Smoked and Fried Turkey

Directions

Prep

Start off by making the lemon butter marinade for the injection. Add all ingredients to a saucepan on medium heat, and stir until garlic becomes fragrant. Afterward, set it aside to cool a bit.

Preheat your smoker to 250°F. While that’s preheating, inject the turkey with lemon butter. Do this by injecting every 2 inches and inserting at an angle. Do this all over the turkey.

Smoke

Place the bird in the smoker. When the turkey is at 125°F internal temperature (use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature) pull it off the smoker and let it rest a bit while the oil comes up to temperature.

Fry

When the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 125°F, preheat your oil to 350°F — get a turkey fryer for this. Be sure to put in the right amount of oil into the fryer, it should have a safety line or max line, fill it up to that line. Once the oil is at 350°F, turn the heat off of the fryer and slowly lower the turkey in with the proper tools until it’s fully submerged. Turn the heat back on to medium heat and fry the turkey for 10 minutes.

Rest and Slice

Check the internal temperature on the thickest part of the breast to read 165°F internal temperature. Once it’s at that temperature, let the Smoked and Fried Turkey rest for 15 minutes before slicing. 

Note from the Author

“This recipe for Smoked and Fried Turkey is one you want to have in your back pocket. The smoke flavor plus the crispy skin on a turkey is something special. Depending on the size of the turkey, it will most likely take longer to smoke or fry. I got a pretty small turkey, which in turn cooked quickly.” – Miguel Raya, Cooking With Fire

Looking for more info on frying your Thanksgiving turkey? Check out our page for all the best deep-fried tips and tricks.