How long to smoke a turkey breast at 275

When you roast a turkey, there’s a good chance you set the oven to 325 degrees. That’s the preferred temp for roasting, because it seals in the juices and cooks the bird within a reasonable time frame.

But for smoking, it’s better to set the temp a bit lower. That’s where this guide comes in. Let’s talk about how long to cook a turkey at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for optimum results.

How Long To Cook a Turkey at 275

When smoking a turkey at 275 degrees, expect the meat to cook at a rate of 20-25 minutes per pound. If the smoker runs on the cooler side, or if you’ve stuffed the turkey beforehand, it will take a bit longer for the turkey to cook through. On the other hand, an unstuffed turkey in a smoker with good heat retention will cook more quickly.

Why It’s Important

You want to select the correct cooking temperature no matter what you’re making. But when it comes to smoked meats and poultry in particular, this choice is even more critical.

Meat that’s held for too long at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees can become a breeding ground for hazardous bacteria. For this reason, that 40-to-140-degree range is known as “the danger zone.”

Although cooking the meat to a safe temperature (see below) will destroy these bacteria, the cooked meat will still be at risk once it cools below 140 degrees. This is why you have to refrigerate all leftovers within 2 hours at most.

If you set the smoker too low, the meat will stay in the danger zone for a perilous amount of time. That’s the main reason why you should aim for a cooking temperature that works best for the cut of meat you’ve chosen—in this case, turkey.

At What Temperature is Turkey Considered Done?

All poultry is technically safe to eat once it’s cooked to 165 degrees. This applies to ground chicken and turkey as well as whole muscle cuts.

This temperature works well for the breast meat, which is the only white meat on the turkey. Since the breast is very lean, it might dry out if you cook it too far past 165 degrees.

The meat on the legs and thighs, meanwhile, is richer and fattier. We think it’s better to cook these portions to 180-185 degrees. Otherwise, they may have a rubbery or stringy texture.

Try to position the turkey so that the breast portion faces away from the heat source. That way, the dark and white meat might reach their optimum temperatures at about the same time.

If it appears that the breasts are cooking too quickly, you can tent them with foil partway through the smoke. Don’t do it too early, though, or you’ll run the risk of rubbery skin. It will also cut down on the smoke flavor.

Why We’ve Chosen 275 Degrees

Long-time readers may be aware that we recommend a smoker temperature of 225 degrees for many cuts. Pork shoulder, pork butt, spare ribs, and beef brisket should all cook at this temperature so that the fat and connective tissue have a chance to break down.

Turkey, by contrast, is leaner. The meat doesn’t need the low and slow treatment in order to turn out tender and juicy. That’s why you can get away with roasting it at 325 degrees—or even at 350 or 375.

Of course, if you’re putting the meat on the smoker, you also want to make sure that it absorbs a nice hit of wood smoke. Otherwise, you might as well just cook it in the oven.

We’ve found that 275 degrees represents a good compromise. The turkey will take on enough smoke flavor to be noticeable without overpowering the meat. At the same time, it should cook fast enough to rise out of the danger zone before you have to worry about that.

How Long To Cook a Turkey at 275 Degrees: A Guide

The length of the smoke depends on more than just the smoker temperature. You also need to take the turkey’s weight into account.

Most turkeys that are packaged for sale weigh 18 to 20 pounds on average. The weight of a single bird can range from 7 to 30 pounds, give or take. Since heavier turkeys take longer to cook, this means you could be waiting for quite a while.

Try to find a turkey that weighs between 10 and 12 pounds when you’re using the smoker. That way, the meat will be done sooner. If you can’t find a bird this small, just make sure your smoker is capable of accommodating a bigger one.

When your smoker is set to 275 degrees, plan on cooking the turkey at a rate of 20 to 25 minutes per pound. Smokers that run on the cooler side will prolong the process, while units with good heat retention should keep the cooking time to 20 minutes per pound.

Remember that these are only estimates. The only way to make sure that the turkey is cooked is to test the internal temperature using an instant-read meat thermometer. When the breasts are at 160 and the dark meat at 180, you can take the bird off the heat.

We would recommend testing the temperature at the estimated halfway point. This should give you a general idea of how things are progressing.

For example, if you’re smoking a 12-pound turkey, it should cook for 4 to 5 hours at 275. Test the temps of both the breast and thigh meat after about 2-1/2 hours. If they’re getting close to 160, you can expect the bird to be done sooner rather than later.

Other Considerations

There are a couple of other factors to bear in mind. First of all, you can reduce the per-pound estimate for very large turkeys. If yours weighs more than 18 pounds, plan on a cooking time of 15 to 18 minutes per pound.

Also, note that you’ll need to increase the cooking time if the bird is stuffed. Add about 5 minutes per pound to your estimate when you’ve opted to fill the cavity with stuffing beforehand.

One caveat: We usually don’t stuff the turkey if we’re putting it on the smoker. The wood smoke will complement the meat nicely, but it imparts a strange bitter quality to stuffing.

Also, remember that the stuffing also needs to cook to 165 degrees if it’s come into contact with the raw poultry. It can take even longer for the stuffing to heat to the proper temp, especially if the turkey is very large.

Instead of filling the cavity with a bread crumb mixture, opt for aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Citrus fruits are another nice choice, especially if you’re using fruit woods to smoke the turkey.

The Bottom Line

We prefer to use a smoker temperature of 275 for whole turkeys. It might take longer to cook than it would if you’d roasted the meat in the oven, but smoking requires patience no matter what cut you’re using.

We would recommend setting the smoker to 275 degrees the first time you attempt to smoke a whole turkey. If the results aren’t to your liking, feel free to experiment with a higher temp next time.

Best of luck, and happy grilling!