Give your oven a break this year by making a deliciously different Za’atar Dijon Smoked Turkey! Perfect alongside salt-roasted sweet potatoes, roasted red cabbage, and maple tahini acorn squash, fire up the Cuisinart Twin Oaks Pellet & Gas Grill to make holiday cooking so much easier. Take traditional Thanksgiving staples and give them a wonderful Mediterranean twist this year!
Why Make This Smoked Turkey
The obvious reason being, of course, to save that oven space!
- Using the smoker allows you greater control of temperature and time, giving you the ability to add more smokiness at a lower temperature, but also brown the skin by turning the temperature up.
- Two meat probes allow you to monitor the temperature in the two most important spots: breast and thigh, without having to open the lid and create unwanted temperature variance.
- The marinade goes on right before cooking, so excess brining isn’t necessary!
What’s In The Dijon Sauce?
This dijon sauce is super simple and flavorful, using only:
- rich dijon mustard
- olive oil
- za’atar seasoning
- lime zest
- salt & pepper
That’s it! It seems too easy, right? But I promise you don’t need anything crazy for this smoked Thanksgiving turkey.
How To Smoke Za’atar Dijon Turkey
This is what I love most about my Cuisinart Twin Oaks Pellet & Gas Grill: the ability to control the temperature and smoke!
I went with the higher temperature of 325 for this bird so that cooking time would be reduced, the skin would get a little crisper, and I would get just a smidge of smoky flavor without it overpowering the marinade.
If you want more of that delicious smokiness, I would recommend going with a lower temperature of around 225 degrees. At that temperature, it takes about 30 minutes per pound, or roughly 6 hours for a 12-pound turkey. It’s good to know rough timing, and at 325 degrees it takes about 15 minutes per pound, or about 3 hours for a 12-pound turkey. But in reality, timing can vary, so utilizing meat probes to monitor the temperature of the thickest portions will ensure proper cooking.
No matter the day, no matter the weather, you can get your Thanksgiving (or any holiday) on in delicious style while saving that precious oven space by cooking your dinner right on the grill! Enjoy the amazing flavors of the Mediterranean for an exotic twist on a traditional dinner lineup!
Za'atar Dijon Smoked Turkey
Ingredients
- 12 lbs turkey
- ½ cup dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons za'atar seasoning
- 3 limes zested and halved
- 1 sweet yellow onion halved and quartered
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the pellet side of the Cuisinart Twin Oaks Pellet & Gas Grill to 325 degrees.
- Gently rinse and pat dry turkey and place into a roasting pan, then whisk together the dijon mustard, olive oil, za'atar seasoning, and lime zest. Coat entire turkey with marinade, then stuff the inside with as much of the lime halves and onion quarters and thyme sprigs as possible, surrounding the outside of the turkey with the remaining lime, onion, and thyme sprigs. Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper, then place meat probes into the thickest portions of the breast and thigh.
- Place turkey in the smoker and plug in meat probes. Close the lid and let smoke until the lowest temperature meat probe reaches 165 degrees, about 3 hours for a 12-pound turkey. For browner, crispier skin, turn the heat up to 350 degrees when the lowest temperature probe reaches 155 degrees. Remove turkey from smoker and let sit for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
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