You can’t deny the deliciousness of a smoked turkey, one of the best foods not just for Thanksgiving or Christmas but for the entire year. Although its smoky flavor adds a unique texture and deliciousness to any BBQ, cooking turkey may necessitate extra care due to the dry nature of its meat. On the other hand, smoking a turkey can enhance its deliciousness and juicy texture. As a result, you must select some of the best wood to smoke the turkey.
Finding the best pellets for smoking turkey differs from finding regular firewood or smoking wood for your regular BBQ. There are numerous types of woods available on the market for various applications.
There are wood pellets, wood chips, and wood chunks, with pellets being best used in a small smoker. Similarly, wood chips and chunks are available for larger smokers that require a longer burn time than pellets. In my opinion, the best wood for smoking pulled pork, ribs, and other meat cuts must have a few peculiar features. My experience in words will guide you through selecting the best wood to smoke turkey, pork, or beef cuts.
Top 6 best wood chips for smoking turkey- Reviews & Top Picks
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | RATING | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
EDITORS CHOICE
 | Zorestar Wood Chips
| 9.2 | Check on AmazonCheck on BestBuy |
BUDGET PICK
 | Weber Apple Wood
| 9.4 | Check on AmazonCheck on Walmart |
PREMIUM PICK
 | Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend
| 9.2 | Check on WalmartRead Full Review |
 | Traeger Grills Signature Blend Wood Chips
| 9.6 | Check on AmazonCheck on Ebay |
 | Western BBQ Smoking Wood Chips
| 9.6 | Check on AmazonCheck on Ebay |
 | Oklahoma Joe’s Wood Smoker Chips
| 9.4 | Check on AmazonCheck on Ebay |
1. Traeger Grills Signature Blend Wood Chips – best Traeger pellets for turkey
Specifications:
Traeger grills are currently one of the best-smoked wood and my favorite producers in the market. Their signature blend of flavored wood pellets to smoke turkey, pork, beef, and lamb is a combination of four different types of wood. The turkey barbequed over the wood is just irresistible for me.
The hardwoods like apple, cherry, and maple blend well to create the ideal smoky flavor for your whole turkey, pork, and beef. These pellets are mostly suitable for meat or vegetables, but they taste especially good with turkey and pork.
These are American-made pellets with equal taste and the perfect blend to make them special for turkey and the best wood pellets for smoking brisket, ribs, and other mighty meat cuts.
Traeger spent a significant amount of time developing the smoke pellets made in uneven sizes to provide balance and smooth burning.
The combination of all these sweet and aromatic trees gives your meat the perfect sweetness and flavor that has never let you down on Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Traeger grill signature blend is made with all-natural wood, producing less ash and providing a clean burn to fill your BBQ party’s food with the perfect aroma.
Its ideal moisture content ensures consistency and clean blue smoke, which adds an aromatic smoky flavor to your food.
- The right amount of moisture provides dependable burn
- Cheaper than other options
- Signature blend that is suitable for any meat
- Pure hardwood taste
- Moisture decreases when used for the second time
Traeger owns its mills throughout the United States to provide the best products for you. Their signature blend combines four different types of hardwood in one pack to give your food the best aromatic smoky flavor. As a result, this product is not only the best wood for smoking pork butts but also other popular cuts, particularly turkey.
2. Zorestar Wood Chips
Specifications:
Zorestar wood chips are specially designed to add aromatic, smoky flavors to your grilling experience. Being a die-hard fan of BBQs, I always try different woods to treat my taste buds. The Zorestar is my all-time favorite as it can enhance the taste and add an aroma to the food that will make you smell the food from a mile.
This is one of the best pellets for smoking turkey, pork, beef, and fish, and it comes with four different types of natural wood chips in a pack. These six types each have a unique flavor combination for your BBQ plan. Natural wood, particularly apple and cherry, adds a perfect fruity flavor when smoking ribs, brisket, or a whole turkey.
I took the woods for outdoor grills as well as for indoors. These perfectly sized wood chips fit perfectly in small smokers or even larger grills. Furthermore, these wood chips work well in gas, electric, and BBQ grills.
These chips are equally suitable for use in a fireplace or at a campsite. Yes, you can include a fruity smoked blend in your hunting reward.
Many wood chips and pellets do not come in environmentally friendly packaging. However, its packaging is environmentally friendly, allowing you to save it for future use in starting a fire. Their packing texture, too, encourages burning and the easy start of a fire in the middle of nowhere that does not harm our ecosystem.
Zorestar wood chips are natural and do not enclose any synthetic flavors. Their apple wood chips are best for turkey, cherry wood chips are best for pork butts and briskets, alder wood chips are best for fish, and oaks are best for beefsteaks.
