How to Grill a Spatchcocked Turkey on a Gas Grill for a Perfectly Cooked Bird

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Grilling a turkey can seem like an intimidating task but spatchcocking (butterflying) the turkey makes the process much easier. Spatchcocking allows the turkey to cook faster and more evenly resulting in juicy, flavorful meat. Grilling the spatchcocked turkey on a gas grill gives it a delicious smoky flavor while keeping it moist and tender. With a few simple steps, you can master grilling a spatchcocked turkey on a gas grill.

What is Spatchcocking?

Spatchcocking, also called butterflying, is a technique where the backbone is removed from the turkey, and it is flattened out. This allows the turkey to cook faster than an intact turkey would

Here are some key benefits of spatchcocking a turkey before grilling:

  • Cooks faster – Removing the backbone and flattening the turkey means it will cook in almost half the time. This gives it less time to dry out.

  • Cooks more evenly – With the turkey flattened out, all sections will be equally exposed to the grill’s heat rather than the irregular shape of an intact turkey.

  • Better flavor – Exposing more surface area to the grill and smoke gives more opportunity for flavor development in the meat.

  • Easier to carve – With the backbone removed and breastbone spread, carving a spatchcocked turkey is much simpler.

How to Spatchcock a Turkey

Spatchcocking a turkey only takes about 10-15 minutes. Here is the basic process:

  • Place the turkey breast-side down on a cutting board. Using sturdy kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone from tail to head.

  • Remove and discard the backbone. This may take some effort, but work slowly.

  • Flip the turkey over and press down firmly on the breastbone until the turkey flattens out completely. You may hear the breastbone crack – this is normal.

  • If needed, make a shallow cut at the point where the thigh meets the body. This will allow the legs to lie flat.

  • Rub the turkey all over with oil or melted butter. Season well with salt, pepper, and any other desired seasonings.

Your turkey is now ready to hit the grill!

Setting Up the Gas Grill

A gas grill is ideal for cooking a spatchcocked turkey. The indirect heat prevents it from burning while infusing it with smoky barbecue flavor.

Here’s how to set up your gas grill:

  • Heat the grill to medium-high heat, around 375-400°F.

  • If your grill has multiple burners, turn off the middle burner(s) to create indirect heat. Leave the outer burner(s) on.

  • If your grill only has 2 burners, turn one to low heat and one to medium heat.

  • Place a drip pan with water or stock on the unlit burner(s). This will help moisten the turkey.

  • Oil the grill grates well to prevent sticking.

Grilling the Spatchcocked Turkey

Once your grill is preheated and set up for indirect cooking, it’s time to grill that turkey!

  • Place the spatchcocked turkey skin-side up over the drip pan on the grill grate.

  • Grill over indirect heat, covered, for about 12-15 minutes per pound.

  • Rotate the turkey 180 degrees halfway through grilling to ensure even cooking.

  • Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature, aiming for 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh. If it isn’t quite done, close the grill and check again in 5-10 minutes.

  • Once it reaches the target temp, transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil. Allow to rest 15-20 minutes before carving.

Tips for Maximizing Flavor

A spatchcocked grilled turkey is delicious on its own, but you can pack in even more flavor with brines, rubs, stuffings, and creative grill setups:

  • Brine the turkey – Soaking the turkey in a saltwater brine solution before grilling infuses it with flavor and moisture.

  • Rub it down – Coat the turkey with spice rubs or herb mixes before grilling to form a flavorful crust.

  • Add wood chips – Soak wood chips like apple, cherry, pecan or hickory and add to the grill for smoky flavor.

  • Use a beer can – Crack open a can of beer and insert into the cavity to steam and add subtle beer flavor.

  • Stuff it – Fill the cavity with aromatics like lemons, herbs or onions, or use stuffing.

  • Indirect + direct heat – Grill over indirect heat to cook through, then quickly char over direct heat.

Carving and Serving the Turkey

Carving a spatchcocked turkey is much simpler than carving an intact bird. Here’s how:

  • Remove the legs by cutting through the skin between the thigh and breast. Then cut through the joint.

  • Slice the breast meat by making even cuts along both sides from the top of the breastbone to the bottom.

  • Arrange the slices on a platter and garnish with fresh herbs.

  • Pair with favorite Thanksgiving sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing, greens, cranberry sauce and more.

  • Encourage guests to enjoy both the deliciously crispy, smoky skin as well as the juicy, tender breast meat.

