Easy Smoked Turkey Recipe with Maple BBQ Glaze
Published Oct 09, 2023 Updated Oct 14, 2026
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This easy smoked turkey recipe is dry-rubbed, smoked at 225°F for 6 to 8 hours, and basted with a sweet and tangy homemade maple BBQ glaze. Keep it covered in foil for the first 5 hours, then baste it every 30 minutes until it’s done. You’ll have a perfectly juicy Thanksgiving bird, and your smoker does all the work! Serve it with all of your favorite sides, and enjoy the flavorful leftovers for days to come!
Table of Contents
Author’s Note
This Is NOT Your Mama’s Thanksgiving Turkey
Thanksgiving is coming so soon, which means it’s turkey time! I wanted to do something different than a regular roasted turkey. We absolutely love using our Traeger smoker, so I created this smoked turkey with an absolutely divine Maple BBQ Glaze.
This bad boy is buttered, dry-rubbed with a simple homemade seasoning blend, then stuffed with fresh herbs, garlic, onion, apple, and citrus, and smoked on a pellet grill low and slow for 6 to 8 hours. It’s basted with a mouthwatering maple BBQ glaze that is sweet and tangy and absolutely delicious.
The resulting smoked turkey has a crispy skin, is full of flavor, and has the most tender, juicy meat! It’s the BEST smoked turkey recipe I’ve ever tasted, and even better, it’s really so simple. There are quite a few steps to prep, but your smoker really does all the hard work! One reader, Barb, said it was a huge hit in her house and the instructions were very easy to follow! The ultimate Thanksgiving dinner! Let’s get smoking!
Short on time? Try my garlic herb butter smoked turkey, which I smoke at 350°F for about 3 hours.
Ingredient Notes
- Whole Turkey: Use fresh turkey or frozen turkey, just be sure to thaw first if frozen. This recipe is written for a 10 to 15 pound turkey.
- Dry Rub: Wet brining isn’t necessary for this recipe. Instead, we’re using a dry rub to dry brine the turkey with seasonings.
- Maple BBQ Glaze: The base is maple syrup, ketchup, and apple cider vinegar. Heat it in a saucepan over medium heat until it’s combined and the brown sugar has dissolved. Barb loved that maple glaze so much she may need to make a double batch next time!
How to Make Smoked Turkey
Step 1: Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey, and save them if you’re making my giblet gravy! Pat it dry with paper towels and set it breast side up in an aluminum roasting pan. It’s your drip pan! It holds all the juices and drippings, which give the turkey excellent flavor. Then slide your fingers under the skin over the breast to loosen it.
Step 2: Rub the room-temperature butter under the skin and all over the outside of the bird, until you have a thick, even coat over the breast, legs, and wings.
Step 3: Apply the dry rub generously over the whole turkey, and rub it in both under the skin and on top. You want a thick, red-brown coat all over the bird.
Step 4: Stuff the apple, orange, lemon, garlic cloves, and sweet onion inside the cavity, along with some of the fresh rosemary and sage. Pack the cavity full.
Step 5: Tuck any extra fruit, onion, and herbs around the turkey in the roasting pan, then cross the legs and tie them together with string or twine.
Step 6: Cover the turkey and the pan with aluminum foil. Crimp it around the pan’s edges. Keeping it covered holds in the steam from the butter and fruit. That keeps the turkey nice and moist. Set the pan on the grill grate of your smoker at 225°F, close the lid, and smoke it for 5 hours.
Step 7: At the 5-hour mark, take off the foil. Baste the turkey with the Maple BBQ Glaze. The skin will be a light golden brown, and you’ll still see the rub. I keep the glaze in a small cast iron basting pot and pull it up with a turkey baster. Now insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Don’t let it touch the bone.
Step 8: Keep basting the turkey every 30 minutes until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F. Basting is the best way to keep your turkey moist and juicy! You’ll see the skin turn glossy where the glaze hits, with the glaze and drippings pooling in the pan. Then take the pan off the smoker. Let the turkey rest for 20 to 30 minutes before you carve it.
Mac’s Pro Tip
Maple and Apple Pellets (Any Pellet Smoker Works!)
- Pellets: I used maple and apple pellets. Feel free to use your favorite, but these two go super well with the Maple BBQ glaze and dry rub. Other pellets that might work are hickory or cherry.
