Looking forward to fixing up a Masterbuilt smoked turkey for eager dinner guests? If so, there are a few things you need to know. In this post, I’ll dive into the ins and outs of preparing a turkey on a Masterbuilt electric smoker. I’ll also give you a few ideas for seasonings and reveal common mistakes you should avoid. Let’s get into the details.
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Table of Contents
- How to Prepare a Smoked Turkey For Masterbuilt Smoker
- How Long Does It Take to Smoke a Turkey on a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker?
- Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Turkey Size
- How Do You Smoke a 14 Pound Turkey in a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker?
- Masterbuilt Smoked Turkey Breast
- Masterbuilt Smoked Turkey Tenderloin
- How to Smoke a Masterbuilt Turkey
- Ingredients
- Directions
- Masterbuilt Smoked Turkey: Easy and Delicious!
- FAQs
How to Prepare a Smoked Turkey For Masterbuilt Smoker
When using a Masterbuilt electric smoker, you’ll come to realize that it isn’t hard at all to prepare a turkey to cook. All you really need to do is season the bird and stick it in. But of course, there’s little more to it than that.
Follow these tips for preparing to smoke a turkey using a Masterbuilt electric smoker.
- Measure: First and foremost, you’re going to want to make sure that you can fit your whole turkey into the smoker. Although your smoker may seem large enough to fit any turkey at first glance, this may not be true. Many people cite the fact that Masterbuilt has removable racks to allow bigger birds to fit in with no problem.
The issue with this, however, is that because you have to remove so many racks, you’ll need to place your turkey on the lowest rung which is very close to the heat source. This might make for uneven cooking. Thus, it is best to stick with a turkey that is between 10-14 pounds. Be sure to measure both the height and width of your smoker and your turkey to be sure it can fit.
- Thaw: Thaw your turkey for 1-2 days, or 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds,in the refrigerator. Resist the urge to thaw the turkey on the countertop as this breeds bacteria.
- Remove the Giblets: Before cooking, always remember to remove the bag on the inside of the bird. Cooking the bird with the bag still intact can make for an unappetizing surprise after all of your hard work is complete.
- Brine (if desired): not everyone loves wet brining their bird, but if you do, do so after you’ve thawed the turkey completely.
- Rinse and Pat Dry: Whether you use a brine or not, be sure to rinse the turkey and pat it dry before seasoning.
- Season: Season your bird using salt and pepper, or get creative with your spices. Some come up with a custom blend of herbal and savory seasonings. Others like to kick it up a notch with a spicy cajun blend. Both make for great flavor. Do what works best for you.
How Long Does It Take to Smoke a Turkey on a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker?
Wondering “how long do you smoke a turkey in an electric smoker”? It’s a good question.
You’ll generally want to cook your smoked turkey for about 30-40 minutes per pound at 275 degrees F. This will help it to reach itsproper internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Use an instant read thermometer to ensure that your turkey does register correctly before serving.
Know that you may also choose to finish off your turkey in the oven which will yield a very crispy skin. If you choose the oven method, remove your turkey from the smoker once it reaches 135 degrees F, and place it in the oven at 350 degrees F until it reaches the internal temp of 165 degrees F.
Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Turkey Size
When considering a turkey size, remember that your turkey will need to fit in your smoker. You’ll also need it to fit in your oven if you plan to finish the turkey there.
I recommend you purchase a turkey that’s 12-14 pounds (or less) for best results.
Remember that the turkey will take a long time to smoke in the Masterbuilt. This smoke time needs to be accounted for when planning your day and when cooking other side dishes and desserts.
How Do You Smoke a 14 Pound Turkey in a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker?
Assuming that your 14 pound bird fits in the smoker, smoke it using the steps detailed in the directions below. A 14 pound bird will usually fit. However, I don’t recommend going too much over this size.
You should be careful smoking very large birds in an electric smoker, especially since using a smoker is a low and slow cooking method. When cooked low and slow, cooking time is longer which means it’ll take a longer time to reach the desired internal temp. As cooking times increase, the number of bacteria within the bird can also increase, because the inner meat is taking longer to cook.