Grilling a spatchcocked turkey may seem intimidating, but it results in the juiciest, most flavorful turkey you’ve ever tasted. With indirect heat from a gas grill, you’ll get a perfectly cooked bird infused with smoky barbecue flavor. Use these tips and techniques to master grilling a spatchcocked turkey this Thanksgiving or anytime you crave turkey with a smoky twist.

how to grill a spatchcocked turkey on a gas grill

How to Grill a Butterflied Turkey

how to grill a spatchcocked turkey on a gas grill

When it came time to grill my beautiful beast, I lit up a full chimney of charcoal. After the coals were covered with gray ash, I spread them out in a crescent moon shape along one side of the charcoal grate. While I let my covered grill warm up, I considered putting a foil tray with stock and vegetables on the cool side of the grill to collect the turkey drippings, but then decided against it. In the past, these dripping collected ash and gained a smoke flavor a little too harsh to be usable for gravy. I could have jury-rigged a solution that let drippings into the pan while keeping most ash out, but I had already made a really delicious gravy by using the backbone and neck and just dropped the idea to focus more on getting a perfectly cooked bird this time around.

how to grill a spatchcocked turkey on a gas grill

Once sufficiently warmed, I added one chunk of apple wood to the fire; everything was a go for turkey liftoff. As I sat with the giant bird, considering the perilous transfer to the grill, I decided to make life easy on myself and just put the entire wire rack on the grill, which worked great, allowing me to move the bird around without danger of it falling apart or tearing the skin.

I situated the turkey so its legs and thighs were closest to the fire, with the majority of the breast meat as far away from the heat as possible. With the crescent moon arrangement of coals, this meant the legs and thighs were all well surrounded by fire without being directly on top of it.

how to grill a spatchcocked turkey on a gas grill

I monitored my turkey pretty constantly after the first 45 minutes to ensure my suspicions would play out. My goal was to keep the breast meat cooking at a slower rate than the legs and thighs, and I found that throughout the cook, this proved true. About an hour in, the breasts were registering a solid 10°F below the thigh meat. At this point, I added half a chimney of new coals to keep the bird roasting at a medium-high temperature—around 425°F (220°C), give or take 25°F (5°C).

how to grill a spatchcocked turkey on a gas grill

Another 30 minutes in and that new batch of coals helped the legs and thighs cook even faster. They were now just above 165°F (74°C), while the breast meat was at my ideal 150°F (66°C). In just 1 1/2 hours, I had this turkey done to perfection, temperature-wise at least.

I let it rest for 20 minutes at room temperature and began carving. After separating the legs and thighs, I cut the breasts away from the bone and sliced them up, exposing glistening meat that even had my white-meat dissing self eagerly awaiting the chance to eat it. I sliced up the thighs next, which had gotten a nice rosy hue around the edges of the meat from the smoke theyd picked up.

how to grill a spatchcocked turkey on a gas grill

Every piece of meat from this bird was moist and flavorful. The breasts had a delicate kiss of smoke and were juicy enough that they didnt need any enhancement, although gravy never ceases to be a requirement for me. The dark meat was smokier, which worked with the relatively more intensely flavored meat (and made for the most delicious parts of bird in my opinion). Ive cooked a lot of turkeys over the years, and this was the first that required absolutely no Band-Aids like bacon, injections, herbs, rubs, etc. to cover up deficiencies.

This is a bird thats absolutely perfect in its simplicity.

Why Spatchcock?

Since the advantages of butterflying a turkey have been laid out in-depth, Ill keep this pretty brief. The long and short of it is that by removing the backbone of the turkey, pushing the breasts flat, and splaying out the legs and thighs, you can create a more ideal shape for cooking a whole bird. The even height created by butterflying makes for more even and faster cooking in return.

how to grill a spatchcocked turkey on a gas grill

So I went about the process of butterflying my 14-pound turkey and then rested it on a wire rack set in a baking sheet. I seasoned the turkey liberally with salt and pepper and let it dry brine in the fridge overnight—I like taking out this insurance policy, knowing that Ill get moist results even if I accidentally slightly overcook my bird.

how to grill a spatchcocked turkey on a gas grill

The extra bonus of spatchcocking the turkey is getting the backbone to use in a rich stock, which is easily turned into a white wine and mustard gravy.

Easy Spatchcocked Turkey on a Grill: A Tutorial Twist on a Thanksgiving Classic

FAQ

How long does it take to cook a spatchcock turkey on a gas grill?

After 1 hour and 20 minutes of total cooking time from when the breast was placed on the grill, the turkey should be close to finishing. It is done when it registers 165°F in the thickest part of the leg (not touching bone) and in the thickest part of the breast (not touching bone).

Can you grill a turkey on a gas grill?

This turkey cooked on a gas grill comes out juicy with a crispy brown skin. The Allrecipes Test Kitchen staff are a team of culinary pros who make and vet recipes using only equipment you’d find in a home kitchen.

How to butterfly a turkey for the grill?

Use kitchen shears (Note 3) to cut on either side of the backbone, and remove it completely. Flip the turkey over, firmly and evenly pressing on the breast until the breast bone splits, and the turkey lays flat. Arrange the thighs to also lay flat, and tuck the wings under the breast to prevent wing tips from burning.

How do you grill a whole turkey on a gas grill rotisserie?

Place turkey on rotisserie and cook over medium heat until instant read thermometer registers 155°F in thickest part of the breast, 2 to 3 hours. Remove turkey from rotisserie and let rest for 20 minutes, carve and serve.

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