Do you need to smoke some turkey but have no idea how to get started at all? Cooking a smoked turkey is an art itself. And it requires a lot of time as well as effort. But to get stunning results, you need the proper tools.
Choosing the best wood for smoking turkey means you are not getting impurities in your turkey.
On the other hand, choosing cheap wood means your good is just going to sit there and produce thin and white smoke that won’t cook properly.
So, to help you out, we’ve chosen the perfect woods available out there so you can get the best flavor on that turkey. Come and take a more in-depth look!
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Top 13 Best Woods for Smoking Turkey Reviews
You probably want to spend the weekend with your family or friends cooking some smoked turkey. But not having the right tools could lead to poorly cooked turkey.
There is absolutely nothing worse than burden food. So, here are the top 13 best smoking kinds of wood so you can get the best flavor.
1. Traeger Grills PEL318 Apple Hardwood Pellets
This is the ideal wood for anybody who wants to smoke a turkey and get the best results with little effort.
Traeger is the world’s best-selling wood-fired grill. They have been doing business for over 30 years. They have proven to make outstanding wood-fired grills. And this grill is not an exception.
You may have used charcoal or gas in the past. But you probably never got the results you wanted to see.
To make your cooking experience easier, they have added a pellet that delivers top-notch and unmatchable results. No other grill can bring to life such wonderful results.
Most people prefer natural products over chemicals that could put your health in danger. This company knows this pretty well.
So, to make your cooking experience better, they decided to make this grill 100% natural—no secret and weird bindings behind to worry about.
It’s also incredibly easy to use even if you have never used a grill before. It pretty much works on its own.
It has a controller that monitors and maintains proper temperatures automatically, so your food doesn’t catch on fire.
Some grills produce white and thin smoke. That is not ideal if you are trying to get the best results in your food.
So, to prevent that from happening. This grill has just the right amount of moisture to get the perfect clean smoke, so you get the best flavor in whatever you are cooking.
Highlighted Features
- American-based product
- No impurities getting in your food
- Good clean smoke
- Hardwood taste into whatever you grill
- Automatic temperature
2. Jack Daniel’s BBQ Smoking Chips
What is the most efficient and reliable? This is hands down one of the most efficient smoking wood available.
Heavy smoke flavor. This is precisely what you need to add that whiskey oak smoking wood taste you are looking for.
The best wood to smoke turkey with produces the perfect combination of whiskey and oak wood smoke. Just the smell of them alone is enough to let anyone know the taste they give.
If you have ever wondered how you can make your food taste better using wood but have no idea what to get, this is the perfect choice for you.
This wood is designed to emit just the right amount of smoke to make your food taste as good as possible.
If you already have a grill and just need the right wood to step your cooking game, this is the ideal wood. It works with gas grills and even electric smokers.
Some woods barely produce any smoke. They provide the right amount of smoke. Thin and white smoke that doesn’t do anything for you.
But this one burns incredibly well. So, no need to spend hours trying to get it to work correctly.
Highlighted Features
- Made from Jack Daniel-s Old No.7
- Unbeatable smell & flavor
- Great quality overall
- It can be used with any grill
- Burns incredibly well
3. Bear Mountain BBQ Hardwood pellets
This wood is 100% made of natural and premium hardwood, no weird binders that could ruin your wood. This is an excellent and efficient smoking wood with stunning results guaranteed.
To cook the best food you could possibly make, you need the right smoking wood. This is where Bear Mountain Premium BBQ Woods comes in handy.
They are a great company that provides excellent quality smoking woods for those times when you need the best of the best.
One of the main things that makes a smoking wood great is a dry wood. Which means wood that has been seasoned out by using a heat process.
This is why it is the best wood for turkey smoking. It only has 5% moisture. Which is good enough to produce smoke for your food.
Perhaps you want to start up a restaurant, or you just want to cook some turkey, but you need the right flavor.
This is the perfect wood to add that rich and smoky flavor that you desperately need on your food.
This one has a pleasant smell. And as soon as that smell gets to your nose, you know you’re in good hands.
Highlighted Features
- It’s free from fillers or binders
- The smoky flavor on the food
- Just the right amount of smoke
- Natural wood pellets
- Only 5% moisture
4. Camerons Wood Smoking Chips
This company has been around for a very long time. Their main goal is to develop high-quality products to stand out from their competition. And they sure are doing a great job.
