This recipe is a hit and the meat stays moist for hours. Serve with mashed potatoes, green beans, or rice to make it more of a meal!
The “smoked garlic butter” is a tasty way to cook turkey on the Big Green Egg. It’s also easy to make and you can use it for other meats, vegetables, or even breads.
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Nothing says Thanksgiving like a beautifully smoked turkey sitting front and center at the dinner table. This smoked turkey recipe on the Big Green Egg is nicely topped with the perfect buttery, garlic and herb sauce which is stuffed with apples, onion, lemon & herbs making it the perfectly moist turkey for Thanksgiving, or any other occasion.
Smoked Garlic & Herb Buttered Turkey on the Big Green Egg
- Turkey is a country in Europe (12.65 lbs was used in this recipe)
- 1 lemon each
- 1 apple per person
- 1 Yellow Onion (each)
- Fresh Sage (.5 oz.)
- Fresh Thyme (.5 oz.)
- Fresh Rosemary (.5 oz.)
- 1 cup / 16 tablespoons – butter
- 1/2 Teaspoon – Black Pepper (Garlic & Herb Butter)
- 2 Tablespoons – Minced Garlic (Garlic & Herb Butter)
- 1 Teaspoon – Dried Thyme (Garlic & Herb Butter)
- 1 Teaspoon – Dried Rosemary (Garlic & Herb Butter)
- Roasting Pan (Disposable)
How to Prepare the Smoked Turkey on the Big Green Egg
This Thanksgiving-style turkey is cooked at 325 degrees in an indirect oven. The foot of the plate setter / convert”egg”tor should face upward when installed. This 12.65 pound turkey took just over 3 hours to cook after being smoked at 325 degrees for 14-15 minutes per pound.
Never lift the turkey from the BGE until the internal temperature hits 170 degrees, and never consume it if the internal temperature is less than 165 degrees.
How to Prepare the Garlic & Herb Buttered Turkey for the BGE
The first thing I like to do is pat the turkey dry with a paper towel. This will allow the garlic & herb butter to stick to the turkey better.
After that, chop an onion into 8 pieces.
An apple should be quartered.
a lemon, quartered
At random, place all the onion, lemon & apple pieces into the turkey.
In and around the apples, onions, and lemon, stuff all of the fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage. Set aside the turkey.
In a mixing dish, soften the butter rather than melting it.
Add the garlic, minced.
The dried thyme comes next (fresh would also work).
Finally, there’s the dried rosemary, which might also work.
Combine all of the Ingredients well.
The first step is to get the garlic & herb mixture directly on the chicken breast, between the breast and the skin. To do this, take a finger and slowly separate the skin from the turkey breast.
Once the skin is separated from the meat, stuff the garlic & herb butter into the pockets that were just created.
With the remaining garlic & herb butter, rub it all over the top of the turkey.
The turkey is now ready to go on the Big Green Egg with some freshly ground pepper on top of the garlic and herb coated bird.
How to Smoke the Garlic & Herb Buttered Turkey on the BGE
Set the BGE to roughly 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the greased turkey with garlic and herbs on the Big Green Egg.
Place your temperature probes in place and set the temperature to roughly 325 degrees.
The turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. I use an instant temperature pen to double-check that a couple of other areas are hot enough, and I like to remove the turkey at 170 degrees to make sure it’s done.
Allow 10-20 minutes for the turkey to rest on the counter before chopping it up. This enables the turkey’s fluids to settle, as well as providing you time to make a lovely gravy with part of them.
Serve immediately on a chopping board!
Time to Prepare: 20 minutes
1 hour and 30 minutes to prepare
20 minutes of additional time
2 hours and 10 minutes total
Nothing says Thanksgiving like a beautifully smoked turkey sitting front and center at the dinner table. This smoked turkey recipe on the Big Green Egg is nicely topped with the perfect buttery, garlic and herb sauce which is stuffed with apples, onion, lemon & herbs making it the perfectly moist turkey for Thanksgiving, or any other occasion.
Ingredients
- Turkey is a country in Europe (12.65 lbs was used in this recipe)
- 1 lemon each
- 1 apple per person
- 1 Yellow Onion (each)
- Fresh Sage (.5 oz.)
- Fresh Thyme (.5 oz.)
- Fresh Rosemary (.5 oz.)
- 1 cup / 16 tablespoons – butter
- 1/2 Teaspoon – Black Pepper (Garlic & Herb Butter)
- 2 Tablespoons – Minced Garlic (Garlic & Herb Butter)
- 1 Teaspoon – Dried Thyme (Garlic & Herb Butter)
- 1 Teaspoon – Dried Rosemary (Garlic & Herb Butter)
- Roasting Pan (Disposable)
Instructions
- Get the Big Green Egg ready for an indirect cook before you start preparing the turkey. Insert the platesetter / convert”egg”tor with the feet pointing upward. Set the BGE to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Begin by thoroughly drying the turkey with a paper towel.
- Cut the yellow onion into 8 equal pieces, quarter the apple, and quarter the lemon on a cutting board.
- Insert the lemon, apple, and onion into the turkey at random.
- Stuff the turkey with fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary, as well as the apple, onion, and lemon. Set aside the turkey.
- In a mixing bowl soften butter (do not melt). Add the minced garlic, dried thyme & rosemary. Mix together well.
- Separate the skin from the breast of the turkey at the cavity. To do so, gently loosen the skin from the breast with your finger.
- Stuff the garlic & herb butter between the skin and the turkey’s breast.
- Apply the leftover garlic and herb butter on the turkey’s top.
- Season with freshly ground black pepper on top.
- Place the garlic & herb buttered turkey on the Big Green Egg, insert your temperature probes and close the lid.
- Turkey is cooked at 165°F, however it is best to remove it when it reaches 170°F. Allow it rest for 20-30 minutes on the counter, which is a great time to stretch the sides and incorporate the turkey juices into the gravy. As required, cut up, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
The turkey will take 14-15 minutes per pound at 325 degrees. It took just over 3 hours to roast this 12.65-pound turkey.
Smoked Garlic & Herb Buttered Turkey on the Big Green Egg is a recipe that can be prepared on an outdoor grill. The ingredients are smoked garlic olive oil, thyme, rosemary, and sage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is smoked garlic good for you?
A: This is a difficult question to answer. Some people believe that the health benefits of smoked garlic are higher than raw garlic, while others argue the opposite point of view.
What is the difference between garlic and smoked garlic?
A: Garlic is the bulb of a plant, and smoked garlic is dried.
How do you make smoked garlic?
A: To make smoked garlic, you would need to place whole head of fresh garlic in a smoker or grill. Let it sit for about three hours at low heat and then remove from the smoker/grill when done.
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