Whether you’re in charge of making the holiday turkey this season or you’ve just been craving this succulent bird, smoking your turkey is a great cooking method. Let’s be honest: The chief complaint about turkey is that it’s dry and a little bland – but not when smoking. Smoking your turkey infuses the meat with flavor while trapping the moisture under a smoky, crispy skin. If you’re new to smoking turkey, you’re in for a real treat, but you might not know that the success of your smoked turkey starts with the wood.
Lumberjacks has just the right kiln-dried cooking wood to make your holiday (or every day) turkey one to remember. Visit our Woodstock store or use our online contact form to learn more.
What to Look for When Choosing the Right Wood for Your Turkey
It might seem like all woods are the same, but that’s far from the truth, especially when it comes to smoking delicate meats like turkey. Turkey is a mild meat, meaning it’s a blank canvas for wood’s natural aromas and flavors. Its soft meat easily absorbs flavors from the wood, even the most subtle flavors that aren’t always picked up in other meats.
Picking the right wood doesn’t just matter from a flavor profile perspective. You need wood that has a long, consistent burn because your turkey will be smoking for a long time. Using kiln-dried hardwood will give you the type of controlled burn you need.
Kiln-dried hardwood is the best option for cooking for two reasons. First, the moisture level is consistent at 20%, unlike generic firewood, which can have varying moisture levels. When you add logs with varying moisture levels to your smoker, you get inconsistent burns and potentially thick smoke. Smoking your turkey in that environment can lead to an uneven cook and bitter taste.
The second reason kiln-dried hardwood is the way to go is that it’s free from insects, pesticides, fungi, and mold. While it might not matter what’s in your wood on bonfire night, you can’t afford to have contaminated wood when cooking. Don’t let your turkey taste off because it was smoked with subpar-quality wood.
Wood and Smoke Elevate Your Turkey
Picture it: It’s the holidays, and you’re biting into a perfectly smoked turkey leg. The skin is dark, crispy, and smoky. The meat inside is juicy with subtle, sweet, and smoky flavors. The wood you choose creates these texture and flavor combinations.
Wood, Smoke, and Flavor
Unlike heat alone, smoke does more than just cook your turkey; it adds depth, flavor, and texture. While wood logs might look similar, their flavor profiles are different. Each wood has a distinct pallet of flavors that are released in the smoking process. For example, fruit woods bring subtle sweet and fruity flavors, while hardwoods bring the typical barbeque smoke flavors. The flavors sink into the meat of the turkey, giving it a depth of flavor that can’t be achieved with an oven cook.
Choosing Your Cooking Wood
Ultimately, what you would use comes down to personal preference. At Lumberjacks, we have all experimented with different wood combinations to find the perfect blend for our turkeys. Barbeque lovers might prefer hardwoods with their deep, smoky notes; if you prefer a milder bird, you might go heavy on the fruit woods. Others find pecan and maple provide a more traditional holiday bird flavor. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
The Best Woods for Smoking Turkey
There are plenty of options when it’s time to smoke your turkey. This bird really takes in all the subtle flavors of the wood, making it a great candidate for using a wood blend. Pairing different woods can give your bird a more robust flavor profile. The following types of wood are good, reliable options when smoking your turkey.
Cherry
Flavor Profile
Cherry is a favorite for turkey because its mild, sweet, and fruity flavor won’t overpower the bird. Cherry gives you a reliable, universally loved flavor profile that everyone at your table will appreciate.
Best Uses
Cherry is a favorite addition to turkey smoke blends for a couple of reasons. Cherry wood imparts a unique red hue to the turkey, giving it a truly beautiful look. If you’re looking for an Instagram-worthy bird, cherry is the way to go.
Apple
Flavor Profile
Applewood has a stronger fruit flavor than cherry. It has a subtle smokiness with a mild fruity and sweet taste. You will get a balanced, sweet-savory flavor when smoking your bird with applewood.
