Smoked Turkey on a Ninja Grill

Smoked turkey on a platter with fresh sage and cranberries.

5 from 5 votes

Smoked Turkey on a Ninja Grill

You CAN cook a whole turkey on a Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill if you follow one simple step. And it cooks in less than 2 hours.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 30

Resting TIme30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Christie Vanover

Ingredients

12 lb whole turkey thawed
1/2 cup butter softened
2 tbsp yellow mustard
3 tbsp turkey rub

Instructions

Dry: Remove the turkey from the packaging. Remove the organs and neck. Pat the turkey dry.
Remove Backbone: Flip the turkey so the breast side is down. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and discard. Flip the turkey back over and press it down with the palm of your hand.
Butter: Run your hand under the skin along the breast meat to loosen the skin. Spread softened butter under the skin.
Season: Rub yellow mustard on the turkey. This will act as a binder. Sprinkle turkey rub all over on top of the mustard. Tie the legs together.
Program Grill: Set the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL Grill to the smoker function. Set the temperature to 350F degrees and the time to 2 hours. Add pellets if you want woodfire flavor. (No need to preheat the grill)
Smoke: Add the turkey breast side up. Smoke to an internal temperature of 165F degrees. A 12-pound bird takes about 90 minutes.
Rest: Remove the turkey from the grill. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Then, slice and serve.

Video

Notes

For added moisture, consider brining the turkey overnight.

The Ninja XL clearance space is about 5 1/2 inches, so your turkey needs to be flat enough on the grill, so it doesn’t touch or block the convection fan. That's why removing the backbone is an important step.

Nutrition