With Thanksgiving around the corner, you've probably asked yourself "How big of a turkey should I get?" or "How much turkey per person?" You’ve got the best pellet grill for the job, now you just need to get the right bird. This guide will cover everything you need to know to select the perfect turkey for the big day to feed all your loved ones.

Let’s begin with choosing how much turkey you’ll need:

1. 8 people: 8-10 lbs.

2. 12 people: 12-14 lbs.

3. 16 people: 16-18 lbs.

4. 20 people: 20-22 lbs.

You’ll want to avoid buying a turkey over 16 pounds. Generally, any bird bigger than that is a male turkey. Male turkeys are not as tender as females, and leads to a tougher final product.

So rather than buying the biggest bird you can find, we recommend buying multiple smaller turkeys, or even a 12-13 pound turkey and pairing it with a bone-in turkey breast if you need more than 16 pounds of meat, especially if you want leftover turkey. Take a look at our best smokin' leftover turkey ideas for some inspiration post-Thanksgiving.

How Much Turkey Per Person?

What you'll really want to think about when considering how big of a turkey to get is how much turkey everyone will eat. We usually recommend rounding up to about 1-1.5 lb of smoked turkey per person.

Turkey Buying Tips

When looking at labels, we strongly recommend avoiding the following, otherwise you’ll lose control over the flavor profile of your pellet grill turkey and end up with an inferior final product.

• Enhanced
• Flavor Enhanced
• Self-Basting
• Basted

These words mean that the turkey has been pumped up with a solution that adds a significant amount of water weight, as well as salt. Since these birds are already very salty, you won’t be able to add your own brine or rub. They can also result in a spongy texture and may contain artificial flavors and emulsifiers.

When it comes to seasoning your turkey, taking the quick pre-seasoned route is never the way. The work that it takes to learn how to brine a turkey for smoking, turkey injection, and/or seasoning (or Traeger Brine & Rub Kit is the best) is well worth the effort.

Fresh or Frozen Turkey?

Truthfully, fresh vs frozen turkey doesn't matter as much if you have a killer smoked turkey recipe on hand. However, it's never bad to buy fresh. You’ll have to be on the lookout for these within a few days of Thanksgiving, as you want them as fresh as possible (although keep in mind that they often sell out quickly, so don’t wait too long). If buying frozen, be sure to allow plenty of time for the turkey to thaw – roughly one day for every five pounds of bird. Especially if you're planning to brine a frozen turkey.

You're likely to have a picky guest or two who strongly prefers dark or light meat. If there's a strong preference for one over the other for the majority of your table, it's easy to change up how much turkey per person. Instead of a whole turkey or two, you can make a Traeger smoked turkey breast, or turkey legs (see our guide on smoked turkey legs). This way, you waste less time, meat, and energy, and you and your guests are happy.

Pro Tip: If you're still hellbent on smokin' up a whole bird, check our spatchcock turkey guide. This cook method makes cooking and carving a turkey faster than your traditional Traeger turkey recipes.

How to Feed a Large Crowd for Thanksgiving

If you're having a huge Thanksgiving dinner, many of the tops we've given above apply to a larger party. The biggest piece of advice to avoid the extra large turkeys. Smoking or roasting a smaller turkey is quicker and your meat will cook more evenly.

It never hurts to have plenty of Thanksgiving sides to go along with it or a few other mains like ham, chicken, or even prime rib.