Smoking a spatchcock turkey is a great way to infuse your holiday bird with delicious smoky flavor. Spatchcocking, also known as butterflying, is a technique where the backbone is removed so the turkey lies flat. This allows for faster, more even cooking. When smoked at around 250°F, the turkey ends up incredibly moist and tender.
Why Smoke a Spatchcock Turkey?
There are several benefits to smoking a spatchcocked turkey:
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Removes the backbone so it cooks faster. A whole turkey can take 4-5 hours. Spatchcocking cuts the time nearly in half.
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Allows for more even cooking. With a whole turkey, the breast often dries out before the thighs are done. Spatchcocking lets the white and dark meat finish cooking at the same time.
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Infuses the meat with smoky flavor. The low, slow smoking gives the turkey a wonderful smokiness.
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Skin gets deliciously crispy, The skin renders and crisps up beautifully when smoked for hours at 250°F
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Meat ends up very juicy and tender. The collagen melts after several hours of gentle smoking.
How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Spatchcock Turkey at 250°F?
When smoking a spatchcock turkey at 250°F, use this timetable as a guide:
- 8-12 lb turkey: 2 to 2 1/2 hours
- 12-15 lb turkey: 2 1/2 to 3 hours
- 15-18 lb turkey: 3 to 3 1/2 hours
- 18-22 lb turkey: 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours
The best way to tell when your turkey is done is to use an instant read thermometer. Insert it into the thickest part of the breast, avoiding the bone. The turkey is finished when it reaches 165°F. The thighs will be in the 175-185°F range when the breast hits 165°F.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Smoked Spatchcock Turkey
Follow these simple steps for foolproof results:
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Spatchcock the Turkey
- Remove any giblets from the cavities.
- Use kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the backbone.
- Open the turkey and press down to flatten the breastbone.
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Prepare the Smoker
- Set up your smoker or grill for indirect cooking at 250°F.
- Use wood chips, chunks or pellets. Good woods include apple, cherry, pecan, hickory, oak.
- Allow 30-60 minutes for smoker to preheat.
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Season the Turkey
- Pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels.
- Rub the skin generously with butter or oil.
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper and any other seasonings you like.
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Add Turkey to the Smoker
- Place the turkey directly on the grill grates, breast-side up.
- Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast if desired.
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Smoke the Turkey
- Smoke the turkey for approximately 12-15 minutes per pound.
- For even cooking, maintain a temperature around 250°F.
- Avoid peeking; keep the lid closed as much as possible.
- Use a thermometer to check doneness after about 2 hours.
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Rest and Carve the Turkey
- When the breast reaches 165°F, remove turkey from the smoker.
- Let rest 15-30 minutes before carving.
- Slice and serve immediately for the juiciest meat.
Turkey Smoking Tips
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Brining is optional but helps keep the meat moist. A simple saltwater brine works great.
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If smoking on a charcoal grill, use a disposable aluminum pan under the turkey for easy cleanup.
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Resist opening the smoker often to prevent heat and smoke loss.
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If the skin isn’t crisping up, increase the heat to 300-325°F for the last 30-60 minutes.
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Letting the turkey rest after smoking is crucial to reabsorb the juices.
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Use an instant read thermometer to check the meat in several places.
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Slice the breast meat across the grain for tenderness.
Smoking a spatchcock turkey infuses it with flavor and keeps the meat incredibly moist and delicious. Using an approximate smoking time of 12-15 minutes per pound at 250°F will give you perfect results. Monitor the internal temperature and let it rest before enjoying your juicy, smoky turkey!
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 generous 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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
FAQ
How long do you smoke a spatchcocked turkey per pound?
Smoke the turkey over low heat 225° – 275° F for approximately 11-13 minutes a pound. Once the breast reaches 165°F, remove, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest approximately 30 minutes.
Is it better to smoke a turkey at 225 or 250?
When smoking at 225°F, it can take about 30 to 45 minutes to cook one pound of turkey. That means a 12-pound turkey should take at least six hours to cook in a smoker. To smoke your turkey faster, increase the smoker’s temperature to 250°F to 275°F.
How long to smoke turkey at 250 degrees?
Smoking a turkey can be a long process, so be sure to start early in the day so that the turkey will be done by dinner time. Typically, it takes at least 5 hours to smoke an average sized turkey at 250 degrees F. Plan on having your turkey cook for about 25-30 minutes per pound.
Do you flip a spatchcock turkey when smoking?
Use the kitchen shears to crack the breast bone and then flip the turkey around and press down on the breast to flatten it out. Spray cooking spray on the bottom of the turkey and season with the dry rub mixture above. Flip the bird over so it is breast-side up.
How to smoke a spatchcocked turkey
Once the bird is spatchcocked and seasoned, it’s ready to smoke. Place the prepared turkey directly on clean and oiled grill grates of your preheated 250°F smoker and close the grill lid.
Smoke the turkey for approximately 12-15 minutes per pound. Try to keep the temperature at a consistent 250°F for an even smoke and to avoid flareups. While it’s tempting to peek, it’s important to keep the lid closed. Remember, if you’re lookin’, it ain’t cookin’.
Your turkey is fully cooked when the breast and thigh portions reach an internal temperature of 165°F, measured by a meat thermometer. Once fully cooked, remove your turkey from the smoker. The easiest way to keep the bird from sticking to the grill grates bird is to loosen all sides first with a metal spatula before transferring to a cutting board.
Finally, tent the bird with foil and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Cutting a turkey too soon is one of the 10 biggest turkey cooking mistakes. The final step is the easiest, but very important to allow the juices to reabsorb and keep your meat moist. Cut too soon and the juices will leak out, leaving your meat drier than you wanted. Besides, a super-hot turkey is no fun to carve.
Pair your smoked turkey with easy side dishes and a decadent dessert for an incredible holiday dinner.
Why spatchcock a turkey?
Sure, you can smoke a whole turkey without spatchcocking it first, but there are several benefits of this method. Spatchcocking is the process of splitting open your bird and removing the backbone so it can lay flat on the smoker. Your turkey will cook in way less time and more evenly since there is more surface area on the bird. The skin will be crispier and the meat will be juicier with that signature smoke flavor. The end results look amazing and, let’s be honest, ‘spatchcock’ is just fun to say.