Smoked Spatchcock Turkey With Honey BBQ Sauce - Sip Bite Go

HOW TO SMOKE SPATCHCOCK TURKEY STEP-BY-STEP

Here’s the step-by-step recipe…

Step 1 – Prep turkey. Remove it from the bag. Remove inside parts and discard. Pat turkey dry with a paper towel.

Step 2 – Spatchcock turkey. Use kitchen shears or a really sharp chef’s knife to cut along each side of the backbone of the turkey. Remove and discard the backbone. Flip the turkey so the breast side is up. Push down in the center of the turkey breast to flatten it.

Step 3 – (Optional) Add compound butter. Mix together compound butter ingredients (butter, unsalted, softened, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme). Use your fingers to loosen and gently separate the skin of the turkey breast from the meat. Smear compound butter between skin and turkey breast.

Step 4 – Season turkey. Drizzle spatchcocked turkey with olive oil and massage it into the skin. Add dry rub and massage it into the skin.

Step 5 – (Optional) Chill turkey before smoking it. While you don’t need a full-on brine for this recipe, it’s recommended to let the spatchcock turkey sit in seasoning for 30 minutes to overnight. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 30 minutes before smoking it.

Step 6 – Preheat Traeger smoker (or whatever pellet grill you’re using) to 275 degrees F.

If desired (for extra moisture) add a small loaf pan filled with water to the corner, on top of the smoker grates, to remain in the pellet grill while smoking spatchcock turkey.

Step 7 – Smoke spatchcock turkey at 275°F. Once preheated, place the spatchcock turkey directly on the grill grates, breast side up, and tuck the wings in toward the body so they cook evenly. Smoke for about 1.5 hours, using this time to prep the baste if desired.

Step 8 – (Optional) Prep baste for turkey. You don’t have to baste the turkey, but it will add a lot of flavor to the skin.

To make it, add all the basting ingredients to a small pan. 30 minutes into smoking the turkey, place the pan in the smoker to melt. 30 minutes later, stir the baste to combine the ingredients. Brush half of the baste on the spatchcock turkey in the smoker.

Continue to smoke the basted turkey for an additional 30 minutes… which lines up perfectly with the 1.5 hours you initially smoke the turkey at 275 degrees F.

Step 9 – Raise the temperature of the smoker to 350 degrees F. For the second time, brush the spatchcocked turkey with the remaining baste (you can also save some baste to add to the finished turkey after it’s done resting).

Step 10 – If you haven’t already, add a meat thermometer to the turkey if desired and smoke it until internal temperature (measured in the thickest part of the turkey thigh) reaches at least 165 degrees F in the breast and 175 degrees F in the thigh.

The total smoke time for spatchcock smoked turkey in the SipBiteGo video demonstration was about 2 hours.

Step 11 – Rest smoked spatchcocked turkey for at least 30 minutes, under tin foil if desired. Carve and enjoy!..

De-licious!

Next, see my easy recipe for smoked whole chicken.