If you are someone who just needs an excellent and reliable wood or just someone who is getting started and needs an easy way to infuse a smoke into your food, this is the right one.
It is good enough and works incredibly well with smoking guns.
If you have ever used smoking wood, you know that sometimes things don’t go as planned. Especially if you are using some random smoking wood, this one comes like a charm.
To make your life easier, this company made it so when you throw it into the fire, it ignites and produces smoke to create the perfect flavor for your food.
Do you need your wood to burn in just a matter of seconds to create the perfect smoke, so it gets into your wood?
This is the classic smoking wood for any aspiring chef. It ignites in just a matter of seconds, getting that delicious smoky flavor.
Highlighted Features
- High-quality smoke to create a rich flavor
- It’s thin for convenience
- Burns incredibly well to get that smoky flavor
- It’s easy to handle
- Perfect for vegetables, pork, beef, and cheeses
5. Western Premium Peach BQQ Smoking Chips
This is the best wood to smoke turkey breast if you don’t want to get any mold, pets, or rot. And it’s also delicious if you’re just trying to get that smoky flavor.
Choosing from hundreds of smoking woods can be time-consuming, and sometimes quite dull.
Perhaps, you got one in the past, but you hated it. But this time around, we’ve got the perfect smoking wood for you.
Western is a well-known company. They produce natural and high-quality cooking products so you can get the best results.
These smoking chips are excellent. They burn mostly well, producing a great smoke to get that smoky flavor on your food.
Many people have found success using these wood chips. From people getting started to professional chefs.
The stunning quality they provide makes it an excellent purchase for most people.
These wood chips are the right complement if you want to cook a wide variety of smoked meats. The smoke they produce is good enough for any type of food that you need to prepare.
Next time you want to smoke wood and want to get the best results for your family meeting, this is the first smoking wood that should pop up in your mind.
Highlighted Features
- Makes your food taste delicious
- It has been heat-treated to prevent molds
- It’s easy to use and works well with gas grills
- 100% natural wood.
- Produces high-quality smoke.
6. Weber Pecan Wood Chips
Feeling lost and tired from looking at hundreds of smoking woods, yet getting nowhere? Look no more. These wood chunks are incredibly useful when you need to add wood smoke flavors to your wood.
They are the best wood for smoking turkey breast as they produce enough smoke to step up your cooking game.
This is super important as you don’t want wood chips to hold you back from achieving great results.
There is absolutely nothing that can match the sweet, smoky flavor you get from using these wood chips.
Maybe you have used wood chips in the past, but they never made your food taste any better. They were just there doing pretty much nothing.
If you have a gas grill, you have to try these wood chips. They are the perfect addition to your grill.
Once you have bought these wood chips, you simply cannot go back to your regular gas. It just makes everything so much better.
Get the compliments you deserve for taking time out of your day to cook delicious food.
No more let-downs after not being able to live up to your expectations - these wood chips are what you have been looking for to create wonderful holiday memories.
Highlighted Features
- The rich and sweet flavor
- A great alternative to any source
- Stunning results with any type of food
- Perfect for outdoor use
- Unmatchable results
7. Camerons Alder Smoking Wood Chunks
These wood chunks are the additional tool you have been looking for. They burn mostly well, producing excellent smoke for your turkey.
Camerons Products has been producing outstanding products for over 25 years. And they’re still going strong.
They are one of the most reliable companies when it comes to anything related to grills.
No matter how experienced you are, you will find these wood chunks rather easy to use. The smoke they produce is good enough to get into your food, giving it the smoky flavor you need.
To make your food as tasty as possible, these chunks are kiln-dried. Don’t worry about moisture getting in your way anymore.
Getting good-sized chunks can be incredibly hard, and sometimes close to impossible.
But there is still some hope. This bag contains good sized-chunks for those times when you need quality smoking.
And to make things even better, there is a little bit of chip at the bottom.
These chunks work incredibly well with turkey, chicken, and pork. You simply need to soak them for a good 20 minutes, and then you can see just how good it is.
Highlighted Features
- Perfect for seafood and vegetables
- Get the best results by simply soaking them
- They are kiln dried so no moisture
- Good-sized chunks
- Perfect for outdoor use.
8. Oklahoma Joe’s Hickory Wood Smoker Chips
This is the best wood for smoking turkey for anybody looking to get the best results in just a matter of seconds.
