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Turkey is great, but when you spatchcock that bird and hit it with smoke it becomes AMAZING! After trying this recipe, you will only smoke spatchcock turkey from here until the day you die.
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What is spatchcock?!
Never heard of spatchcocking a bird before? Don't worry, you're not alone. Spatchcocking is when you remove the backbone of a bird, such as a turkey or chicken, and cook the bird while it's laying flat.
One of my most popular recipes is my smoked spatchcock chicken, it's to die for! That recipe and this turkey recipe have crispy skin, juicy meat, and look fantastic.
Why spatchcock vs. cooking whole?
When you remove the backbone and "flatten" the bird out while cooking, it allows the meat to cook evenly. This means half of the bird isn't overcooked when the other half is cooked properly.
So if you are looking for the best way to cook a bird, spatchcock that turkey! Don't worry, it still looks great when presented on the middle of your Thanksgiving dinner table!
Does this mean you can't smoke a whole turkey? NO. You can smoke a turkey whole and have it turn out delicious. My smoked turkey recipe which is whole turns out amazing as well, but those thighs will be cooked slightly more than the breast.
VIDEO - How to Cook a Spatchcock Turkey
Recipe Ingredients
This spatchcock turkey recipe involves the intense spicy flavor of sriracha sauce married with sweet honey to create the perfect turkey glaze.
- 15lb Turkey
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Sriracha
- Honey
- Garlic
- Soy Sauce
- Apple Cider Vinegar
Prepping the bird
Let's go through everything you need to do in order to get this turkey ready for your holiday feast. It's easy, so don't worry. Your guests and family are going to love the spicy and sweet contrast this smoked turkey recipe delivers!
Thawing
MOST turkeys are frozen when purchased from your local grocery store. If your turkey is frozen, make sure to give yourself plenty of time for it to defrost. The USDA recommends 3 ways to defrost a turkey. This is in a:
- Refrigerator
- Cold Water
- Microwave (I don't recommend this method)
Refrigerator
Give yourself several days to defrost in the refrigerator before your intended cook date. Give yourself 1 day of defrosting for every 4-5lbs of weight.
So if your turkey weighs 16lbs, place the turkey in your refrigerator 4 days before your intended cook date.
Cold Water
Fill your sink with COLD water and place the turkey inside it's original packaging in the water. Allow 30 minutes per 1lb of turkey weight. So a 16lb turkey will take 8 hours to defrost.
Microwave
Don't do it. If you don't have 8 hours to defrost a turkey, cook something else!
Spatchcocking the turkey
After removing the giblets and neck out of the inside of the turkey, dry with paper towels and place on a large cutting board. Using a pair of poultry shears (affiliate link), we are going to cut out the backbone.
Lay the turkey breast side down on the cutting board. Using the poultry shears, cut a line going from top to bottom of the turkey on both sides of the backbone.
Once the backbone is cut out, discard in the trash. Turn the turkey over, breast side up, and using the palm of your hands push down on the bird.
This will help flatten it out. You might hear some cracking from the rib cage of the bird as it stretches.
Seasoning the turkey
Coat the entire outside of the turkey liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Next, we are going to make the sriracha glaze to put on the turkey when it's close to being finished cooking.
Mix all of the glaze ingredients in a pan and heat over medium heat until boiling, continue simmering for 2-3 minutes. The glaze should thicken up a bit. Remove from heat and set aside for later.
Smoking the turkey
Pre-heat the smoker to 225°F, I'm using my Traeger 780 Wood Pellet Grill (affiliate link). with a mild wood, such as fruit woods. Pecan wood or applewood pellets or wood chunks work great.
Smoking low and slow
Place the spatchcocked turkey directly on the grill grates with the breasts facing up. Smoke for 3 hours or until an internal temperature of 130°F when checked with an instant read thermometer (affiliate link).
Spritz the turkey every 45 minutes or so with a 50:50 mixture of apple cider vinegar and water. This will help keep the turkey from becoming dried out.
Turn up the heat
Once that internal temperature of the turkey reaches 130°F, turn up the heat on the smoker to above 400°F and stop spraying it with the apple cider vinegar mixture. Turning up the heat will help crisp that skin giving this spatchcock smoked turkey the best overall finish.
