Easy Turkey Recipes & Ideas

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Sweet, tangy, and succulent thanks to Rodney Scott’s smoky dry rub and spicy mopping sauce, this turkey is easy to tackle on a kamado-style cooker. While Scott swears by the thermal qualities of a ceramic grill, this turkey can also be cooked in a kettle grill or smoker at 225 until it reaches an internal temperature of 155F or roasted in the oven at 325F (cook times will vary).

How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey

Cooking a Thanksgiving turkey is tricky at best, so take heed: If you want to bring a bronzed beauty of a bird to the table, arm yourself with this essential intel.

Chipotle Mayonnaise-Roasted Turkey

Food & Wine's Justin Chapple flavors mayonnaise with smoky chipotle chiles, then spreads it under the skin and all over the outside of a turkey before roasting. It yields super-juicy, delicious meat that's perfect for any holiday meal.

Salt & Pepper Spatchcocked Turkey

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this turkey from F&W’s Justin Chapple. Salt and pepper are all you need when the meat is juicy and tender. Because it’s spatchcocked (the backbone is removed and the bird is flattened before cooking), the skin is supremely crisp and it roasts in nearly half the time as traditional versions.

Simple Smoked Turkey

Smoking a turkey yields juicy and tender meat. The keys to success are seasoning the bird with a dead-simple saltwater brine, then controlling the temperature of the smoker for even cooking. The added bonus of smoking the Thanksgiving turkey? It frees up the oven for sides and pies. For instructions on how to prepare this recipe on a kettle grill, go here.

Dry-Brined Spatchcocked Turkey

A dry brine is not only an easier technique, but it also results in crispier skin and more flavorful meat than a classic wet brine. Those final six to 12 hours of drying will ensure crackling, crispy skin.

More Turkey

Turkey Schnitzel

At her restaurant Vic’s in New York City, chef Hillary Sterling hosts a joyful Passover feast, for which she makes this extra crispy turkey schnitzel. Keep lean turkey breast moist and flavorful by giving them the cutlet treatment. A meat mallet makes pounding thin cutlets easy, but a rolling pin is a fine substitute. Pound gently to avoid tearing. If you plan to make this recipe as part of your own Passover meal, substitute matzo meal for the rice flour to keep the recipe kosher.

Essential Smoked Turkey

Smoke, spice, and acid team up to deliver the best smoked turkey you’ve ever tasted. This bird starts its flavor-building journey in a fragrant brine infused with ginger, cardamom, star anise, garlic, and lemon which penetrates and tenderizes the meat. After brining, an herb butter stuffed under the skin sets the turkey up for some beautiful self-basting action, introducing some much-needed fat to the typically lean meat. Finally, the heat and pressure from the smoker push all of these flavors deeper into the turkey, yielding a stunningly burnished bird that will be the talk of your table. Not in the mood for a whole bird? Use this same recipe for two turkey breasts to yield a week or two of amazing sandwiches. Be sure to keep an eye on the temperature inside your smoker and adjust the vents as needed to ensure even cooking.