Use this search feature to quickly find the information you're looking for.

When I get asked how to cook a turkey dinner, there is only one answer. The best way to cook turkey is smoke turkey, plain and simple. Leave the oven for casserole dishes and get yourself a smoker. I'm going to show you how to smoke a turkey and also create some low carbohydrate side dishes that are perfect for a Thanksgiving turkey dinner, or any time of year.

For Thanksgiving this year, I decided to carry-on the tradition of smoking my turkey. I was raised on oven-roasted turkey and no matter how many herbs you slapped on, or what you put in the middle, it was never a meal I drooled over in anticipation. It was just OK. And sometimes it was downright horrible. One thing I do not like is dry bird, whatever kind of bird.

How to Cook a Turkey Dinner

We decided to follow a low carb diet called The Primal Blueprint which you can find out more about at Mark's Daily Apple, if you're interested. Not to the letter, but pretty darn close for a thanksgiving meal. So, we forgot about mashed potatoes and substituted with mashed parsnips. Looks almost the same, has it's own unique taste though.

• Mashed Parsnips - This is real simple. Just peel the parsnips like carrots. In fact, they look like white carrots. Then slice them into small chunks. We used about 2 lbs. Simmer them in 1-1/2 cups of chicken broth and another 1-1/2 cups of water for about 15 minutes. Make sure they're tender. Drain the broth and set aside. Then mash the parsnips with a fork. Add broth or cream to help make it smooth. Add salt and butter to taste. I also put a dusting of nutmeg and cinnamon on top

• Bacon Green Beans - There are tons of recipes of this on the Internet. They consist of uncut green beans, bacon and onion and a variety of ways to cook it all. I did it simple. I cut the bacon up and cooked it in a skillet. Then I removed it and cooked the onions in the bacon grease. I used one small onion and 3-4 slices of bacon. Some folks braise the beans after this. I just put them in the skillet and cooked them as is until they were approaching tender. Added some salt and pepper, added the bacon and voila.

• Glazed Sliced Yams - Uh, I actually let my wife cook these. She sliced them, did something to them and through them in the oven. She made it up, and I wasn't paying attention. I think she had maple syrup glaze on them, if that helps :)

The final part of how to cook a turkey dinner is the smoked turkey. Once again, I did it the simple way. Last year, I opted not to brine my turkey and it turned out wonderful. This year, I did brine my turkey, and it turned out wonderful. Do the math, brining takes time. If you don't have it, don't worry too much about it. Brining is pretty simple. Use as much water as needed to cover the turkey in whatever pot/cooler you have that's big enough. Then it's generally a 1 cup sugar and 1 cup salt to each gallon of water. You can add more to the mix for flavor, but not me. This works.

Since we went primal this year, stuffing was not an option. Way to many carbs! So, we simply put some onions and celery, etc in the smoked turkey cavity. For a rub, all I used was a simple mix of salt and pepper. Trust me, you don't need a fancy rub. This was perfect, of course!

As usual, I tapped my trusty Bubba Keg to do the honors. I got the BBQ Guru running it at 300° F and set the probe in the breast to 165° F. The turkey was done in about 4 hours on my Bubba Keg (small bird).

If you really want to know how to cook a turkey, this is the best way, in my opinion. The seasoning is just right, and doesn't overpower the turkey. The smoke adds a dimension that a bland old oven will never be able to do. And the best part is that the turkey breast oozes with juice and it's never dry. I hate dry white chicken and I hate dry white turkey too. Give me juicy every time!