Smoked Spatchcock Turkey
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Nov. 14, 2024
This Smoked Turkey recipe lives up to all our expectations of the perfect Thanksgiving bird. We’ve never had a more juicy and flavorful turkey!
In This Article
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Why This Recipe Stands Out
If you’re looking to switch things up this year and veer away from that Classic Roast Turkey, you’ll love this Smoked Spatchcock Turkey recipe:
- Puts the Smoker to Use: As we experienced with this Smoked Pork Butt, the smoker infuses meat with a depth of flavor that the oven can’t quite compete with, and leaves meat melt-in-your-mouth tender.
- Spatchcocked Poultry Cooks Faster: Spatchcocking the turkey helps it cook in a fraction of the time, which is great when using the smoker!
- This Turkey Actually Fits into a Smoker: A larger turkey is hard to fit into a typical backyard smoker with lid closed. Flattening the turkey is the answer
- Super Juicy and Tender Turkey – Never Dry: Our brine infuses the turkey with sweet, salty, and succulent flavors while also leaving the bird super tender and juicy.
What Is Spatchcocking?
Spatchcocking is just another way of saying “butterflying”. To spatchcock turkey, you simply remove the backbone and flatten the bird out. This expands the surface area helping the bird to cook in a fraction of the time.
The quicker cooking time allows us to smoke the turkey without it remaining in “the danger zone” , that not-so-sweet spot of 40F-140F, for too long. Without this method, smoking a whole turkey can become dangerous and way too time consuming.
Key Recipe Ingredients
For the Brine
- Salt – The single most important ingredient for any brine, fine table salt brings out all the delicious flavors of our turkey, and helps the bird maintain moisture.
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness to the bird all while working with the salt to tenderize the meat.
- Vegetable Stock – Vegetable stock is a flavorful base for all the brine ingredients.
- Spices – Whole peppercorns, ginger, and allspice add a kick of warmth and spice to the brine.
For the Turkey
- Turkey – Look for a turkey between 15 and 18 pounds for this recipe. At most, don’t choose a turkey over 20 pounds, as bigger birds take longer to cook, and run the risk of being tougher.
- Spices – A simple rub of garlic powder, Kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper is all that’s needed to flavor this delicious smoked turkey.
Substitutions And Variations
Here’s some of our favorite variations and additions to Smoked Spatchcock Turkey:
- Dry Rub: Feel free to play around with the spices you put in the dry rub. We love adding in some onion powder, fresh chopped herbs like rosemary and thyme, and paprika, like we use in this recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Breast.
- Make Some Gravy: To make a gravy for smoked turkey, try rubbing some butter in between the meat and skin to add more fat. Make sure to place a baking tray under your smoking rack to catch the drippings. Check out this Homemade Gravy Recipe for tips on transforming the drippings into gravy!
- Don’t Forget the Cranberry Sauce: Serve some Homemade Cranberry Sauce on top of Smoked Spatchcock Turkey to make it super festive!
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- Add all brine ingredients (except ice and water) to a large stockpot and heat until everything is dissolved. Let cool completely.
- Submerge turkey in the brine, covering the top with ice and water. Let sit in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Remove turkey from brine and rinse.
- Cut backbone off of turkey and rinse again to wash off any bone fragments.
- Return turkey to cutting board and press down firmly between the breasts with your palm to break/flatten the breast bone.
- Dry turkey thoroughly and allow to come to room temperature; dry thoroughly again.
- Mix all dry rub ingredients together in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over entire turkey.
- Insert oven-safe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and place turkey in smoker set at 275F.
- Smoke until thermometer reads 158F. Remove turkey from smoker, cover with foil, and let rest for 20-30 min before serving. Enjoy!
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
Thanksgiving day can get hectic, so we do our best to make anything we can the day before. Here’s how we prepare this recipe in advance:
- Thaw Turkey: If starting with a frozen turkey, don’t forget to give it time to thaw. For a large turkey, it’ll take about 6 days in the fridge to completely defrost.
- Brine Up to 48 Hours Ahead: To make things easier, make the brine the day up to 2 days ahead; and brine turkey for up to 48 hours. This will give the brine ample time to do it’s magic and make Thanksgiving day that much easier!
- Mix the Rub: Feel free to mix the rub several days in advance. Just store it airtight at room temperature, and you’ll be set for weeks.
What To Serve with Smoked Spatchcock Turkey
Potatoes, Breads, and Stuffing
- This Homemade Apple Sausage Stuffing is a must-have at every Thanksgiving since the first time we made it.
- Serve these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes next to Smoked Spatchcock Turkey and watch the praises come rolling in!
- These Easy Dinner Rolls and Sweet Corn Muffins make the perfect sides for Thanksgiving dinner.
Roasted Vegetables and Salads
- This simple yet delicious Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash pairs amazingly with smoked turkey!
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash are another one of our go-to veggie sides to serve with this dish.
- This Pomegranate Salad with Pears is perfection paired with smoked turkey.
