Smoked Spatchcock Turkey is the perfect Thanksgiving bird! Learn how to spatchcock a turkey and cook it on a smoker (we used a Traeger). This smoked spatchcock turkey recipe is easy to make, delicious and packed with flavor!
The Best Ever Smoked Spatchcock Turkey
After mastering how to spatchcock a chicken, we knew it was time to use this easy process on a whole turkey. We are now HUGE fans of spatchcocking a turkey – it is so easy, drastically reduces the overall cook time, and the results are SO GOOD! Flattening the large bird helps to cook more evenly, allowing for a more juicy and delicious turkey at your next holiday table!
We also have an oven roasted spatchcock turkey if that is more your thing!
Looking for More Ways To Cook A Spatchcock Turkey?
If you want to cook a spatchcock turkey but don’t have a smoker, you definitely need to try our Spatchcock Turkey in the oven!
Why This Recipe Works
- Start Low: we start out at a lower smoke temperature of 225 degrees F. to really get that smoke going.
- End High: after an hour or so of the low temperature, we raise the temp to 350 degrees to help brown the turkey skin and finish cooking.
- Even Cooking: because we are spatchcocking the turkey and flattening it out the meat will cook more evenly as opposed to a whole turkey that cooks faster on the outside than the inside.
- Faster Cooking: again because the bird if flattened it cooks faster than your typical bird.
What You Will Need
- whole turkey: we used a 12-14 pound whole turkey. Ensure it is fully thawed with giblets removed. Check out our tutorial on How to Thaw a Turkey!
- butter: this adds additional moisture to the bird and helps it brown up at the end.
- smoked turkey rub: love this seasoning so much! We also have a classic turkey seasoning that is good too!
- red onion + orange: these help add additional flavor to the drippings in the pan.
- chicken broth (or turkey broth): this adds moisture to the turkey and is used later to make gravy.
- dry white wine: totally optional and can be omitted if you want.
- fresh rosemary + fresh thyme: these add an earthy flavor to the drippings and, later, the gravy!
How To Prep a Spatchcock Turkey for the Smoker
- Optional: Brining A Turkey – you do not HAVE to do this, but a turkey brine can infuse additional flavor and moisture into your bird. Here is an Apple Cider Turkey Brine and a Smoked Turkey Brine that will work great here. Just note that these take at least 24 hours so plan accordingly.
- Pat turkey dry with clean paper towel.
- Spatchcock the turkey (see below for details) – we also have a whole tutorial on How to Spatchcock a Turkey.
- Prep the roasting pan with some chicken broth, white wine, herbs, onions and citrus.
- Place the spatchcocked turkey in the roasting pan.
- Rub outside of the turkey with butter (all over and under the skin where possible).
- Season – we love this Turkey Seasoning or this Smoked Turkey Dry Rub.
- You are ready to go!
How To Smoke a Spatchcock Turkey
Highly recommend using a 12-14 pound turkey, if you are going to spatchcock. Begin to remove the backbone by cutting along both sides of it with sharp kitchen shears.
Once the backbone is removed, flip the whole bird over and press down on the breastbone – you should hear a little crack and the bird will flatten out completely.
Add the broth and wine to a roasting pan and then place the turkey on top. Pat dry with clean paper towels, spread butter all over the turkey and season generously. Set your smoker to 225 degrees F. and place your roasting pan inside. Close the lid.
How Long To Smoke a Spatchcock Turkey
Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F. Place the spatchcock turkey on the smoker for 1 hour and then raise the temperature to 350 degrees F. (to help crisp up the skin) until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. at the thickest part using an internal meat thermometer. The total smoke time will vary a bit due to a myriad of factors such as outdoor temperature, smoker hot spots, wind, humidity, etc. That being said during testing this recipe consistently took approximately 2-2.5 hours.
Carefully remove from the smoker and let the smoked turkey rest for 15-30 minutes before carving.
Can I Use A Regular Grill To Smoke A Spatchcock Turkey
Yes, you can use a gas or charcoal grill to smoke a spatchcock turkey (or smoke a turkey breast or whole turkey) if you use a wood chip smoker box and then simply continue to add smoking chips throughout the cooking process.
