Consistently cooking the perfect turkey is as easy as following four simple steps: brine the turkey, season it, cook it to an internal temperature of 160ºF, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before cooking it. But of the most common ways to cook a turkey—on the grill, in the smoker, in the oven, or with a deep fryer—what’s the best way to cook a turkey?
“Each technique has its advantages,” says ATBBQ Staff Chef Tom Jackson. “What kind of equipment you have readily available is obviously a big factor. But flavor profile and how the skin comes out might also factor into how you prefer to cook your turkey.”
Here, we’ll break down each method, including pros and cons, recipes, answers to common questions, and tips. The good news is that regardless of which method you prefer, the four primary steps remain the same. And all of the methods are simplified with ATBBQ turkey kits, which include carefully curated parings of brine concentrates and seasoning blends to take all of the guesswork out of prepping a mouthwatering turkey.
Roasted Turkey: Pros, Cons, Recipes, Questions and Tips
Depending on who you talk to, the exact definition of roasting can be a moving target. For our purposes, we’ll consider a roasted turkey as one that’s cooked in the oven at a temperature of 375ºF or above.
Roasted Turkey Pros
All roasting requires is a home oven, which is always a safe option and easy to control.
Roasted Turkey Cons
Ovens use either gas or electric heat, both of which suck the moisture out of the air, which makes it harder to produce a juicy turkey,” says Chef Tom. “On the other hand, the process of burning pellets or charcoal releases moisture into the air, making it easier to get a juicier bird in the end.”
What’s the difference between roasting and baking?
“There's not really a difference,” explains Chef Tom. “We typically speak about baking as a bread term and roasting as a meat term, but they're essentially in the same temperature range, which is going to be anywhere from 325 to 425.”
Helpful Tools For Oven Roasting a Turkey
- ATBBQ Pan and Jerky Rack - Large enough to accommodate a spatchcocked turkey, the rack allows some airflow under the bird and prevents it from sitting in its drippings.
- ATBBQ Meat Injector with Pistol Grip - Since an oven-roasted turkey is more likely to dry out, consider injecting it with unsalted butter before to cooking to add moisture deep into the meat.
Roasted Turkey Recipes
While our recipe videos utilize outdoor cooking methods, these turkeys all cook at higher temperatures and will turn out great in the oven.
- Classic Holiday Turkey - With a sweet and savory glaze, this is the quintessential holiday turkey and hits all the flavor notes you expect from a holiday— apple, garlic, rosemary, and sage. And with trussed legs, it especially looks the part.
- Honey Butter Glazed Christmas Turkey - Rich, sweet and delicious, this recipe produces a beautiful turkey with lovely and delicious caramelized skin.
- Easy Thanksgiving Turkey - A straightforward recipe that features Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine and Ranchero Seasoning, which is very garlic-forward and includes spices like dill and rosemary that are great with poultry.
Smoked Turkey: Pros, Cons, Recipes, Questions and Tips
Cooked at lower temperatures, around 300ºF, a smoked turkey has a rich smoky flavor profile, so you build flavor as you cook. This outdoor cooking method requires a wood-burning outdoor grill that’s big enough to accommodate a whole turkey and indirect cooking, like the Yoder YS640 pellet grill.
Smoked Turkey Pros
Smoking a turkey frees up oven space, which is especially helpful when you’re trying to cook a turkey and holiday sides at the same time. Cooking at lower and slower smoking temperatures is also helpful in cooking the turkey all the way through without drying it out.
Smoked Turkey Cons
“The downfall of smoking a turkey is that it's hard to render the skin, so it ends up being chewier,” Chef Tom says. “I usually prefer to cook at a roasting temperature, at least for a portion of the cook, because it helps render the skin out better. It may not be crispy, but it'll be cooked through and not so rubbery.”
What is the difference between smoking and grilling a turkey?
Grilling is a term typically used to describe cooking at a higher temperature, similar to roasting. Smoking involves cooking at temperatures between 225ºF and 300ºF.
Helpful Tools for Smoking a Turkey
- ATBBQ Poultry Shears - We always recommend spatchcocking your turkey to help it cook evenly and more quickly. These shears make the process of removing the backbone a breeze with a sharp 4" stainless steel blade and slip-resistant handle.
- ATBBQ Digital Thermometer - Delivering an accurate temperature reading in under two seconds, this thermometer will minimize the time you need to have the smoker open while ensuring your turkey has reached a safe internal temperature before pulling it.
Smoked Turkey Recipes
- Barbecue Smoked Turkey - A chile-brined, herb butter-injected, spatchcock turkey with a classic barbecue flavor profile.
- Smoked Cajun Turkey - To complement the delicious smoky undertones, spice things up with Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine and Cajun Fusion Rub.
- Apple Smoked Barbecue Turkey - First brined in Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine with apple cider, then injected with apple-infused butter, and topped with cran-apple BBQ sauce, this recipe goes all in with peak fall flavors.
Deep Fried Turkey: Pros, Cons, Recipes, Questions and Tips
Ready for a total turkey game-changer? Perhaps it’s time to consider deep-frying the whole bird. While it requires some special equipment, the only ingredient that differs from most turkey recipes is oil, so almost all of the turkey cooking tips are applicable when deep-frying.
Deep Fried Turkey Pros
Since hot oil completely surrounds and fills the turkey, it cooks from the inside out. This leads to more even cooking, shortened cooking times, and extra crispy skin that other cooking methods can’t achieve.
Deep Fried Turkey Cons
Unless you regularly deep fry foods, the process can feel a bit unfamiliar. And for fry pros, a turkey is a very large item to deep fry all at once. It also requires some extra setup and a few simple safety precautions.
Is deep-frying a turkey safe?
Yes. As long as you make sure your turkey is completely dry frying it, and you set up the frying station on level ground. For a complete safety breakdown andas well as everything you need to know about frying a turkey, check out the ATBBQ guide on How To Deep Fry a Whole Turkey.
What’s a good deep-fried turkey recipe?
Chef Tom’s smoked fried turkey is the best of all worlds. Super juicy and flavorful meat with perfectly crispy skin will leave all of your guests counting down the days until your next turkey feast.
Helpful Tools for Deep Frying a Turkey
- Bayou Classic 30qt Aluminum Turkey Fryer Kit - This all-in-one kit is perfect for frying turkey. The 30-quart aluminum stockpot comes with a flat lid, lift hook, and rack, allowing for smooth transfers in and out of the oil. It features patented self-supporting legs and high-temp black paint on the frame, which offers both durability and stability as it operates at 32,500 BTU/hour.
- Yoder Smokers Long Leather BBQ Gloves - These gloves not only protect your hands from heat and oil but also give you a firm grip on your tools.
More Turkey Tips from ATBBQ
So which method is right for you? It’s really a matter of personal preference, which is why we have recipes on our site for all three methods. And like we said earlier, regardless of which method you choose, the keys to success are simple. Just make sure you brine the turkey, season it, cook it to an internal temperature of 160ºF, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before cooking it.
