Whether you’re roasting a turkey or giving it the royal treatment on the grill or smoker, it’s essential to use the right cooking temperature. Do you cook a turkey at 325 or 350 degrees, and what’s the reasoning behind the technique?
Do You Cook a Turkey at 325 or 350 Degrees?
You can use either of these temperatures when cooking a turkey. 325 degrees will yield more tender meat, while 350 degrees makes the turkey cook more quickly while imbuing it with a richer taste. If you’re using the smoker, it’s best to set the temperature lower to allow the smoke to do its work.
Why It Matters
When you prepare a whole turkey, the goal is to cook the meat to a safe temperature within a reasonable time frame without drying it out. While it sounds simple enough, it can be a tricky prospect in certain circumstances.
Finding the right cooking temperature is a step in the right direction. However, the oven or smoker might have a hard time retaining its heat, which can affect your results.
It stands to reason that a turkey will cook faster in a hotter environment. The question is, what effect will that have on the texture of the meat? That’s one of the issues we’re here to address.
Advantages of Cooking a Turkey at 325 Degrees
Many recipes for roasted turkey call for an oven temperature of 325. This allows the meat to retain its moisture while the skin turns crisp and golden brown.
A smoker temperature of 325 degrees will allow the turkey to absorb more smoke flavor. Since it will take longer to cook, you’ll have more hands-off time to attend to other matters, like preparing side dishes.
Smoking the bird at this temperature will also yield more tender meat and smooth skin. If these qualities rank high on your hit parade, this could be the right temperature for you.
An unstuffed turkey should cook at a rate of 15 minutes per pound in a 325-degree oven or smoker. Add about 5 minutes per pound if the bird is stuffed. For more information on whether or not you should stuff the turkey, see the section below.
Advantages of Cooking a Turkey at 350 Degrees
Cooking the bird at 350 degrees will get it across the finish line faster, so to speak. This comes in especially handy with turkeys that weigh 20 pounds or more.
The skin will brown up more quickly, too. This gives the cooked turkey an impressive appearance when it’s time to serve it. Proponents of the 350-degree method also claim that it gives the turkey a richer, meatier taste.
It’s important to test the internal temperature of the turkey at the estimated halfway point. This will give you some idea of when the meat might be finished cooking. When cooking at higher temps, this step is even more critical, as it helps avoid overcooking.
At this temperature, plan on a cooking time of 13 minutes per pound for unstuffed turkeys and 15 minutes per pound for stuffed birds.
What’s The Ideal Temperature For Smoking Turkey?
When roasting whole turkeys, we opt for an oven temperature of 325 degrees. If you want to fire up the smoker, however, you might want to aim even lower.
There’s nothing wrong with setting the smoker to 325. In fact, it will help you get the bird on the table more quickly, which is appealing to most folks.
Since we prefer a bolder smoke flavor, however, we like to set the smoker to 275 when we’re preparing a whole turkey—or even a turkey breast. The hotter the smoker is, the less you’ll notice the smoky taste.
If you opt to set the smoker to 275 degrees, aim for a total cooking time of 20 minutes for every pound of turkey. Increase that to 25 minutes per pound if you stuffed the bird.
Should I Stuff The Turkey Before Cooking It?
The answer to this question depends on your cooking method, as well as your personal preference.
For starters, it’s not a good idea to stuff turkeys when you’re planning on using the smoker to cook them. Although the turkey meat itself can benefit from a nice kick of smoky goodness, the stuffing will taste acrid and bitter from the exposure.
More importantly, the stuffing has to cook to the same safe internal temperature as the turkey itself. That means a thermometer probe inserted into the center of the stuffing has to read 165 degrees Fahrenheit at minimum.
This is true whether you smoke the turkey or roast it in the oven. However, since smoking is typically done at lower temperatures, it can be harder for the stuffing to cook to the proper temp by the time the bird is done.
Because of these food safety concerns, it’s easier to cook the bird unstuffed. If you want to give the stuffing a richer flavor, try adding the giblets to the mixture before you bake it.
What Size Turkey Should I Buy?