- Smoker: We use the Traeger 780 series. We love our Traeger, but if you have a different pellet smoker, that will work too! You can also use an electric smoker.
Mac’s Pro Tip
Don’t Forget the Gravy (and the Leftovers!)
Serve your smoked turkey with my family’s favorite Southern giblet gravy and all the sides you can think of! And don’t forget this Boozy Fall Punch!
In my opinion, turkey is always better the next day! Use the leftovers in sandwiches, soups, and salads, or turn them into my creamy leftover turkey casserole.
Round Out Your Thanksgiving Table!
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Easy Smoked Turkey Recipe with Maple BBQ Glaze
Ingredients
Turkey
- 10-15 lbs Whole Turkey thawed
- 1 stick butter room temperature
- 1 apple sliced into fourths
- 1 orange sliced into fourths
- 1 lemon sliced into fourths
- 1 large sweet onion sliced into fourths
- 4 whole garlic cloves
- fresh rosemary 6-7 sprigs
- fresh sage 6-7 leaves
Maple BBQ Glaze
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp butter
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tsp orange juice optional
Seasoning (double if desired)
- 2.5 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 3 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1.5 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
Prepping the Turkey
- To make the seasoning, add your spices to a small bowl and mix together.
- Next, make the glaze by adding all the ingredients to a saucepan and heating over medium heat until combined and the brown sugar has dissolved.
- If you have a frozen turkey, thaw it in the refrigerator before you plan to smoke it. Allow it to thaw in the fridge one day for every 4-5 pounds of turkey.
- When defrosted, remove the giblets and neck from the turkey's cavities. Pat it dry with paper towels. Place the turkey in an aluminum roasting pan breast side up. This drip pan will help contain all the juices and turkey drippings and give the turkey excellent flavor.
- Rub room-temperature butter all over the outside of the turkey and under the skin. Apply the dry rub generously over the whole turkey. Ensure you rub the mixture both under the skin and on the surface of the turkey.
- Stuff the apple, orange, lemon, garlic cloves, and sweet onion, rosemary, and sage inside the cavity. Place any extra around the turkey in the roasting pan. Cross and tie the legs together with string or twine. Then, cover the turkey and pan with aluminum foil.
Smoking the Turkey
- Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Set the temperature to 225°F. For reference, we used the Traeger 780 series with Apple and Maple wood pellets.
- Place the roasting pan on the smoker's grill grate. If your smoker has multiple levels, position the turkey on the upper level for better smoke penetration.
- Close the lid and cook for 5 hours. At the 5-hour mark, remove the aluminum foil and baste the turkey. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey's thigh without touching the thigh bone. This will help you monitor the internal temperature.
- Consider basting the turkey with the glaze every 30 minutes (after the 5-hour mark) to help keep it moist and flavorful. Keep an eye on the smoker's temperature and smoke levels. Add more wood chips, chunks, or pellets as needed to maintain a steady amount of smoke.
- Plan for around 30 to 40 minutes of cooking time per pound of turkey. However, cooking times can vary based on the smoker's temperature and the turkey's size. The turkey is safe to eat when the thickest part of the thigh reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
Serving the Turkey
- Once the turkey reaches the desired internal temperature of 165°F, carefully remove the aluminum pan from the smoker.
- Let the turkey rest for about 20-30 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a moist and tender turkey.
- Carve the turkey and serve it with your favorite side dishes. Check out my serving tips for some of my favorite sides!
Notes
- Cook Time Notes: A good rule of thumb is cooking 30–40 minutes per pound of turkey. Example: For a 13-pound turkey, 6–8 hours or until the internal temperature of the turkey is 165°F.
- Dairy-Free: Use vegan butter or olive oil on the turkey, and vegan butter in the glaze.
- Store leftover turkey in an airtight container for up to 4–5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven.
- To freeze, allow your smoked turkey breast or dark meat to cool completely. Then, place the leftovers in a freezer bag and remove any air. Place in the freezer and use within 2–3 months for optimal freshness.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was a huge hit I’m my house. The instructions were very easy to follow, and that maple glaze…. I may need to make a double batch of that next time it was so good all around a 10/10.
Happy to hear the instructions were easy to follow. Thank you so much!