What’s The Best Wood For Smoking Turkey

The best wood for smoking turkey is a difficult selection when you are planning BBQ parties and tailgates. As everyone knows that smoked meat attracts everyone. Lean and healthy turkey is always the best choice for a good party.

Smoking turkey or chicken has always been a difficult task. It’s always challenging to want the smoke flavor and color you want without overcooking or drying the meat.

If you choose the right wood, the right temperature, and the right cooking time, you’ll get a smoked turkey that’s tastier than traditional smoked meats. The best wood for smoked turkey you need to be aware.

Usually, it is Thanksgiving and Christmas occasions that may be considered the best meat but eating a beautiful smoked bird has its own pleasures all year round.

The key to achieving a great cut is the selection of the right wood chips and which should be used with your prize smoked turkey.

In this article, you will learn what wood is best for smoking a turkey. We will give you some great ideas on which wood you should choose wood for smoked turkey based on our experience. Keep reading this informative article about wood for smoking turkey until not finished.

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Alder – Best Wood To Smoke Turkey

Alder wood is most popular in smoking kinds of seafood but also great with turkey smoking. Alder wood delivers delicious taste and results but it is not a traditional choice for a smoking turkey.

I understand that everyone wants their flavor to be minimally affected when smoking, and if you want to focus on the flavor of your dried rub, pickle, or herb butter, alder is a great choice. Alder has a mild smoky flavor that preserves the natural flavor of your food.

One of its advantages is that it burns very slowly and provides an effective and gentle heat. If you’re using a pellet grill, the alder’s burning rate reduces worry. Your turkey won’t do anything wrong with that type of heat and smoke.

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Options

ImageBrandsFeatures
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeySmokehouse BBQ Alder Pellets 1. Absolutely NO chemical or oils
2. Natural 100% Pacific Northwest Alder
3. Capable for almost all the big brands
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Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyCamerons Alder Wood Smoker Chips1. Com-busts completely
2. 100% natural alder wood
3. Working with all grills brands
Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyCamerons Alder Smoking Wood Chunks1. 100% natural raw timber
2. Works with all grills
3. Ignited quickly
Buy Now On Amazon

Apple – Best Smoke Flavor For Turkey

Applewood is considered to be the best wood to smoke a turkey among fruit woods that impart a subtle sweetness to your turkey meat. Applewood retains the natural flavor of the turkey and the smoke is not overly aromatic.

Applewood is a great option for beginners who are trying to BBQ a whole chicken or turkey. Very useful to see that something is wrong with it.

You just have to take care to maintain the temperature and you will get the smoke of the chicken at medium temperature and monitoring the internal temperature of turkey use the meat probe. If you plan to mix different types of wood, apple smoked turkey is best for layered and complex flavors.

You must know what and how to use when making turkey, the right way to cook on low heat and slow time will give you the best taste. But you have to pay a little attention to the moisture. Place a pan of water in the smoker. It won’t let your turkey dry out.

Wood Option

ImageBrandsFeatures
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyTraeger Apple Wood Pellets1. Premium quality
2.100% natural Sweet taste
3. Pairs well with everything
4. Work with all type grills

Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyOklahoma Joe's Apple Wood Smoker Chips1. Wood size
2. 100% natural alder wood
3. Works with all grills brands
Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyWeber Apple Wood Chunks1. 100% natural raw timber
2. Works with all grills
3. Subtle sweet flavor
Buy Now On Amazon

Cherry – Best Wood For Smoking a Turkey

Cherry wood for smoking is also a popular wood, with many pitmasters using this wood as the best for smoking turkeys. Cherry wood chips are naturally lean and soft enough for whole turkey smoking. This wood imparts a rich, deep, smoky flavor that meat can impart.

If you’ve decided to take your smoked turkey to a high level of taste without the aid of a few flavorful ingredients, then preparing smoked cherry wood can be one of the best ways to smoke it.

When you smoke with cherry wood, the whole turkey turns a deep red color which is attractive to look at and the presentation is captivating. Cherry wood for smoking is a great option.

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Wood Option

ImageBrandsFeatures
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyBear Mountain BBQ Cherry Wood Pellets1. Premium quality
2.100% natural hardwood
3. Pairs well with everything
4. Clean Burn, No Binders, Low Ash

Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyOklahoma Joe's Cherry Wood Smoker Chips1. Wood size
2. 100% natural cherry wood
3. Works with smoker electric, charcoal, and gas.
Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyWeber Cherry Wood Chunks1. 100% natural cherry wood
2. Works with all grills
3. Subtle fruity flavor
Buy Now On Amazon

Hickory – Best Wood For Smoking Turkey

No one can deny that hickory is one of the most versatile and best woods for smoking. Hickory is a great option for making your turkey meats taste great, taste great, and look great.