In general, you want to buy as much turkey as you need to serve all your guests. A per-person estimate of 1-1/4 pounds is standard, but we round up to 1-1/2 pounds when we want to plan on plenty of leftovers.
When smoking turkey, it’s better to stick to small birds whenever possible. Try to find turkeys that weigh in at 12 pounds or less.
What if that’s not enough meat to suit your needs? As long as your smoker is large enough, plan on buying two smaller turkeys and smoke them side by side. This will increase your total meat yield without affecting the cooking time.
If you plan on roasting the turkey, you can get away with buying a bigger specimen. Make sure your oven can accommodate it, especially if you’ll need to put side dishes on the upper rack while the bird is still cooking.
About Smoker Temperatures
It’s not unusual for your grill or smoker to run at different temps than the ones that are displayed. If the difference is a dramatic one, it could have a significant effect on your total cooking time.
It’s more common for smokers to run on the cooler side than it is for them to run too hot. This is likely because the temps can be affected by windy or cold conditions, especially if the construction is on the flimsy side.
If you have a smoker that tends to run erratically, consider adjusting the temperature accordingly. Smokers that consistently run below the target temperature should be set 10 or 15 degrees higher. If yours runs too hot, try setting it at a lower temperature.
Can You Cook Turkey at 400 Degrees?
In theory, you can set the oven or smoker to 400 degrees when cooking turkey. In practice, this method presents a few problems.
It can be tempting to crank up the temperature in the interest of cooking the turkey more quickly. A temperature of 400 degrees, though, may cause more issues than it resolves.
First of all, the skin of the turkey will crisp up too fast when the oven is this hot. By the time the meat is cooked through, it will probably burn, which gives the turkey a bitter flavor.
You’re also more likely to overcook the bird if you cook it at 400 degrees. This will toughen up the meat, ruining one of the best qualities that turkey has to offer.
Also, bear in mind that there’s little point in using the smoker if you set the temperature this high. The cooking time will be so brief, the turkey won’t have a chance to absorb much smoke.
If you want to cook poultry at a high temperature, save the technique for a chicken that weighs between 3 and 4 pounds. You can get away with cooking chickens this small at 400 or even 425 degrees, assuming you keep an eye on the internal temp to avoid overcooking.
Recommended Internal Temperature For Turkey
Cook the breast meat until it hits an internal temperature of 160 degrees. At this point, you can take it off the heat and set it aside to rest. During the resting period, the temperature should rise to the USDA-recommended target of 165 degrees.
It’s safe to eat the dark meat at 165 as well, but we don’t recommend it. The meat is too stringy and rubbery at this point. For leg and thigh meat that’s silky and tender, cook these portions to 180 degrees before taking them off the heat to rest.
When you position the turkey with the breasts facing away from the heat source, they may reach their target temp at the same time as the dark meat. If the breasts are done cooking sooner, carve them off and set them aside, then return the rest of the turkey to the oven or smoker.
Other Useful Tips
Invest in a reliable meat thermometer. While you can use basic guidelines to help you estimate when the turkey might be done, the only way to tell for sure is to test the temperature in the thickest portion of the breast and in the thigh beside the wing bone.
If you baste, don’t overdo it. This is more of an issue with roasted turkeys, since we prefer to put the bird right on the cooking grate when we use the smoker. But opening and closing the oven too often will lower the temperature and prolong the cooking time.
Check the internal temperature of the breast and thigh meat at the estimated halfway point. This should let you know whether the turkey will be cooked in time or not.
Save the foil. If you cover the turkey with foil from the beginning, the skin won’t brown up as well. It’s permissible to tent the breasts with foil to prevent them from overcooking toward the end, but wait until their internal temp reaches 150 degrees.
Remember to rest. Neglecting the resting period will result in dry meat, as the cooking juices will spill out onto the carving station. Rest a turkey for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour, depending on the size of the bird.
Final Thoughts
Do you cook a turkey at 325 or 350? We prefer to go lower, especially when putting the bird on the smoker. But in the end, the choice is yours.
Happy grilling!
