Ready to smoke a spatchcocked turkey for Thanksgiving or another gathering?
Trying to prepare a meal that involves a whole turkey is exhausting, to put it mildly. One method of cooking that shortens the cooking time is to spatchcock the turkey, which is essentially like butterflying it, only with a funnier name (it’s okay to agree). If you’re taking this approach, you may wonder how long to smoke a spatchcock turkey for a truly unique and delicious experience.
My kids and I don’t have whole, fresh turkey very often- partly because it takes forever to thaw and cook it, and partly because they have taken a liking to non-traditional Thanksgiving dishes.
Thanksgiving dinner in my home is small, in the sense that it’s shared among only myself and my kids… but not so small in the sense that there’s always a full table when it’s just us.
In that way, we’ve had a lot of freedom to decide what to do, and last year we had homemade fried chicken for Thanksgiving. I know, blasphemy! We also celebrate on my day off from my day job (not at Food Fanatic), which is Wednesday.
But even though we went a different route, I still had turkey I had bought in anticipation of having it for the holiday- not to mention some of my friends gifted me extra turkeys they had acquired through work or promotions at the grocery store.
Given that I’ve been eating turkey on days I don’t dedicate solely to cooking for several hours at a time, it only makes sense that I’ve tried to find ways to make the process much shorter and easier for me.
Related: Learn how to marinate your turkey.
Spatchcocking a turkey, or any bird, involves removing the backbone. This allows the turkey to lay flat, and it’s a no-brainer from here that it’s much easier and faster to cook a whole bird when it isn’t bulky and round.
It’s also easier to handle because it’s not wobbly or awkward when moving it in and out of the oven or smoker.
Long story short (it may be too late for that, actually), this is going to save you a lot of hassle whether it’s for Thanksgiving, hosting a nice dinner for friends or family, or just deciding it’s time to cook the turkey that’s taking up space in your chest freezer.
Why Should You Spatchcock a Turkey?
Spatchcocking requires some extra prep time, but it pays off dearly in the end.
Not only is the turkey easier to cook using your desired method, it’s also faster and moister.
Even cooking is the benefit of spatchcocking a bird, because you don’t have to contend with the direct heat on the exterior and the slower, more gradual heating of the interior and underside.
That means more juicy meat, more flavorful turkeys, and an easier road to achieving the best results.
Spatchcocking a turkey also reduces the risk of contamination of stuffing, as a flat cut of meat can’t be stuffed. It is not recommended to eat stuffing that was used inside of a raw turkey or chicken, though some people do — the best way to keep people from falling ill is to simply skip this step, and spatchcocking eliminates this issue entirely, leaving no room for argument. (The last thing your holiday table needs is a tiff about stuffing!)
It is also noticeably easier to carve a turkey that’s been spatchcocked. It’s easier to remove as much meat as possible and cut it nicely for presentation on your dinner table.
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
Ready for our easy spatchcock turkey recipe and smoking advice? Start with these steps:
- Dry off and prep the turkey. Remove the giblets from the cavity and pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Keep the trash can nearby to avoid the chance of contamination and throw the paper towels away immediately.
- Cut and remove the backbone. Lay the turkey breast down on a large cutting board. Cut along one side of the backbone with sharp kitchen shears or a very sharp knife, starting at the tail and moving to the end. Bear in mind that you will be cutting cartilage and bone, so it will be slightly difficult.
- Repeat on both sides of the backbone, and then remove it. Optional: save the backbone of the turkey to prepare gravy.
- Flatten the bird. Turn the turkey breast side up. Using both hands, press the bird down forcefully until the wishbone snaps and the turkey rests flat.
- Season the turkey. Use butter or olive oil and the seasonings of your choice to flavor the turkey. Kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and your favorite dry rub are popular choices.
- Cook the turkey. Follow the directions on cooking the turkey based on the method you prefer to use (including the instructions below).
How Long to Smoke a Spatchcocked Turkey
Once your turkey is prepared, you are ready to smoke the turkey.
- Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F.
- Select your favorite wood (advice below).
- Smoke for 4 to 4.5 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F when measured with a meat thermometer from the thickest part of the breast.
If you want to smoke the bird using lower temperatures, you can smoke the turkey at 225°F for about 6 hours.
The times estimated here are for turkeys that are approximately 12 lbs. You can plan on a cook time of 30 minutes per pound when smoking a turkey at 225 degrees.
Another easy turkey dish to enjoy — try making this turkey tips recipe!
Tips for the Best Spatchcock Smoked Turkey
Want to improve the cooking process and prepare the best turkey possible? Follow these tips.
- Keep the bird smaller. A bird on the smaller side, as in under 15 lbs, will cook more easily. This also keeps the turkey in the “danger zone” for illness for far less time. Cooking two small turkeys in place of one large bird will help accommodate more guests with ease.
- Prepare gravy. Gravy can be overlooked easily until last minute if you’re not mindful! You can make a copycat KFC gravy using simple ingredients you may already have at home, or you can make a homemade gravy from scratch, like our turkey neck gravy recipe.
- Mix up the wood chips. Using different wood chips will yield different results. Fruit woods, like cherry and apple, will give the meat a softer, sweeter flavor, and are less likely to overpower the meat. Mesquite or hickory are also excellent choices, especially for fall turkeys made at Thanksgiving. Both boast a smoky, well-rounded flavor that is perfect with holiday pairings. You can mix these chips at an 80/20 ratio (80 fruit tree, 20 mesquite or hickory) to create your own blend.
- Brine the turkey. Brining the turkey is a good way to experiment with flavors and textures!
- Spatchcock before freezing. Save time thawing and cooking, as well as saving freezer space, by spatchcocking the turkey before freezing.
Now that you know how long to smoke a spatchcock turkey, you’re all set to break out your Big Green Egg or other smoker and prepare a juicy turkey for Christmas dinner or another holiday feast that the whole family can enjoy!
Tip: Speaking of Thanksgiving, try our simple stove top stuffing recipe!