Traeger Smoked Turkey with Stuffing

This delicious Traeger Smoked Turkey with stuffing is incredibly juicy and flavorful! It’s the best way to make your Thanksgiving turkey with only 15 minutes of prep, and the result is moist, tender meat from a flavorful turkey stuffed with delicious apple stuffing and crispy, crunchy candied pecans.

This smoked turkey with candied pecan and apple stuffing recipe is probably the only turkey recipe I’ll ever use again.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but seriously. It’s that good. This smoked turkey has a beautiful hickory crispy skin, the perfect texture, juicy meat, and it’s infused with layers upon layers of savory flavors.

Bonus: it also doesn’t require a brine, and it gives you all the extra oven space since it’s made in the Traeger smoker (or whatever pellet grill you have)!

Are you curious yet? Good.

Why you’ll love this smoked turkey with stuffing

• This is the perfect turkey recipe for anyone who is smoking a turkey for the first time.
• The wood pellets add a subtle smoke flavor to the bird.
• Incredibly beautiful crispy turkey skin.
• It works on smaller turkeys or large birds! You just need to adjust the timing for the weight of the turkey.
• If you love a classic delicious turkey with stuffing, this one is the best smoked turkey you’re ever going to make!

What you need to make this recipe

Candied Pecans Ingredients

• Pecans – use whole pecans, not chopped.
• Water and Brown Sugar – the “candy” for the pecans. The brown sugar dissolves into the water which then hardens around the pecans to form a sweet, crunchy exterior.
• Creole Seasoning – I use Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning Apple Stuffing.

Apple Stuffing Ingredients

• Wheat Bread – cut into ½-inch cubes.
• Apples – any tart apple will work. Be sure to peel, seed, and chop into small chunks.
• Butter – used to add flavor depth and sauté the veggies.
• Onion and Celery – sautéed with the apple to add sweetness, flavor, and texture to the stuffing.
• Garlic – I recommend using freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
• Parsley, Rosemary, and Thyme – I recommend using fresh herbs but dry herbs will work in a pinch.
• Candied Pecans – from above.
• Fresh Parsley – more for garnish, if desired.

Smoked Turkey Ingredients

• Turkey – you’ll need one 12 to 17 lb fresh turkey, or whatever size is right for your family. Make sure it’s thawed ahead of time and no longer frozen, with the giblets removed, so you have plenty of time to cook it the day of. See our notes on cooking time below.
• Injectable Marinade – I use Tony Chachere’s Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade.
• Oil – you can use vegetable or canola oil. 
• Creole Seasoning – again, use Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning Apple Stuffing.
• Candied Pecans, Coarse Kosher Salt, and Fresh Parsley – for garnish!

How to make Traeger smoked turkey recipe

There are three parts to this Traeger turkey recipe, but don’t worry. They’re all easy to make!

Make the Candied Pecans

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then toast the pecans until fragrant, stirring as needed. 

Combine the water, brown sugar, and creole seasoning in a small bowl. 

Remove the pecans from the heat and quickly pour the brown sugar mixture over them. Toss to coat.

Pour the coated pecans onto a wax paper lined baking sheet to cool.

Make the Apple Stuffing

Lay the bread out on two baking sheets in a single layer for 4-6 hours to allow it to become stale.

In the skillet you used for the pecans, heat butter over medium heat and swirl to coat the pan. 

Add in the apple, onion, and celery, and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Add in garlic, parsley, rosemary, and thyme and cook for another 30 seconds.

Remove from heat, then fold the apple and onion mix into a large bowl with the bread. 

Add the chopped pecans and toss to make sure everything is combined. Season with creole seasoning, if necessary. 

Smoke the Turkey

Prep your Traeger grill or electric smoker on the smoke setting. When the smoker setting has warmed up, set it to 200-225ºF.

Pat the turkey dry with paper towels then place it into an aluminum pan or roasting pan. Tuck the arms back behind the body and tie the legs together to leave an opening for the cavity later.

Pour the Tony’s Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade into a measuring cup, fill the injector, then plunge the injector into the turkey, about ½-1” apart each time, pressing the injection all over the whole turkey.

