Are you looking for an easy way to prepare your turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas? One of the easiest ways to prepare a turkey is by spatchcocking it. Smoked Spatchcock Turkey is a simple to follow recipe that doesnt require a lot of time, or babysitting to produce really exceptional results.
Smoking a whole turkey can take a long time, leading to uneven cooking and drying out. Splitting or spatchcocking a turkey before smoking allows for quicker, more even cooking. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to properly split or spatchcock a turkey to prep it for smoking.
Why Split a Turkey for Smoking
Leaving a turkey whole requires a longer smoking time since the thick breast needs more time to cook than the legs and thighs. This often leads to overcooked breast meat and undercooked dark meat.
Splitting or spatchcocking a turkey solves this by flattening and evening out the bird to a uniform thickness. This allows everything to cook at the same rate preventing dried out breast meat.
Benefits of splitting a turkey before smoking include:
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Shortened cooking time. A spatchcocked turkey cooks much faster than a whole turkey.
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More even cooking. Flattened shape allows all parts to cook through evenly.
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Better smoke absorption. With more surface area exposed, the meat absorbs smoky flavor better.
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Easier to carve and serve. A spatchcocked bird lays flat for simpler presentation.
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Fits better on a grill or smoker. The flattened shape lets you easily smoke a large bird on a smaller cooking surface.
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
“Spatchcocking” refers to removing the backbone and flattening a bird. Here is the process for spatchcocking a turkey:
Supplies Needed
- Turkey (12-15 pounds is ideal)
- Sharp kitchen shears
- Large rimmed baking sheet
Step-by-Step Process
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Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities. Rinse bird and pat dry.
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Place turkey breast-side down on work surface. Using shears, cut along both sides of backbone from tail to neck.
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Remove and discard backbone or save for stock. Turn bird breast-side up. Press firmly on breastbone until it flattens.
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Tuck wing tips under body. Pull legs forward to flatten thighs against breasts.
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Place spatchcocked turkey on rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to smoke.
Watch this video demonstration of spatchcocking a turkey for a helpful visual guide.
How to Split a Turkey Into Two Halves
You can also split a turkey into two halves, leaving you with two breast halves still on the bone. Here’s how:
Supplies Needed
- Turkey
- Sharp knife or kitchen shears
Step-by-Step Process
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Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavities. Rinse and pat dry.
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Place turkey breast-side up on work surface. Feel for breastbone running down center.
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Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut down one side of the breastbone from neck cavity to tail.
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Repeat on other side of breastbone. You will end up with two breast halves.
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If needed, cut through cartilage at the bottom to fully separate.
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Remove wings, legs, thighs from each half. Reserve for other uses or leave on for smoking.
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Place turkey halves skin-side up on baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to smoke.
How to Smoke a Spatchcocked or Split Turkey
Once your turkey is spatchcocked or split in half, follow these tips for smoking:
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If spatchcocked, flip over so skin-side is up. If split, keep skin-up.
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Dry brine turkey halves with salt up to 2 days before smoking. This seasons and removes moisture.
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Rub skin with oil or butter then apply your favorite turkey rub. Get seasoning under skin.
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Smoke turkey at 225-275°F using fruit wood like apple, cherry, peach for flavor.
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Insert probes from a wireless thermometer into thickest parts of breast and thigh.
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Smoke until breast reaches 165°F and thighs reach 175°F, about 2.5-3.5 hours.
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Let rest 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
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For crispier skin, finish over direct heat on a grill for last 15-30 minutes.
Recipes and Variations
There are lots of possibilities once your turkey is spatchcocked or split. Try:
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Brining or marinating the turkey halves before smoking.
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Stuffing aromatics like citrus, herbs, onions under the skin.
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Using different wood types like hickory, pecan, alder for flavoring.
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Glazing with sauce periodically during last hour on the smoker.
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Serving with cranberry sauce, gravy, cornbread stuffing, and fall vegetables.
So instead of struggling with smoking a whole bird, try splitting or spatchcocking your turkey first. You’ll get juicy, evenly cooked meat with incredible smoked flavor.
How to Make Smoked Spatchcock Turkey
Spatchcocking a turkey is easy to do. The day before you will smoke the turkey is when you should spatchcock it. Place the turkey on a cutting board with the spine on top. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears cut along the entire length of one side of the spine. Repeat the process on the other side of the spine allowing you to completely remove it.
After removing the spine flip the turkey over, and while gripping both sides of the turkey breast with your fingers underneath, gently press down. This will pop a few bones and flatten out the bird.
Why You Should Spatchcock Your Holiday Turkey
There are a few reasons why this is my preferred method to smoke a turkey for the holidays.
- Smoked Spatchcock Turkey results in a more even cook – all of the parts of the bird come up to temp around the same time.
- This method makes it possible to cook the bird a little faster than smoking a whole turkey.
- Spatchcocking a turkey gives you easier access to all of the meat on the bird, making it much easier to apply your brine.
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
FAQ
Should I split my turkey before smoking?
How long to smoke a spatchcock turkey at 225?
How do you smoke a Turkey in a smoker?
Preheat the smoker. Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F with your favorite hardwood. I recommend pecan, maple, apple, or alder for smoking turkeys. On this turkey I tried almond wood for the first time and it was great! Spatchcock the turkey. Spatchcock your turkey by removing any giblets, neck, or other internal parts from your bird.
Is it dangerous to quit vaping nicotine cold turkey?
Quitting vaping nicotine ‘cold turkey’ is not dangerous, but it can be very unpleasant. This is because nicotine alters the way your brain functions such that your body feels dependent on it. Some of the unpleasant side effects of quitting abruptly are tremors, headaches, and nausea. These side effects can make it very hard to quit and often cause people to relapse. Fortunately, these unpleasant side effects can be partially or completely avoided by gradually cutting down your use instead of quitting abruptly. Your primary care physician can help you design a plan to quit vaping nicotine.
Can you smoke a turkey like this?
Keep reading for a step-by-step guide to help you smoke a turkey just like this. Around Thanksgiving, some stores price turkey below their cost to get people into their stores. You can smoke an excellent turkey from Butterball or Honeysuckle, but there’s also a lot of value in going with a heritage breed or minimally-processed turkey.
Can you smoke a Spatchcock Turkey?
Smoked Spatchcock Turkey results in a more even cook – all of the parts of the bird come up to temp around the same time. This method makes it possible to cook the bird a little faster than smoking a whole turkey. Spatchcocking a turkey gives you easier access to all of the meat on the bird, making it much easier to apply your brine.