Rinse the turkey. Be sure to remove any giblets form the neck and/or body cavity. Pat the whole turkey dry with paper towels.

Melt the butter and brush it over the entire surface of the turkey. The butter may start to solidify as you brush it on and that is just fine. Continue brushing the outside and inside the body cavity with the butter until you have used it all. Sprinkle generously with salt and coarse black pepper and rub it into the skin and inside the turkey.

Fill the body cavity loosely with onion chunks, lemon, and orange rinds (we don’t use the whole fruit because we don’t want the extra liquid)

Heat your smoker to 250°F. Use apple wood, cherry wood, or hickory wood chips/pellets. These woods will impart a more mild flavor into the meat, which pairs well with poultry.

When the smoker and the turkey are prepared, place the turkey on a rack inside of a large roasting pan and set the package into the smoker. You can also set the turkey directly on the grates and place a roasting pan underneath to catch the drippings. It is best not to have the turkey sitting directly in a roasting pan - we want it lifted up and out of the drippings.

Place a second pan filled with 2-3 inches of water in the smoker, away from the bird. This will keep the environment moist so that the turkey skin doesn’t dry out before it has a chance to crisp up nicely.

Insert a probe into the thick part of the breast, just above the leg so that you can monitor the internal temperature of the turkey.

Cover the wings with loose aluminum foil.

Smoke that bird! Turkey takes about 30 minutes per pound on the smoker - so it should take a 15-pound bird about 7 hours. When the breast meat has reached 165°F, turn off the smoker and let the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes before carving (this gives you time to turn the drippings into the most amazing gravy and to gather your other side dishes.)