This Spatchcock Smoked Turkey is sure to be the crowning glory of your Thanksgiving dinner. Spatchcocked for more even cooking, and smoked for incredible flavor, you’ve never had a bird quite as good as this!
When preparing to cook an entire turkey, it can be daunting to plan for such a long defrost AND cook time. This recipe speeds up the process by spatchcocking the turkey first, making the bird more even and aerodynamic. Your turkey will cook quickly and with more even temperatures across the breast and thighs. It’s a win-win!
New to spatchcocking? It’s not too hard. All you need to do is remove the backbone of the turkey! For a full, detailed step-by-step post with accompanying video, check out my post for How to Spatchcock a Turkey.
Smoking a turkey on a pellet grill is a great way to infuse delicious smoky flavor into the meat while keeping it incredibly moist and tender. While you can smoke a whole turkey, spatchcocking (or butterflying) the turkey first helps it cook more evenly, speeds up the cooking time, and maximizes the smoky flavor penetration Follow this guide to learn how to properly prepare and smoke a spatchcock turkey on your pellet grill
What is Spatchcocking?
Spatchcocking, also known as butterflying, is a method of preparing poultry and other birds by removing the backbone and flattening the bird for more even cooking This cooking method helps the turkey cook faster since it’s laid flat, allows for better smoke absorption since more surface area is exposed, and prevents the white meat from drying out since it cooks at the same rate as the dark meat
To spatchcock a turkey, use kitchen shears or sharp scissors to cut out the backbone on either side of the spine. Remove the backbone and flip the turkey over, then press down on the breastbone to flatten. You can also crack the breastbone so the turkey lays fully flat. The turkey is now ready to rub down with oil, seasonings, and get placed on the smoker.
Benefits of Smoking a Spatchcock Turkey
There are several advantages to smoking a spatchcock turkey rather than a whole turkey:
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Cooks faster Spatchcocking reduces the cook time substantially since it allows for more even heat distribution A 12-15 lb turkey may take only 25-3 hours to fully cook when spatchcocked rather than nearly 5 hours for a whole turkey.
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Juicier meat: The breast cooks at the same rate as the dark meat, preventing it from drying out and losing moisture.
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Increased smoke flavor: With more surface area exposed, the smoke can penetrate deeper into the meat for amplified flavor.
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Easier to carve: With the backbone removed and the turkey flattened, it’s much simpler to carve neat slices of white and dark meat after cooking.
How to Prepare a Turkey for Smoking
Proper preparation is key for a tender, juicy smoked turkey. Here are the steps:
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Spatchcock the turkey: Remove backbone and flatten as described above.
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Dry brine (optional): For extra moist meat, you can dry brine the turkey overnight before smoking. Simply rub it all over with salt and refrigerate uncovered. Rinse before cooking.
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Inject marinade (optional): Using an injector syringe, you can inject flavored marinade deep into the turkey meat for added moisture and flavor. Try apple cider, chicken broth, or Cajun marinade.
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Coat with oil: Lightly rub the skin with oil. This helps the skin get perfectly crispy.
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Apply rub: For flavor and browning, coat the turkey all over with a dry rub. Try barbecue, jerk, or poultry seasoning blends.
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Insert probe thermometer: Place a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast so you can monitor the internal temp.
How to Smoke a Spatchcock Turkey on a Pellet Grill
Follow these steps for smoking:
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Preheat grill to 225-250°F: This low and slow temp is ideal for smoking turkey. Use a flavorful wood pellet like maple, hickory, apple, or cherry.
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Place turkey on grill: Put the turkey directly on the grill grates, skin-side up. Tuck the wings under and turn leg quarters outwards.
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Smoke for 2.5-3 hours: Monitor temperature until the breast reaches 160-165°F. The thighs should reach 175-185°F.
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Remove from grill and tent foil: Let the turkey rest about 20 minutes so juices can redistribute.
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Serve and enjoy! Dig into the juicy, smoky turkey. It’s sure to be a hit!
Pellet Grill Tips for Smoking Turkey
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Use a drip pan under the turkey to catch drippings for gravy.
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Spritz turkey occasionally with apple juice or cider to prevent drying out.
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For extra browning, brush turkey with melted butter during the last 30 minutes.
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If the skin browns too quickly, tent foil over it while continuing to cook.
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Add a grill thermometer so you can accurately monitor the grill temp during the long cook.
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Check that the probe thermometer is properly inserted into the deepest part of the breast to gauge doneness.
Flavor Variations
There are endless possibilities when it comes to infusing your spatchcock turkey with delicious flavors.