Whether you are someone who is serious about grilling, or someone who just wants to cook something and spend time with your family, you still need to get desirable results.
This is why we recommend getting these wood chips. They are great for those folks that have great results.
Oklahoma Joe’s is the perfect and reliable wood. They burn incredibly well. So, don’t worry about thin smoke.
Typically, wood chips are traditionally used as the smoke source for things like electric smokers and gas grills.
And these wood chips are by no means different. They work incredibly well with any electric smokers and gas grills.
Do you feel disappointed by other wood chips that just don’t seem to get the job done? We got you. These wood chips are the perfect solution to all your problems.
They produce the right amount of smoke. They are a great way if you want the smoke to infuse taste into meats.
No need to feel ashamed of your food anymore -they are a great solution if you need to cook meats, poultry, vegetables, and even fish. The smoke just gives it the required smoky taste to step your game.
Highlighted Features
- It does wonders for your smoker
- Natural wood chips
- Gets that desirable smoky taste
- Produces a considerable amount of smoke
- Stunning results for meats, and vegetables
9. Smokehouse Flavored Wood Smoking Chips
These wood chips are made of all-natural hardwoods using the best raw materials. They are the perfect wood chips for a consistent burn.
Being able to cook quickly and provide delicious food is pretty much a must nowadays. I mean, when everyone is hungry, nobody wants to sit there and wait a whole hour just to eat.
This is why we love these wood chips. They are easy to use and burn exceptionally well, just about everything you will need.
These chips light quickly, saving you time and effort. On top of that, they are finely shredded alder wood chips.
Getting wood chips that can maintain a stable burn is pretty much a must. They are incredibly hard to find, and sometimes you’re not lucky enough to find any.
However, these chips do a great job of maintaining a stable burn for better results in no time.
If you have ever bought wood chips, you may have noticed that some bigger chips don’t work well in your smoker. They just clog up your tray.
These wood chips are small, they work exceptionally well in any smoker.
One of your biggest concerns might be that these wood chips could have mold. And I can’t blame you. Mold could cause illness when it’s shoveled.
It gets into the air, and it could be inhaled by people around. However, these wood chips don’t have any mold, and they’re also free of debris. So, no need to worry about mold ruining your day.
Highlight Features
- Great flavor
- Burns evenly creating a smoky flavor
- It works like a charm in any smoker
- They won’t clog up your tray
- It’s free of mold and debris
10. Cooking Gift Set Pecan, Mesquite, and Oak Wood Chips
This time around, we have another top-notch smoking wood. It can be used with pretty much without any expensive equipment.
Do you think now it’s the time that you get the right smoking wood, but have no idea what to get?
This is the perfect one you have been looking for. It works with a wide variety of grills. From electric grills to gas grills, you name it.
Do you want to achieve restaurant-like results but don’t seem to get anywhere? With this smoking wood, you can pretty much get any result you want.
The smoky flavor it has is more than enough to achieve those desired results that you want so much.
If you’re new to this and feel overwhelmed by how much information there is about grilling, this company got your back.
It has some of the most popular and tasty recipes on the back of the carrier. This way, if you’re not sure how to get started, you have a better understanding of how you should begin.
This is the perfect gift for that friend who is super into grilling. Or someone who is getting started and needs a helping hand. Either way, any chef would appreciate such a beautiful gift.
Highlighted Features
- Natural smoking wood
- Achieve restaurant-like results
- No harmful fillers
- Gets that desirable smoky flavor
- Comes with some recipes on the back
11. Western 78057 Oak Cooking Wood Chunks
If you care about the flavor, this is the ultimate smoking wood that you should use to get the best flavor you could possibly get.
Most people don’t like using weird chemicals when cooking. And it’s honestly understandable. A lot of people want to avoid eating something cooked using chemicals.
This is Western steps in to help you out. This cooking wood is 100% natural, so don’t worry about chemicals getting into your wood.
They’re also small enough, so they fit perfectly in your grill. Some grills can’t take on bigger wood chips as they’re simply not large enough.
Sometimes it makes your tray clog up and possibly ruin your day.
So, once again, Wester is here to help you through your cooking session. These wood chips are relatively small, perfectly fitting in your tray.
These cooking wood chunks add that wonderful smoke flavor that you often smell in those fancy restaurants. They can also be used in hundreds of grills and still get wonderful results.
It’s kiln-dried for better smoke. Some wood chunks have a lot of moisture on them, and it makes it quite hard to get a decent smoke.
