin on cook time — brined breast meat eats juicy even at 165°F. A dry brine (kosher salt rubbed on the skin, uncovered fridge for 24 to 48 hours) does similar work and gets you crispier skin. Pick one. Don't skip both.
Spatchcock for sanity
Cut out the backbone with kitchen shears, press the bird flat, roast on a sheet pan. The breast and thighs sit at the same height and finish within 5 to 10 minutes of each other instead of an hour. Total time on a 14-pound bird drops to 75 to 90 minutes at 425°F. Carving is easier, skin is crispier, and the breast doesn't dry out waiting for the thigh.
Two temperatures, one bird
Pull the breast at 155°F (carryover to 160°F). Pull the thighs at 175°F. If you're roasting whole, tent foil over the breast once it hits temperature and let the thighs catch up. A single-temperature turkey is always wrong somewhere.
Rest a full 30 minutes
A whole turkey needs real rest — 30 minutes minimum, tented loosely. The juices redistribute, the breast stays juicy when carved, and the bird is still plenty hot under the foil. Use that half hour to make the gravy from the pan drippings.