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Apple Brined Turkey: Soak turkey overnight in a salt, sugar, apple cider brine before smoking.
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Cajun Turkey: Coat with Cajun seasoning and inject Creole butter for a N’awlins twist.
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Sweet and Savory Turkey: Rub with brown sugar, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
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Jerk Turkey: Use Jamaican jerk seasoning and smoke with pimento wood.
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Tequila Lime Turkey: Inject with tequila lime marinade. Sprinkle with lime zest before smoking.
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Beer Can Turkey: Crack open a can of beer and insert into the turkey cavity while smoking for super moist meat.
So try your hand at smoking a spatchcock turkey on your pellet grill this year for the juiciest, most flavorful holiday bird you’ve ever tasted! It takes a little extra prep, but the results are so incredibly worth it.
Tips for Cooking Spatchcock Smoked Turkey
If you have a big celebration coming up (Thanksgiving, anyone?), take these tips into consideration so your turkey is perfectly cooked with lots of juicy flavor.
- Stay small. When purchasing your turkey, try to keep your turkey under 15 pounds, if possible. Bigger turkey means more time in the danger zone of 40-140 degrees F. If you need more turkey, cook two instead of buying bigger.
- Don’t forget the gravy! If you want to save drippings from your turkey for gravy, place the spatchcocked turkey on a flat cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet. This may increase the cook time slightly, but you’ll have lots of melty buttery drippings at the end.
- Switch up flavors. If you want to keep the smoking temperature and time, play with flavors by using my Apple Turkey Brine or my Homemade Turkey Rub. You could also use my Chicken Seasoning for a traditional turkey flavor or my Sweet Rub to give it a classic BBQ twist.
How to Smoke a Spatchcock Turkey
Once you have your turkey spatchcocked, you’re ready to butter, season, and smoke the turkey.
- Butter. Spreading a healthy amount of butter under the skin of the turkey prior to smoking gives this turkey so much incredible flavor. I wouldn’t recommend any substitutions here. Go for the good stuff and you won’t be disappointed.
- Season. This turkey is going to be so tasty from the butter and smoke, it doesn’t need anything fancy when it comes to seasoning. Simple salt and pepper are all you need! Drizzle the whole thing with extra virgin olive oil, then season liberally with salt and pepper. I highly recommend you use a good quality kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper for the best flavor.
- Smoke. Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F. I used almond wood for this particular recipe, but pecan, apple, alder, or maple will also taste amazing! You can also pick your favorite. Smoke the bird for 4-4 1/2 hours. You’ll know the turkey is done cooking when the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F. Make sure you’re using a reliable instant read thermometer and measuring the temperature in the thickest part of the breast. The thighs will be around 175-185 degrees F.
- Rest. Make sure to rest the turkey for 10-15 minutes before carving and serving.
- Serve. Get into that bird! It’ll be cooked nice and evenly and buttery delicious.
How to Smoke a Spatchcock Turkey on a Pellet Grill | Heath Riles BBQ
FAQ
How long to smoke a spatchcock turkey at 225 on a pellet grill?
Do you flip a spatchcock turkey when smoking?
How do you keep turkey moist in a pellet smoker?
How long do you cook a spatchcocked turkey for?
Can you cook a Spatchcock Turkey on a pellet grill?
Set the temperature to 325°F, and let the grill come up to temperature. While you technically CAN cook your spatchcock turkey “low and slow” at 225-250°F on a pellet grill like traditional pulled pork and ribs, you will never get crispy skin because the fat underneath it will not render at those low temperatures before the meat is finished cooking.
How do you smoke a Spatchcock Turkey?
Flip your turkey breast side down on your work surface. Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the oil all over with your hands and then season with salt and black pepper. Turn the turkey back over and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Season the top evenly with salt and black pepper. Smoke the spatchcocked turkey.
How do you cook a Spatchcock turkey breast?
Use your fingers to loosen and gently separate the skin of the turkey breast from the meat. Smear compound butter between skin and turkey breast. Season turkey. Drizzle spatchcocked turkey with olive oil and massage it into the skin. Add dry rub and massage it into the skin. (optional) Chill turkey before smoking it.
What is a smoked Spatchcock Turkey?
Smoked spatchcock turkey is the perfect way to prepare a whole tukrey and is just a great excuse to get outside and fire up your Traeger, Pitboss, or other pellet grill. Brine Recipe- Check out this simple smoked turkey brine recipe. Turkey- Choose a raw, unfrozen turkey to save precious defrost time. This recipe was made using a 15 pound turkey.