Masterbuilt Smoked Turkey Breast
If you want to use turkey breast meat, plan to cook it at 225 degrees F for 4.5 to 5 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Masterbuilt Smoked Turkey Tenderloin
For turkey tenderloin, plan to smoke your meat for about 1.5 hours to 3 hours depending on size, at 275 degrees F.
(If you’d like to try different recipes for this cut of meat, here’s a wonderful baked turkey tenderloin recipe and this yummy seasoned air fryer turkey tenderloin!)
How to Smoke a Masterbuilt Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- ½ tbsp parsley dried
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- Vegetable or Canola Oil (for rubbing)
- 1 quartered Onion and 1 quartered lemon (for the cavity)
Directions
- Heat your electric smoker to 275 for at least 25 minutes.
- Rinse and dry off your turkey (brine it first if desired).
- Stuff the cavity with the onion and lemon.
- Mix together your salt, parsley, garlic, onion powder, and lemon pepper. Place it into a sprinkling jar if possible.
- Rub vegetable or canola oil over your turkey before seasoning it with the blended spices.
- Tie the turkey legs close to the breast with twine.
- Place the turkey in the smoker, breast side up.
- Close the smoker. Ensure that your vent is open partially.
- Cook the turkey for 30-40 minutes per pound. Be sure to check that the internal temperature has reached 165F before removing it from the smoker. Check this with your thermometer at the inner part of the breast and thigh.
- Allow to sit under foil for at least 30 minutes to an hour before carving.
Masterbuilt Smoked Turkey: Easy and Delicious!
Making Masterbuilt smoked turkey isn’t hard, but it does require time and patience. Be sure to buy the right-sized bird and check the internal temperature before serving.
You’ll also want to select a good dry or wet rub to place over the meat before placing it in the smoker. If you wish, you can finish your turkey off in the oven for extra crispy skin. No matter what, we’re confident you’ll love the results of having smoked your turkey.
Enjoy!
FAQs
How long do you smoke a turkey in an electric smoker?
You will smoke your turkey in Masterbuilt, usually for about 30-40 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
How long does it take to smoke a 20lb turkey in an electric smoker?
First of all, you need to be sure that a 20lb turkey will fit in your smoker. You also need to ensure that it cooks evenly. I usually do not recommend putting a turkey this big in the smoker as it would take too long to cook. If you must do it, it’d probably take about 10-12 hours, but again, I don’t recommend it.
Masterbuilt electric smoker how to get crispy skin on a smoked turkey?
Finish your turkey in the oven at 350F once your turkey has reached 135F in the smoker. This will help to achieve crispier skin than if you would have left it in the smoker.
How to smoked a turkey breast with bacon Masterbuilt?
Smoke a turkey in a Masterbuilt the same way you would smoke a turkey breast without. However, after you season the turkey, you’ll want to make a “bacon weave”. Do this by interlacing your bacon, laying it down flat on a clean surface, and then placing your turkey breast in the middle of the weave. Slowly roll it back over with the bacon on top.
How to Smoke a Masterbuilt Turkey
- Author: Anna
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- ½ tbsp parsley dried
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- Vegetable or Canola Oil (for rubbing)
- 1 quartered Onion and 1 quartered lemon (for the cavity)
Instructions
- Heat your electric smoker to 275 for at least 25 minutes.
- Rinse and dry off your turkey (brine it first if desired).
- Stuff the cavity with the onion and lemon.
- Mix together your salt, parsley, garlic, onion powder, and lemon pepper. Place it into a sprinkling jar if possible.
- Rubvegetableor canola oilover your turkey before seasoning it with the blended spices.
- Tie the turkey legsclose to the breast with twine.
- Place the turkey in the smoker, breast side up.
- Close the smoker. Ensure that your vent is open partially.
- Cook the turkey for 30-40 minutes per pound. Be sure to check that the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F before removing it from the smoker. Check this with your thermometer at the inner part of the breast and thigh.
- Allow to sit under foil for at least 30 minutes to an hour before carving.
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