As you know, the meat of white turkey is softer than expected. Turkey meat can take advantage of the wide range of aroma, flavor, and taste that turkey smoking can from hickory wood. A rich and earthy look can be achieved if you smoke it with hickory wood.

If you are using hickory wood for smoking it is a bit difficult to maintain balance. And if you really want to balance the deep, rich flavor with the natural flavor of the turkey.

For the best flavor, you have to spend some time and focus on the important point is how much wood will be needed and for how long you have to smoke hickory wood. A thoughtful move that will allow you to play well.

Check out which is best for you “Big Green Egg or Traeger For Smoking

Wood Option – Hickory

ImageBrandsFeatures
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyTraeger Grills Hickory Hardwood Pellets Grill1. Premium quality
2.100% Natural hickory hardwood
3. Pairs well with everything
4. Clean Burn, Low Ash, and No Binders

Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyWESTERN Premium BBQ Hickory Wood Chips1. Big Wood size
2. 100% natural Hickory wood
3. Heat treated
Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyCamerons Hickory Smoking Wood Chunks1. 100% natural Hickory wood chunks
2. Works with all grills
3. Subtle fruity flavor
Buy Now On Amazon

Maple – Best Wood For Smoking Turkey

For a million-dollar taste and look that leaves you wanting a mild, aromatic, and sweet flavor, I recommend smoking your turkey with maple wood and the results will be great.

Offers an extremely mild and sweet floral flavor with smoked maple wood. You will feel the taste of honey. Maple smoke is particularly golden in color and rich, which absorbs well into the turkey.

If you want to add a natural flavor to your turkey or preserve it that requires aromatics, some choice herbs, and sweet smoke, maple can be an automatic choice. Maple wood smoke with turkey also scores high on visual appeal, especially with the right sauce or glaze.

Best Wood Option

ImageBrandsFeatures
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyBear Mountain BBQ Maple Hardwood Pellet1. Premium quality
2.100% Natural maple wood
3. Pairs well with everything
4. Clean Burn, Low Ash, and No Binders
Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyNapoleon Maple Wood Chips1. light and sweet smoke flavor
2. Longer lasting smoke
3. Heat treated
Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyCamerons Maple Smoking Wood Chunks1. 100% Maple wood chunks
2. Works with all grills
3. Ignited quickly and com-busts completely
Buy Now On Amazon

Oak – Best Wood For Smoking Turkey

Oakwood is a great alternative to red meat. But it’s not that it’s not good for turkey, it’s important to use it in the right way that gives you the best results.

The short cooking time, oak will give you a wondrous turkey flavor like the rich, earthy flavor of smoke. Oak smoke can bring the naturally pleasant, luscious aroma of wood to your turkey. Which really doesn’t need the help of many side dishes and sauces.

Oak is also a great base for blending wood if you want to smoke it with a mixed flavor. Mixing some suitable fruitwood with oak provides a salty and excellently sweet result. You just need to get the right proportions.

Best Wood Option Oak

ImageBrandsFeatures
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyTraeger Grills PEL310 Oak Wood1. High quality
2.100% Natural Oak wood
3. Pairs well with everything
4. Clean Burn, Low Ash, and No Binders
Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyCamerons Smoking Chips - (Oak) 1. light and sweet smoke flavor
2. Oak Coarse Cut Wood Chunks pairs well with all kind of meat
3. Heat treated
Buy Now On Amazon
Best Wood For Smoking TurkeyWestern Premium Oak BBQ Cooking Chunks1. Premium Quality
2. Works with all grills
3. Ignited quickly and big size
Buy Now On Amazon

Smoking Chart

Best Wood For Smoking Turkey

FAQ

Here are some questions about smoking wood and a hot question is where to start and how long to smoke. Read our FAQ section that will surely help you.

How long should I smoke a turkey?

If your goal is to cook 30 minutes per pound of meat, you can cook at 225°F/107°C. Your turkey is ready when the internal temperature reaches 165°F/73°C. The point is noted to target internal temperature, not time.

How many wood chips should I use?

Usually use 5 ounces of wood chips but you can follow the smoker pellet box. Here are no hard and fast rules that you follow.

The thing to note is that things like temperature, size of grilling area, and what time you are going to cook the food can affect the rate of burning of chips.

What wood is best for smoking poultry?

If you want to smoke chicken confusion which is the best wood chips for that bird. Apple, mesquites, cherry, and pecan are the most popular wood chips flavors. Hickory is also an excellent hardwood with a sweet and strong taste that needs low and slow cooking.

Final Verdict – Best Wood For Smoking Turkey

Smoking a turkey is a bit tricky and meticulous, which takes time to do properly. This becomes even more difficult when you use lean meats. You need to pay special attention to the amount, temperature, and duration of wood smoke.

After some practice and using the wood options described here, you can make a mean turkey. By the way, I hope it’s also a good idea to use different blends of wood to reach that signature flavor profile that you can call your ingredient.

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