Place the pan with the turkey into the smoker and smoke for 3 hours. After 3 hours, remove the turkey (in the pan), and use a baster to remove and reserve any drippings.

Stuff the turkey with the prepared stuffing, mix oil and seasoning in a bowl, and brush a quarter of it over the whole bird. Place the turkey back onto the grill and continue to smoke.

Cook for another 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the remaining oil mix and removing drippings as needed. Be sure to reserve them.

When the turkey has reached an internal temperature of 165º degrees F with a meat probe or digital instant-read meat thermometer, remove from the smoker, cover, and allow it to rest for 25-30 minutes before carving.

OPTIONAL: make gravy from the reserved drippings and giblets, if desired.

Serve the turkey dinner garnished with additional candied pecans, freshly minced parsley, and gravy!

When do you add the stuffing to smoked turkey?

You’ll add the stuffing to the turkey halfway through the cook time. So the turkey will cook on it’s own for 3 hours, you’ll add the stuffing, then it will cook for the final 3 hours. 

If the stuffing were cooked for the full 6 hours with the turkey, it would dry out.
If you opt to cook the stuffing outside of the turkey, place it in a shallow baking dish and cook it in the pellet grill for 3 hours to heat through.

What wood to use for smoking turkey?

My favorite answer to this question is to use whatever you have on hand. However, if you are going shopping for wood anyway, I recommend using a sweet wood like cherry, apple, or pecan. 

You can use hickory or mesquite, but the flavor is pretty intense, especially after 6 hours of cooking.

How long does it take to smoke a turkey?

This depends on the size of your turkey, but for the 12 to 17 pound turkey we use in this recipe, it takes about 6 hours! A general rule is 30 minutes per pound of turkey. Adjust the total cook time accordingly.

TIP: Use a meat probe or thermometer to verify that the internal temperature of the turkey is at least 165ºF before serving. This may mean your dark meat (turkey legs) got to 170 F, but that’s totally ok.

How do you keep a smoked turkey moist?

Normally, I would say soaking the turkey in a cold saltwater solution, or a brine, is the key to a moist turkey. And in most cases, that’s true!

However, since we’re using Tony’s Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade, there’s no real need to brine the turkey. The injectable marinade adds moisture and flavor like a brine would but without the extra time.

Additionally, since the turkey is cooked low and slow in the Traeger smoker, there is less of a concern about it drying out.

Tips, tricks, and notes for this recipe

• Know your smoker. How any smoker holds and maintains heat will change the duration of this cook. Make sure you are monitoring the ambient temp when smoking and grilling.
• Skip the brine time. Turkey loves a good brine, but with quick and easy injection instructions, the brine isn’t needed.
• Reserve the drippings. Don’t forget to save any drippings you remove from the turkey. This can be used as the base for a homemade gravy!
• Brush the turkey a few times with the oil and spice blend while it’s smoking to keep the skin of the turkey pretty and add a little extra flavor.
• Let the turkey rest. After the turkey is done cooking, and has temped in the thickest part of the thigh and the thickest part of the breast to a food safe 165 degrees F, be sure to let it rest for 20-25 minutes before cutting into it. This allows the juices and flavor to soak back into the meat so it doesn’t just seep out when you cut into it.
• To prep ahead of time: If you want to prep some of this recipe ahead of time, you can make the stuffing up to a day in advance and store it in the fridge. You can also make the candied pecans up to two days in advance and store them at room temperature.
• You can use a pellet grill or electric grill if you don’t have a smoker. If you do this, I recommend using pecan chips but you could also use cherry or hickory.

How to store

The turkey can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen then microwave until heated through.

The stuffing will last in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen then microwave or warm in the oven.

The pecans will last at room temperature for 2 weeks, in the fridge for 1 month, or in the freezer for 2 months. If frozen, thaw before serving!

Ways to use leftover turkey

• Smoked Turkey Breast
• Hot Brown Sandwiches
• Leftover Turkey Sandwiches
• Ultimate Grilled Turkey Sandwich

More Smoked turkey recipes

If you’ve tried my Smoked Turkey with Candied Pecan and Apple Stuffing recipe, or any other recipe on GirlCarnivore.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below. I get inspired by your feedback and comments! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram @girlcarnivore as well as on  Twitter and Facebook.