Holiday Pies
- You’ll want to save room for this flaky, buttery, perfectly spiced Homemade Apple Pie.
- Finish off dinner strong with a slice of this velvety, perfect Pumpkin Pie!
- Silky, rich, and smooth, this is The Best Chocolate Pie you’ll ever taste, and it’s the perfect dessert for Smoked Spatchcock Turkey.
Commonly Asked Questions
Smoked turkey will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, it makes an amazing substitute for the chicken in this Hearty White Bean Chicken Chili.
We recommend using a heat-safe food thermometer to make sure your turkey reaches a safe temperature. Stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and, when it reads 158F, you’re all good! Don’t forget to let it rest for 20-30 minutes after taking it out.
You’ll want to rely on the food thermometer to tell when your turkey is done, as all smokers are going to be different. Our experience is that it typically takes between 2-3 hours to cook. Do not overcook.
Whether you smoke your turkey skin side up or skin side down, it will turn out ultra-juicy and flavorful. But we like smoking it skin side up for the crispiest possible skin.
It’s crucial to allow the turkey to rest after cooking to help the juices redistribute so they don’t leak out when you slice it. Resting also lets the turkey finish cooking inside.
Yes! You’ll want to still brine your turkey for at least 12 hours even if it’s been treated with a solution. The brine is key for getting a super flavorful, juicy, never-dry turkey.
Did you make this?
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Smoked Spatchcock Turkey
Ingredients
For the Brine
- 1 cup table salt
- ½ cup brown sugar, tightly packed
- 4 quarts vegetable stock, 16 cups
- 1 TB whole peppercorns
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- plenty of ice and water
For the Turkey
- 2 TB garlic powder
- 2 TB freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 15-18 lb turkey, neck and giblets removed
Instructions
For the Brine
- In a very large stockpot, add all brine ingredients, except for ice and water. Heat over high heat and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool.
- Gently submerge turkey into the brine. Cover the top with ice. Pour in enough cold water to completely submerge turkey in liquid. Stir the liquid to combine. Store in fridge or cool location (keep below 40F) for 12-24 hours.
For the Turkey
- Preheat smoker to 275F. Remove turkey from the brine and rinse thoroughly. Discard brine.
- Place turkey breast side down on cutting board. Using heavy duty kitchen shears, cut alongside the entire length of one side of the back bone from the neck to the tail. Cut along the other side to fully remove the backbone. Rinse bird again to flush away any bone fragments.
- Return turkey to cutting board and spread it skin side up. Press down firmly between the breasts with your palm to crack/flatten the breast bone. If necessary, use a large chef or butcher knife to score the middle of the wishbone to make it easier to crack.
- Dry both sides of turkey with paper towels and lay on rack to allow it to come to room temperature. After 1-2 hours, dry both sides of turkey again.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 TB kosher salt, 2 TB freshly ground pepper, and 2 TB garlic powder. Sprinkle generously over both sides of the turkey.
- Insert oven-safe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and place turkey (skin side up) in smoker and smoke until thermometer reads 158F.
- Remove turkey from smoker. Cover with foil and let rest for 20-30 min before slicing and serving.
Equipment
Notes
- Prep time listed is for active prep time. Passive brine/rest time not included.
- I use disposable food-safe nitrile gloves when working with raw bird.
- If your turkey is frozen, thaw it in fridge before starting recipe. It takes about 6 days for a large frozen turkey to completely thaw in the fridge.
- For fast cooling of brine: boil only half of the vegetable stock. After everything is dissolved, add the other half of the stock; this instantly cools off brine.
- If you don’t own a large enough stockpot, you can brine the turkey in a clean bucket.
- If desired, remove excess fat when the turkey is very cold; this will limit the amount of drippings in the grease pail. Will not have a any impact on tenderness or flavor.
- If using a pellet grill with an off-center fire pot, place a folded sheet of foil over that side of the flame broiler bottom to keep the temperature consistent across the entire cooking surface.
- Important: Actual cook time will vary, as each brand of smoker is quite different, as is the size of the bird. Please go by the temperature, and not time.
- Top Smoked Spatchcock Turkey with this festive Homemade Cranberry Sauce!
- Leftover turkey tastes amazing in this Turkey Tetrazzini.
- This recipe is part of our Thanksgiving Dinner Collection.
Nutrition (per serving)
More To Cook And Eat
- Smoked Pork Butt – You can absolutely make the most tender, flavorful, smoky-good pork butt right at home!
- Smoked Ribs – An easy-to-make smoky spice rub and saucy marinade give these smoked ribs a bold, spicy sweetness that will have you coming back for seconds.
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken – This Instant Pot Chicken resembles the flavorful rotisserie chicken that we love getting from our favorite deli, and it’s almost just as easy.
- Roast Turkey with Gravy – Here’s our tried-and-true recipe for the perfect roast turkey to enjoy with friends and family on Thanksgiving day.