Smoked turkey is the item Dickey's Barbecue Pit makes that fits a Thanksgiving table better than anything a domestic oven produces, and the chain has run holiday meal programs around it for years. The honest caveat first: with roughly 380 franchised locations, whether your restaurant offers a whole holiday turkey, a packaged holiday meal, or simply turkey breast by the pound is a local decision. The by-the-pound route is the one that exists everywhere.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit prices at a glance
The prices referenced on this page, collected up front. They vary by location and change without notice.
| Guests | Turkey breast | Cost | Add |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 lb | ~$41.70 | 2 medium sides ($15.00) |
| 6 | 3 lb | ~$62.55 | 3 medium sides ($22.50) |
| 8 | 4 lb | ~$83.40 | 4 medium sides ($30.00) |
| 12 | 6 lb | ~$125.10 | XL Sides ($38.00) |
| 20 | 10 lb | ~$208.50 | 2 × XL Sides ($76.00) |
| Addition | Price | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Brisket, full pound | $28.00 | The showpiece. Two pounds transforms a table of eight. |
| Brisket Burnt Ends, full pound | $28.00 | Same price as brisket, and they reheat better than anything else. |
| Pulled Pork, full pound | $21.15 | Cheapest way to add volume; excellent in Friday sandwiches. |
| Whole Sausage Ropes | $22.00 | Holds indefinitely, disappears first. |
| Whole Pork Butt | $109.00 | For a genuinely large gathering — the cheapest meat per head here. |
The short version
- Turkey Breast is $20.85 a full pound and $10.95 a half pound — available year-round at every location.
- Holiday whole-turkey and meal programs vary by franchise. Call, do not assume.
- Book two to three weeks ahead. Smoker capacity is fixed and the pits are already running brisket.
- Most locations close on Thanksgiving Day. Collection is typically the Tuesday or Wednesday.
Why outsource the turkey
Turkey breast is lean, which makes it the easiest large cut to ruin and the hardest to keep moist. It is also the item that reveals whether a barbecue kitchen knows what it is doing. Dickey's smokes breasts as a matter of routine rather than as a seasonal experiment — turkey is a standard by-the-pound item and a Turkey Breast Plate is $19.00 any day of the year — so you are buying something the kitchen makes every week.
The sensible split for most households: outsource the smoked meat, cook the sides you care about, buy the sides you do not.
How much to order
The rule is half a pound of sliced turkey per adult when it is the centerpiece — more generous than the third of a pound used for mixed barbecue spreads, because people go back for seconds at Thanksgiving and expect leftovers.
The second meat
Turkey is what the table expects; something else is what people remember. Dickey's is unusually well set up for this because it sells whole cuts.
Sides worth buying rather than cooking
Sides are $4.50 small and $7.50 medium, with XL Sides at $38.00 for a crowd. The ones that earn their place on a holiday table:
- Baked potato casserole — the closest thing here to a traditional holiday side. Buy it.
- Mac and cheese — buy it if there are children at the table.
- Bacon and onion green beans — a straight upgrade on the usual casserole.
- BBQ beans or jalapeño beans — good, but they compete with the meat rather than supporting it.
- Cabbage slaw — skip. It is not a Thanksgiving side.
Add corn muffins at $2.50 or dinner rolls at $1.00 each, and a pecan pie slice at $4.00 per person, which is the most Texan dessert on the board. Full portion sizes are in the Dickey's sides guide.
Timing, precisely
- Three weeks out: call your location and ask what holiday program, if any, it is running this year. This is a franchise-level answer.
- Two weeks out: place the order and confirm the collection day and time in writing.
- Tuesday or Wednesday: collect. Refrigerate immediately.
- Thanksgiving morning: reheat gently. Expect the restaurant to be closed — the Dickey's hours guide covers holiday variance.
Reheating without ruining it
- Ask for it unsliced. A whole piece holds moisture far better and takes a minute to carve.
- Wrap in foil with a splash of stock: 275°F for 25 to 30 minutes per 3 lb piece.
- Never microwave sliced turkey. It goes rubbery and grey.
- Rest ten minutes before carving.
- Sides: covered dish, 300°F, 20 minutes. Mac and cheese benefits from three minutes uncovered to re-crisp the top.
Sauce on the side, and keep the sweet ones away from the turkey — Carolina or Texas Hot at $1.00 suits smoked breast far better. Everything else on the board is priced on the full Dickey's menu.