- Fruity flavor with apple and cherry wood
- Reasonable price
- Healthy due to all-natural wood
- Pure taste without any artificial flavor
- Eco-friendly packaging
- Moisture reduces as the packaging doesn’t contain any seal
Zorestar promises to be more than just a smoking wood. I feel lucky as they introduced a pack of various types of wood that allows you to create your flavor by combining different wood chips. This product is not only for smoking turkey but is the best wood chips for ribs, brisket, and other popular meat cuts.
3. Western BBQ Smoking Wood Chips
Specifications:
Western BBQ is available in various pack bundles with four different wood flavors. In my list of the best wood to smoke a turkey, Western BBQ wood chips come out on top.
The pack has four distinct types of wood. Apple, mesquite, hickory, and cherry are some of the woods used. We enjoyed the great smoky flavor while smoking a whole turkey at a friend’s bachelor party. We used a combination of wood chips from apple, cherry, and hickory.
We tried this flavor for the first time, and let me tell you, the flavor of turkey was incredible. However, we created a flavor to add more sweetness to our cooked bird. (You are free to create your combination)
These wood chips are also excellent for smoking pork shoulder and other popular cuts, in addition to turkey. The variety of wood types allows you to create different variations to create the best possible taste based on your preferences.
Western BBQ wood chips are made entirely of natural wood and contain no artificial flavors. You will notice a distinct wood flavor in your meal, elevating your smoking experience to a new level.
The chip size is ideal for small electric smokers, gas grills, or outdoor cooking. Although their price is slightly higher than that of other available products, these wood chips are worth the money because they add all-natural flavors to the food.
Finally, let’s talk about its packaging. I am impressed with the manufacturers. These wood chips come with an easy-to-use bag to keep the chips perfectly moist. You do not need to moisten these smoking wood chips; open and fire up the wood.
- Worth money
- Different wood type allows you a different taste
- Easy to use with good packing
- Good taste with all-natural wood.
- A bit expensive against other similar products
In a smoking wood field, Western requires no introduction. Their smoking wood chips are of the highest quality, made entirely of natural wood with no chemicals added. As a result, this is one of the six best kinds of wood to smoke a turkey on my list.
4. Weber Apple Wood
Specifications:
Weber, smoking applewood chips, is next on my list of the best wood to smoke a turkey. A sweet and fruity flavor is required for an outdoor dinner with a whole smoked turkey. Weber’s applewood adds the necessary fruity flavor to the dry-natured turkey meat.
Although Weber offers five other flavors, their applewood is the best for turkeys. Cherry, hickory, mesquite, and pecan are the other four flavors.
They launched their product at a lower price point, providing a non-stop smoking experience with ease of use. My family and my social circle are all crazy about smoked turkey. Therefore, I can not get together without BBQ s. Hence, I have to buy the wood in bulk for hours without draining my budget.
Natural wood is used to make all wood chips, with no chemicals or artificial flavors added. These wood chips are made in a way that is beneficial to your health.
Good-sized moisture provides consistent and clean smoke. Wood chips are designed to be used in small smokers and for electric and gas grills.
- Fair price
- Best for turkey with apple flavor
- Best for outdoor cooking
- Healthy with no chemical influence Cons:
- Reseal option could be added to preserve the taste for second use
Although Weber introduced other smoking wood flavors, their best wood for smoking turkey is applewood, providing sweet and fruity flavor with health.
5. Oklahoma Joe’s Wood Smoker Chips
Specifications:
Oklahoma Joe’s is a dependable source of smoke wood. These wood chips are available in three flavors: cherry, apple, and mesquite. The 2lb pack contains high-quality wood chips that will give your food the perfect mild fruity flavor.
Three flavors allow you to smoke any meat, including fish, poultry, pork, and beef. Different types of wood can be used for different types of meat. Applewood chips, for example, are ideal for smoking turkey and pork. Cherry wood flavor enhances the flavor of fish, poultry, and pork. In addition, Mesquite is the best wood for smoking ribs, brisket, and other popular beef cuts.
These chips are used in small smokers, gas, and electric grills in size. While using them at a BBQ party once, we noticed the long-lasting burn from other similar products.
These wood chips are made entirely of natural wood, resulting in an extremely pure and authentic wood flavor. Using them in a gas or electric grill is a fantastic combination.
Although these are more expensive options, they are worthwhile because they add a mild, fruity, smoked flavor to your food. Three flavors allow you to create combinations for various types of food.
- Mild fruity flavor with apple and cherry wood chips
- Best for turkey and pork with apple, cherry apple wood
- Easy to use as they are perfectly moisturized
- Pure wood tastes in foods as all the wood is natural
- Cannot provide very high flame
Oklahoma Joe’s wood chips are among the best wood-to-smoke turkeys with long-lasting burn features and a perfect woody aroma. Although its price is a bit higher, the quality of the product allows it to be added to the list of the best pellet flavor for turkey.
6. Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend
Specifications:
Bear Mountain offers an outstanding product for smoking your food with a rich woody flavor. These are the best wood pellets for pizza, pork, beef, seafood, and, most notably, turkey.
Natural hardwood is used to make these wood pellets. These smoked wood pellets contain no binders or fillers. Natural hardwood from hickory, maple, cherry, and oak trees is used, which provides the perfect sweetness to your food and takes your BBQ to the next level.
Because of the long burn time of these pellets, all of the hardwood provides a perfect base and tenderness in long cooks. I experienced it at my friend’s pre-wedding dinner, and the whole night it was burning without dropping the flames.
Pellets are suitable for all types of gas, electric, and charcoal smokers and grills. When you use Bear Mountain smoke pellets, wood logs, chunks, or chips, they do not affect your indoor or outdoor BBQ operations.
These pellets are made without the use of any additional chemicals. That makes sense for a smoke that is pure and flawless. In addition to the gourmet blend, you can order pellets made from various hardwoods to create your custom flavor combinations.
- Versatile pack sizes
- Affordable than other similar options
- Perfectly moisturized pellets for the perfect smoke
- Option of a wide range custom flavor combination
- It runs out of stock soon
Bear Mountain is a secret to many of the steak houses in the USA as they provide a range of custom flavor smoke for your food. The type of wood is the best wood for smoking pork ribs, butts, and pork shoulders, as well as chicken and turkey. Its long-range custom flavor feature adds to the 5 best pellets for turkey list.
Buying Guide
While looking for the best wood to smoke turkey and other meats, you must consider a few facts. The impact of wood on the meat’s flavor and aroma is very important. The overly smoked and intolerable wood smoke will make your food inedible. Similarly, extreme evaporation also makes your meat tasteless. Therefore selecting the perfect wood for a specific food is a must to treat your buds and relax your appetite.
Identifying the best smoke for turkey
Smoked turkey is one of the best foods for Christmas or Thanksgiving and everyday consumption. The smoke to the bird may take the sweetness and flavors to the next level. However, you should choose mild smoke wood options such as apple, cherry, maple, and so on. Going for strong flavors like mesquite, for example, may ruin the original flavor of the bird.
Wood Pellets, Wood Chunks, or Wood Chips
It all depends on your grill and grilling location. However, wood pellets burn for a shorter period than other options. They are best for small items or smoking for a shorter period. Wood chips burn for a longer period, giving you more time to smoke your meat. Similarly, wood chunks add to the burn time. These options, however, are also dependent on the size of your grill or smoker. In a small smoker, using wood chunks is difficult. Chunks of wood are ideal for ribs, briskets, and pork shoulders.
Woods to Avoid
Turkey meat has a great flavor, and try to use woods with mild flavors. However, you should avoid using wood with a strong flavor because it will completely ruin the original flavor of the turkey. Similarly, you should avoid woods with a strong flavor. That is all about taste; you should go for it if you enjoy these intense flavors.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the perfect time to smoke a turkey?
You should smoke a turkey for almost 30 minutes at a temperature of 225°F. When your turkey reaches 165°F, it should be ready.
2. Should I soak wood chips before burning them?
Well, it depends upon the choice of the person. Some people recommend this, and some do not. However, it would help if you didn’t soak it before burning it to get pure wood flavor into it.
3. Is maple wood good to smoke a turkey?
Maple has a mildly sweet flavor of smoke. Blending maple with cherry, apple or oak makes a perfect combo to smoke your turkey.
4. Can I smoke pork and turkey with the same wood?
The best wood for smoking pork butts is equally good for smoking turkey. But it depends upon you what do you like. Similarly, the best wood pellets for pizza are equally good if you like the flavor
Final Verdict
Finding the best wood to smoke turkey may annoy you when you have to prepare it for your loved ones and provide them with the best flavor. As a result, this article is an experienced overview of wood for smoked turkey.
While cooking, smoking a turkey requires patience and the perfect blending of smoke wood. You can mix different flavors to make your own, or you can choose a pre-made combination from the shop.
We picked some of the best wood to smoke turkey and listed them below.
- Traeger Grills Signature Blend
- Western BBQ Smoking Wood Chips
- Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend
If you want to use already available combinations, go for Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend or Traeger Grills Signature Blend, but if you want to make your combination go for Western BBQ Smoking Wood Chips. These names ensure the quality.
However, you can read the pros, cons, and key features to make your own decision to choose the best wood for smoking turkey breast.