Best Uses
Apple and cherry are a token go-to combination for turkey smokers. The mild flavors of applewood pair well with strong herbs like sage, thyme, and rosemary, your traditional holiday herb blends. Add a little hickory or oak to your fruitwood blend for a heightened smoky flavor.
Pecan
Flavor Profile
Pecan is a favorite for turkey smokers. Its deep, nutty, and slightly sweet flavor has a mid-level of smokiness that absorbs well into the turkey fat. Pecan is more robust than fruit woods like apple and cherry, so that you won’t need as many dry rubs, herbs, and other seasoning. You can rely more heavily on the wood itself for flavoring your turkey.
Best Uses
Pecan makes a great Thanksgiving turkey not just for its taste but also for its look. The wood produces a mahogany-colored skin that will surely wow any guest at your table.
Be cautious when adding hickory or woods with strong flavors to your pecan blend – you run the risk of a sour or bitter bird.
Maple
Flavor Profile
Maple has an earthy flavor with subtle sweet notes. The sweetness can add a light honey flavor to your bird that is absolutely delicious.
Best Uses
This is a mild wood, so you don’t need to be concerned it will overpower your turkey. Maple wood flavors pair well with an herb rub on your bird. Because maple has such a mild flavor, many people pair it with oak or hickory for an extra smoky flavor. Using maple will give your bird a lovely golden hue.
Hickory
Flavor Profile
If you own a smoker, you know that hickory is the usual go-to wood to toss in the smoker. Hickory imparts the flavor we all think of when we think of barbeque – a deep, strong, smoky flavor.
Best Uses
When it comes to smoking a turkey, you don’t want to use hickory alone. A great option is to use hickory in combination with cherry or apple. Your turkey will have the smoky flavor you’re looking for without overpowering the bird. Adding hickory to your fruitwood blends also gives your bird a deep brown coloring.
Oak
Flavor Profile
Oak and hickory have similar flavor profiles in turkey; oak also provides a rich, smoky flavor.
Best Uses
Oak can be a great addition to your turkey smoking blend in small amounts. If you use milder fruitwood, it can bump up the smoky flavor a notch. Some oak varieties can add an attractive reddish coloring to the outside of your turkey.
Best Wood Blends for Smoking Turkey
Everyone has their own preferences, whether for a more traditional tasting bird or a deep smoky flavor. Experimenting will always be the best way to know your favorites. While everyone at Lumberjacks has their own personal favorite, here are a few we all agree to make a great smoked turkey:
- Cherry and oak for a gorgeous red-hued turkey with a balanced sweet and smoky flavor
- Apple and pecan for a comforting, sweet, and nutty flavor
- Hickory and maple for a rich flavor with undertones of sweetness
How to Prepare Your Wood for Smoking
Picking the best wood for smoking your turkey was just the first step. Now it’s time to start cooking. You may be wondering if and for how long to soak your wood.
When using kiln-dried wood, you’re ready to get smoking—no soaking or other wood prep is required. Kiln-dried wood has a moisture level of 20% or less, meaning you get a hotter and cleaner burn.
Because smoking meat requires a consistent temperature and smoke level, you need wood that has the same moisture level and burns throughout your cook. You only get that when smoking kiln-dried wood.
There are some ingredients you don’t want to use when cooking: insects, fungus, and mold. Since kiln-dried wood is heated at high temps – you don’t have to worry about that. With kiln-dried wood, you can focus all your efforts on prepping that bird.
Fire Up the Smoker!
If you’re ready to fire up the smoker, the team at Lumberjacks would be happy to help. Call us at 815-337-1451 – we would love to answer any questions you have about smoking turkey or any other grilling, smoking, or barbecuing needs. We provide high-quality kiln-dried cherry, apple, oak, and hickory cooking wood. Stop by our stores in Woodstock, IL, and Lake in the Hills, IL, or have your order delivered. Happy smoking!