So, to prevent this, Wester has already seasoned out their wood for better results.
Highlighted Features
- Small-sized chunks
- Stunning smokes
- Suitable for sausages, seafood, and vegetables
- All around wood for turkey smoking
- Adds a wood smoke flavor
12. Outset Kiln-Dried Hickory Wood Smoking Chips
This is the perfect complement for your grill. It keeps wood chips clean and fresh. And it’s also quite easy to store and not messy at all.
This is precisely what you need to make your food taste better. I mean, it has just about everything you need to grill like a professional.
The best thing about this product is just how easy it is to store. You don’t even need a professional storage room. As long as you keep somewhere in the cabinet, you should be good to go.
What we like about this product is how compatible it is. You can either use it on your smoking gun or your Beeville smoking gun.
The ideal apple wood for smoking turkey is the one that produces a great smoke flavor and aroma to your foods. That smoke is essential if you want to run a restaurant.
After all, the smell is what gets people in your restaurant. Or, if you are hosting some family meeting and want everyone to crave your food.
On top of being able to get stunning smokes to your food, they are reasonably easy to store, it’s not like you need to have a storage room or a garage.
You can simply store them in the cabinet, and they will remain clean and fresh for the next time that you decide to use them again.
Highlighted Features
- Easy storage
- No fillers
- It’s easy to use
- No pre-soak needed
- Clean and fresh wood chips
13. Montana Grilling Gear SC220-DEH Smoking Wood Chips
If you’re looking to give a wonderful taste to your meals but have no clue how to do so - this is your best bet.
These wood chips are organic, which gives that pleasing taste to your meat and turkey. So, even if you’re not that experienced, you’re still going to get great results.
There is another way to make your food taste even better. You simply have to soak the wood chips before you use them on your grill. You don’t have to, but it’s still nice to have for those who want even better results.
One of your primary concerns might be the smell. Wood chips that produce awful smells are a huge turn-off for most people. And it’s understandable.
Nobody wants to eat something that smells bad. However, these good chips produce a sweet, smoky flavor that feels nice.
They are also quite small. This is super helpful if your grill can’t take on big wood chips. And it also helps prevent your grill from getting clogged up.
Highlighted Features
- Make your food stand out
- Natural wood chips
- Great aroma
- It works just like magic
- Decent size wood chips
What to Look for While Buying Wood for Smoking Turkey?
There are a lot of things you must keep in mind when choosing the right wood chips for turkey. It’s not like you can go to a nearby store and pick the first one you see hanging on the wall.
But as hard as it might sound. We have made a list of the most efficient smoking woods available. We’ve also added a few tips that will help you pick up the right wood.
Clean Smoke
You are here for a reason; you want to get that smoky flavor you smell in professional restaurants. After all, the smell is pretty much what makes people buy food.
But what is the best way to make your smoking wood produce the right amount of smoke?
The best way to make sure you’re making the purchase is by making sure the wood has little to no moisture.
Good and Dry
One of the main things to always keep in mind when trying to choose from hundreds of smoking wood; is dry wood.
Dry lumber has had most of its moisture seasoned out by either using a heat process or age.
This is going to be incredibly helpful—perhaps the most useful thing when smoking.
Dry wood produces a great smoke, unlike those woods that have moisture and produce white and thin smoke. Clean smoke is what is going to give you the best flavor.
So, be sure to get the driest wood possible.
Natural Wood
Even though inhaling any type of wood for long periods can cause cancer, you should still be careful when buying wood chips. Also they produced huge ashes that needs to be cleaned.
It’s always best to choose natural woods over those that have a lot of chemicals on them.
Chips
Wood chips are generally used to create light smoke. This is quite helpful because some meats are quite delicate, and for those types of meats, you need to use lighter smoke.
They also burn a lot faster, so you’re going to find yourself replacing them quite often, but it’s worth the trade.
Chips are super-efficient, fast to burn, and still deliver decent flavor-rich results.
Splits
If you’re using wood as your primary source for heat, you should get hickory splits.
It is dry enough, and it burns incredibly well. They’re also accommodating for those times that you’re doing brisket or massive cuts of meat.
Chunks
Let’s say you’re going to be spending a lot of time doing ribs, or pork butts for 12 hours, then you should probably settle for the chunks.
They are going to give you that extra flavor you need—a little bit of extra burn and smoke for those big pieces of meat.