Cook about 30 minutes and baste the turkey with the sriracha glaze. Baste it 1 more time 20 minutes after you put on the first coat.
Finished Temperature & Rest
Continue cooking until the breast meat registers 165°F when tested with a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. Once that magic number is reached, remove your smoked spatchcock turkey from the smoker and place on a cutting board to rest.
Allow the turkey to rest uncovered for 10 minutes before carving and serving guests. This resting period is IMPORTANT. This is when all those great juices redistribute throughout the meat and don't run out of the turkey when carving.
That rest period is what gives you a moist turkey over a dry one, and no one likes dry turkey.
Old Pro Tips
- Don't put the glaze on too early. The honey within the glaze will burn if it's on the turkey too long. So don't put the glaze on when you first start cooking!
- Rotate the turkey 180° when cooking if you notice that one side of the turkey is receiving more heat and cooking faster than the other side. This is common, so pay attention to your temps!
- Spritz with a 50:50 mixture of apple cider vinegar and water when smoking. This keeps the bird moist and the humidity level elevated in the smoker.
- Rest 10 minutes before carving to keep the meat moist and tender.
- Don't cover with aluminum foil when resting, this will make the skin soggy and eliminate the hard work you put in to make it nice and crisp!
FAQ
It takes 3 hours to smoke and another 1 hour to finish cooking after turning up the heat.
No. As long as you use kitchen shears it should be quite easy since you are cutting alongside the backbone and not through it.
This comes down to personal preference. The turkey will turn out more evenly cooked and juicy when spatchcocked but loses that traditional Thanksgiving Turkey look.
More GREAT Tasting Smoked Birds
Ingredients
- 16 lb whole turkey (giblets removed)
Initial Seasoning
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 tbsp black pepper
Sriracha Glaze
- ½ stick unsalted butter
- ¼ cup sriracha sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
Spritz
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Pre-heat smoker to 225°F.
- Remove giblets from inside of turkey and rinse bird with fresh water.
- With breast side down, cut on each side of backbone with poultry shears to remove the backbone.
- Turn turkey over, breast side up, and push down on the breasts with the palm of your hand firmly. This should flatten the rib cage allowing turkey to lay flat.
- Dry turkey with paper towels and then coat with olive oil. Make sure to get both sides of the bird.
- Season bird with inital seasoning of salt and pepper everywhere you put olive oil. Season to taste.
- Lay turkey directly on grill rack breast side up and smoke for 3 hours or until an internal temperature of 130°F. Spritz every 45 minutes with ACV/water mixture while smoking.
- While turkey is smoking. Add all sriracha glaze ingredients into a pan and heat to boil. Slow boil for 2-3 minutes to thicken the glaze. Remove from heat and set aside for later.
- Turn up temperature of smoker to 400°F and cook another 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 140°F when checked with an instant read thermometer.
- Baste the turkey with the sriracha glaze and cook another 20 minutes. Glaze the turkey again and continue cooking until the breast is 165°F.
- Remove from smoker and place on cutting board. Allow to rest 10-15 minutes and serve.
- Don't forget to rate this recipe after you make this delicious turkey!!!
Pro Tips
- Don't put the glaze on too early. The honey within the glaze will burn if it's on the turkey too long. So don't put the glaze on when you first start cooking!
- Rotate the turkey 180° when cooking if you notice that one side of the turkey is receiving more heat and cooking faster than the other side. This is common, so pay attention to your temps!
- Spritz with a 50:50 mixture of apple cider vinegar and water when smoking. This keeps the bird moist and the humidity level elevated in the smoker.
- Rest 10 minutes before carving to keep the meat moist and tender.
- Don't cover with aluminum foil when resting, this will make the skin soggy and eliminate the hard work you put in to make it nice and crisp!
Nutrition
Jack says
I'm planning to make this on an 18" Weber smoker, with charcoal, of course. Any suggestions?
Will says
Nice! I don't have that smoker unfortunately. I definitely have heard great things and it's on my list of must buys. With any charcoal smoker though, make sure to add a good piece of fruit wood on top to get that great wood smoked flavor. Please come back to let me know how it turns out and any tips you have making this on that charcoal smoker.