Read Also: Juicy Smoked Turkey Legs
Best Ways To Serve Smoked Spatchcock Turkey
Typically we love to serve this juicy turkey on Thanksgiving day with all the best Thanksgiving side dish recipes! A few of our all-time favorites are Stuffed Onions, Broccoli Bacon Salad, Apple Yam Bake and Wild Rice Stuffing (don’t forget the Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie) for a complete Thanksgiving Meal!
Leftover Smoked Turkey Ideas
Here are a few easy and delicious leftover smoked turkey recipes that might come in handy for the days following your Thanksgiving celebration:
Storage & Freezer
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze leftover turkey, if you want. Store in a freezer-safe container (try and ensure it is airtight so the turkey doesn’t dry out) and use within 3 months.
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Smoked Spatchcock Turkey Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 12–14 servings 1x
- Category: Turkey
- Method: Smoker
- Cuisine: American
Description
An absolutely delicious, flavorful Smoked Spatchcock Turkey recipe – perfect for Thanksgiving or any other holiday!
Ingredients
Smoked Turkey Rub:
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried sage leaves
- 1 teaspoons onion powder
Turkey:
- 12–14 lb whole turkey (fully thawed, giblets removed)
- 1/2 cup butter, softened + divided (feel free to use softened ghee)
- 1 batch turkey seasoning
- 1–2 red onions, quartered
- 2 cups chicken broth (or turkey broth)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
- 2–3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2–3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 navel orange, quartered
Instructions
- Preheat: Set the smoker to 225 degrees F.
- Dry Rub: Combine Turkey Dry Rub ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.
- Spatchcock Turkey: Place turkey on a large cutting board or rimmed baking sheet. Flip turkey so it is breast-side down. Take the kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone (which will be running down the middle of the turkey) and remove. Flip over. Firmly press down towards the top of the breastbone with the palm of your hand, until you hear a crack. Check out our tutorial on How To Spatchcock a Turkey for even more details!
- Roasting Pan: Place onion, orange, chicken broth, white wine (if using), rosemary and thyme in the bottom of a large aluminum roasting pan. Place a wire rack on top of the roasting pan.* Place turkey on top of the wire rack, ensuring the breast-side is up.
- Butter + Season: Pat turkey dry with paper towel. Take 1/4 cup softened butter and rub into every nook and cranny (including under the skin where possible). Season outside of the turkey with the dry rub.
- Smoke: Place the roasting pan on the smoker and close the lid. Let smoke 60-70 minutes at 225 degrees F. Then turn the smoker temperature up to 350 degrees F. Let the turkey smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees at it’s thickest part. Melt the last 1/4 cup of butter and use to baste the turkey every 20 minutes.
- Rest: Remove the turkey from the smoker, baste one more time and then let rest 10-15 minutes. Move the turkey onto a platter or large plate and cover with foil again to continue its resting for another 10-15 minutes.
- Gravy: Use juices at the bottom of the pan and follow our tutorial on how to make smoked turkey gravy.
- Serve: Carve the turkey and serve immediately!
Notes
- Smoke Time: the ultimate cook time will vary a bit depending upon a myriad of factors such as outdoor temperature, wind, humidity, smoker hot spots, etc. That being said we tested this multiple times on a Traeger and it generally took approximately 2-2.5 hours total smoke time for a 12-14 pound turkey to come to temp (165 degrees F.).
- *Turkey Set Up: since I took these photos I have discovered that it works best if you elevate the turkey over the roasting pan by placing a wire rack across it. The smoke can surround the turkey much better this way and you still catch all those juicy drippings for gravy.
- Brine: here is an optional smoked turkey brine if you want to do that first – just be aware you would need to prep that the night before. We also have a dry brine option as well.
- Pellets: hickory and mesquite are my two favorites to use in this recipe.
- Dairy Free: if you can’t do butter, use some olive oil – but you don’t need a ton, just enough to coat the bird.
- Injection: if you really want to take things to the next level – try our Turkey Injection recipe for extra juiciness!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 557
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 431 mg
- Fat: 31.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.5 g
- Protein: 67.1 g
- Cholesterol: 250 mg
Emily says
Juicy and delicious! Thank you!