Types of Wood
Applewood
If you want more delicate results or even smaller cuts of meat, we recommend getting an apple wood for smoking turkey.
Apple woods are exquisite to add that subtle and beautiful color to your food. It’s also a good source for heat as it burns essentially well and can remain lit for quite a while.
Oak Wood
Oak is one of those woods that you can pretty much use in just about everything. It adds a great flavor to significant cuts of meat, such as brisket and pork shoulder.
And it burns for a long time, which is quite useful if you don’t want to be replacing them every so often.
Pecan Wood
A lot of people use pecan wood for smoking turkey as it adds a sweet flavor to your turkey. Some people just love that sweet flavor it adds.
So, if you are looking for that extra delicious flavor it has, this is ideal smoking wood for you.
Smoking Turkey Properly: How to do it?
Now that you have your grill and have chosen the right smoking wood. It’s time to get your hands dirty and cook a turkey like a pro.
So, here are the steps you need to carefully follow through to cook the perfect turkey for that holiday dinner.
Defrost your turkey
Always make sure to thaw the turkey before you put it on the smoker.
Sometimes you may have a pretty golden turkey on the outside, but on the inside, it could still be raw. So, make sure it is thawed for your next holiday dinner.
Steps to take
This method is relatively simple to do. So, here are the steps to defrost your turkey safely.
- Leave your frozen turkey in the refrigerator inside a large pot for 24 hours
- Do not try to defrost it outside. Instead, use your refrigerator
- This might take more time depending on how big it is
Use oil on the turkey
Once you have defrosted the turkey, you can rub oil all over it. You can also put a nice light coat of seasoning all over it.
Steps to take
This is to make your turkey as tasty as possible by merely adding oil and seasoning all over it.
- Rub it nicely all over the turkey
- Give it a few minutes before you season it
- Now put a light coat of seasoning all over it
Vegetables and fruits
For added deliciousness, you can stuff your turkey using vegetables and some fruits. Do not stuff your turkey until you are ready to get it on the smoker.
Steps to take
These steps are relatively simple to follow through. But they play a massive role in your turkey, so take as much time needed to stuff it properly.
- Make sure the turkey is completely thawed
- Remove the giblet package from the cavity
- Rinse it inside and out from the cavity
- And finally, put in some vegetables for extra flavor
Get it on the smoker
This is the last step, but it’s also the most time-consuming one. As you cook, you’re going to have to rotate it quite a few times.
Steps to take
You are going to be rotating the turkey quite frequently, so it does not burn on one side. So, be careful.
- Get it on the smoker
- Start with the front
- As you cook it, you need to rotate it
- Keep an eye on it, so the turkey does not get too dark on one side
- Keep cooking it until you see that beautiful golden color
- It usually takes about an hour to get it done. However, this heavily depends on how big the turkey is
Once you’ve gone after all these steps, you should be ready to enjoy a tasty turkey cooked using burned wood.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In this section, we attempt to answer some of the most common questions about turkeys that most people have.
1. Is pecan wood good for smoking turkey?
Pecan wood has a sweet and robust flavor than most fruitwoods. It is also tasty enough to be used with beef, pork, and cuts of meat.
2. Is hickory wood for smoking turkey?
Hickory is perfect for smoking turkey. It works like a charm when you’re using it as your leading source for heat.
3. Is mesquite wood for smoking turkey?
Mesquite wood burns incredibly well and provides a lot of smoke if you need to get that smoky flavor. We recommend using it for quick foods such as steaks and seafood.
4. Can you mix woods when smoking?
This is totally up to you, but you can mix woods when smoking. It’s possible to mix fruit woods with your regular smoking woods such as hickory and apple woods.
5. How long should I smoke a turkey?
This process heavily depends on how big your turkey is. But it usually takes about an hour before you can eat it.
You should also know that always opening the smoker will only lead to longer cooking times.
Conclusion
We have gone through a lot of information. So, take your time if you find it hard to follow.
Choosing the best wood for smoking turkey takes quite a bit of knowledge about woods to pick up the most efficient and reliable smoking wood.
As such, we have provided a few tips to keep in mind when choosing smoking wood. Knowing the type of wood you are about to get is incredibly helpful.
It helps you find out if it produces a good smoke or if it barely produces any smoke at all.
Knowing this is a must if you want your food to have that smoky flavor, you often smell when you go to those fancy restaurants.