As hard as we try to estimate the correct cooking time, every cut of meat cooks at a different pace. This is especially true when it comes to low-and-slow cooking applications like smoking.
If your turkey reaches the ideal serving temperature a few hours before you planned to serve the meat, is there anything you can do to preserve it? Fortunately, there is. Here’s our ultimate guide on how to keep a smoked turkey warm while you’re waiting.
How To Keep a Smoked Turkey Warm
The best way to keep a smoked turkey warm for several hours is to fill a cooler with hot water, then dump out the water and line the cooler with clean towels. Wrap the smoked turkey in aluminum foil, then place it inside. You can also use a low oven, but this method will cause the meat to dry out more quickly.
Why It’s Important
When you want to serve your turkey warm, it’s better to keep it from cooling off in the first place. While you can certainly reheat a smoked turkey if you have no choice, the meat will have a superior texture when it’s freshly cooked.
There are safety issues to keep in mind as well. Turkey isn’t considered safe to eat until it’s cooked to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. At these temps, the bacteria that cause food poisoning can’t survive for more than a few seconds.
Once the meat has reached this safe temperature, it should be held above 140 degrees. The temperature range between 40 and 140 degrees serves as a breeding ground for bacteria. It’s best not to leave cooked meat in this range for longer than an hour or two.
Your goal, then, is to make sure the cooked turkey stays within the safe temperature range between 140 and 165. If the breast meat heats past 165, it will begin to dry out. But if the temperature dips too low, you could be facing food safety concerns.
How To Estimate Cooking Times
If you want your turkey to be finished cooking around a certain time, your first step is to make an estimate based on the size of the turkey and the smoker temperature.
When preparing a whole turkey on the smoker, we like to aim for a smoker temperature of 275 degrees. At this temperature, the bird should reach the optimum internal temp at a rate of 20 to 25 minutes per pound.
Setting the smoker to 300 degrees will put the per-pound rate around 18 to 20 minutes. If you want to save a little bit of time while still yielding that delicious smoke flavor, a 300-degree smoker could help you get there.
If you were to increase the heat to 325 degrees, you could estimate about 15 minutes of cooking time for every pound of turkey. We don’t suggest setting the smoker temp any higher than this, though, or the meat won’t have enough time to absorb the smoke.
What’s The Best Size Turkey For Smoking?
Since you’ll probably be using a lower temperature than you would if you were roasting the bird in the oven, the cooking process for smoked turkey can be a long one.
This is especially true for larger turkeys. If you were to attempt to smoke a 22-pound bird at 275 degrees, it could take between 7 and 9 hours for the meat to achieve a safe internal temperature.
For this reason, we prefer to stick to below-average sized turkeys for smoking. If you can find turkeys that weigh between 10 and 12 pounds, you’re on the right track.
If a bird that size won’t yield enough meat to serve everyone on your guest list, try smoking two turkeys together. Of course, you’ll first need to be sure that your smoker is configured to accommodate them both.
In some ways, it’s easier to smoke two turkeys at the same time than it is to smoke a single larger bird. Small turkeys are more manageable to handle, and they’ll cook through faster to boot.
That said, we understand that it can be hard to find turkeys that weigh 12 pounds or less, especially if you restrict your search to the frozen variety. If this is the case, don’t worry. In theory, you can choose a turkey of any size as long as it fits on your smoker.
How To Keep a Turkey Warm Without Drying Out
Let’s say you’ve made your estimates, kept an eye on the smoker temperature, and watched that internal temperature probe—only to have the bird finish cooking several hours before your planned serving time. What can you do to preserve the results of your hard work?
First of all, we should remind you that the turkey will need to rest for a brief period of time anyway. If it’s done about an hour or so before you want to start carving, you don’t have anything to worry about. Just tent it with foil until you’re ready to start.
For waiting periods of longer than one hour, set the turkey in a roasting pan and cover it tightly with foil. As an alternative, you can wrap it in a double layer of foil. This works best if you’re using the faux Cambro method (see below).
At this point, you have a few options. You can lower the smoker temperature to 200 and put the wrapped bird back inside to keep it warm. While convenient, this method isn’t the best use of resources, since the smoke won’t be able to penetrate the foil.
One alternative would be to set the oven to its lowest possible temperature, then place the turkey inside while you wait. Many units only go as low as 180 degrees, but if yours can be set to 150, use that setting to keep the turkey warm.
Be forewarned that holding a turkey in a 200 degree oven will cause it to dry out within a couple of hours. Even when the oven is set to 150, you run the risk of overcooking the meat if you leave it in there too long.
Our favorite technique—especially if you need to wait two or more hours—involves keeping the smoked meat in a preheated cooler. We’ll provide a full step-by-step tutorial on this method in the section below.
How To Keep Turkey in Cooler After Cooking
The “faux Cambro” method involves keeping a large cut of meat in a preheated cooler until you’re ready to serve it. While it’s a well-known technique for smoked brisket and pulled pork, it can also be enlisted for smoked turkey.
A Cambro is an insulated tub that caterers and chefs use to keep food warm. It’s not necessary to invest in one for home use, though. You can mimic the effect with a regular cooler, clean towels, and plenty of aluminum foil.
If it looks like your turkey is going to be ready too early, wash out your cooler and fill it with hot water. The cooler will need to be big enough to hold the turkey with the lid closed. In fact, you might want to keep a special cooler just for these purposes.
Once you’ve filled the cooler, close the lid and wait about 30 minutes before dumping out the water. At this point, you can either line the interior with clean towels, or use a towel to wrap the turkey itself (assuming the bird is already wrapped in foil).
Pro Tip: It’s usually better to line the cooler with towels when dealing with larger turkeys, as the towel might not be big enough to encase the whole bird. If the turkeys are smaller, wrap them in the towels instead of lining the cooler.
Place the wrapped turkey in the prepared cooler and secure the lid. You should have at least 4 hours before the turkey’s internal temperature starts to drift back into the danger zone. If you have a well-insulated cooler, it might stay warm for even longer.
Other Tips
Don’t carve the turkey until the last minute. It’s a lot harder to keep the meat warm once it’s been carved into slices and smaller parts.
Make a gravy or pan sauce and serve it piping hot alongside the turkey. This will reheat and rehydrate the slices—and provide excellent flavor and texture.
Remember to let the turkey rest for 20 to 30 minutes, even if you’ve been keeping it warm in a cooler or low oven. The juices will still need time to redistribute before carving.
Refrigerate leftover cooked turkey within 2 hours.
To keep leftover sliced turkey from drying out, cover it with a thin layer of sauce or gravy before putting it in the fridge.
Freeze or consume any leftovers within 3 to 4 days. Once frozen, cooked turkey should keep indefinitely, but it will retain its texture better if you thaw and reheat it within 2 to 3 months.
Final Thoughts
Wrapping a turkey in foil will keep it warm for a while, but you may need to enlist the aid of the oven or a preheated cooler as well. The oven should work for a couple of hours, while the faux Cambro is a better technique if you need more time.
Happy grilling!
