Smoked Spatchcock Turkey

Three Thanksgivings ago, my oven was packed with two casseroles, a pan of rolls, and a pie that was supposed to be done an hour earlier. The turkey had nowhere to go. My husband pointed at the smoker on the patio and said, “Why not?” That’s how smoked spatchcock turkey became our holiday bird, and I haven’t roasted one indoors since.

That first year wasn’t pretty. I smoked the turkey whole at 225°F because that’s what I’d read online. Seven hours later the breast was dry, the thighs were barely done, and the skin had the texture of a rubber glove. The next year I flattened the bird, turned the smoker up to 300°F, and had a juicy, mahogany-colored turkey on the table in a little over two hours.

Below is the method I use now, with the things I couldn’t find when I was starting out: a cook time chart by weight, what to do with a 20-pound bird or a smoker that can’t get hot enough, and a countdown for Thanksgiving week.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The breast and thighs finish together. Flattening the bird gives the thighs as much heat as the breast, so the breast doesn’t dry out while you wait on the legs.

The skin is crisp. At 225°F the fat under the skin never fully renders. At 300°F it melts and the skin tightens.

The dry brine does two jobs. Salt seasons the meat all the way through, and a day or two uncovered in the fridge dries the skin so it can crisp.

The smoke tastes clean. Poultry absorbs smoke fast. Seven hours can taste bitter. Two hours tastes like a good barbecue joint.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Serves 10 to 12.

1 whole turkey, 12 to 14 pounds, fully thawed, giblets and neck removed – The sweet spot. A flattened turkey is wide, so measure your smoker grate before you buy.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or ¼ cup avocado oil) – Brushed on once, right before it goes on.

3 to 3½ tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt – About ¾ teaspoon per pound of turkey. If you use Morton kosher salt, use about 2 tablespoons, since it’s much saltier by volume.

1 tablespoon baking powder – Aluminum-free, not baking soda. It raises the pH of the skin, which helps it brown and blister.

1 tablespoon light brown sugar – For color.

2 teaspoons each smoked paprika, garlic powder and coarse black pepper – The rub.

1 teaspoon each onion powder and dried thyme – The quieter flavors.

Apple or cherry wood – Chunks, chips or pellets. Pecan and maple work too. I wouldn’t use mesquite, which is too strong for turkey.

You’ll also need heavy poultry shears, a rimmed sheet pan with a wire rack, and a leave-in probe thermometer.

How to Make This Recipe

Thaw the turkey completely in the refrigerator, allowing about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. A 14-pound turkey needs about 3½ days.

To spatchcock it, pat the turkey dry and set it breast-side down with the tail end facing you. Using heavy shears, cut along one side of the backbone all the way to the neck, then along the other side, and pull the backbone out. Flip the turkey over, place both palms on the center of the breastbone, and press down hard until you hear a crack and the bird lies flat. Tuck the wing tips behind the breast so they don’t burn. Save the backbone and neck for gravy stock, since a smoked turkey doesn’t leave many drippings.

Mix the salt, baking powder, brown sugar and spices in a small bowl. Set the turkey on the wire rack over the sheet pan. Sprinkle about one-third of the mixture on the underside, flip it, and season the skin side with the rest. Loosen the skin over the breast with your fingers and rub some of the brine directly onto the meat. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 to 48 hours, until the skin looks dry, a little tacky and slightly translucent.

Set your smoker to 300°F with apple or cherry wood. You want thin, almost invisible blue smoke. Thick white smoke makes the turkey taste bitter. Take the turkey straight from the fridge, and don’t rinse it, because that puts water right back on the skin.

Brush the skin all over with the melted butter. Place the turkey skin-side up directly on the grate, with the thighs pointing toward the hottest part of your smoker. Insert the leave-in probe into the thickest part of the breast without touching bone, close the lid and leave it closed.

Start checking about 30 minutes before the low end of the time chart below, around the 1½-hour mark for a 12- to 14-pound turkey. It’s done when the thickest part of the breast reads 160°F to 162°F and the thighs read 170°F to 175°F. The breast keeps rising 3 to 5 degrees while it rests, reaching the USDA-recommended 165°F.

Rest the turkey uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes. Don’t cover it with foil, since trapped steam softens the skin. Then carve, slicing the breast crosswise so every piece gets some skin.

My “Crisp Skin, Juicy Meat” Mini Guide

• Check the label before you salt. Kosher turkeys and ones labeled “self-basting” or “contains up to 8% solution” are already salted. Dry brine those and the meat tastes cured. Skip the salt completely and use only the remaining spices.
• Test the breast and the thighs. One year my probe read 162°F in the breast while one thigh was still at 158°F. If the thighs are behind, turn the legs toward the heat for another 10 minutes. The breast can handle it.
• Why the thighs go hotter. Dark meat gets tender above 170°F. At 165°F it’s safe, but chewy.
• Don’t trust the lid thermometer. Put a second probe on the grate next to the bird. Mine reads 25 degrees cooler than the dial.
• Don’t mop or spritz. Every spritz wets the skin. Butter once, then leave it alone.

Helpful Tips

How Long to Smoke a Spatchcock Turkey by Weight

These are times for a spatchcocked turkey, straight from the fridge. Use them to plan your day, and pull the turkey by the thermometer, not the clock.

• 10 to 12 pounds: 1¾ to 2¼ hours at 300°F, or 2½ to 3 hours at 275°F.
• 12 to 14 pounds: 2 to 2½ hours at 300°F, or 3 to 3½ hours at 275°F.
• 14 to 16 pounds: 2½ to 3 hours at 300°F, or 3½ to 4 hours at 275°F.
• 18 to 20 pounds: 3¼ to 4 hours at 300°F, or 4½ to 5½ hours at 275°F.

Smoking an 18- to 22-Pound Turkey

My honest advice is to smoke two 12-pound turkeys instead. They cook faster, fit more easily, and give you four drumsticks. If you already have a big bird and it doesn’t fit flat, cut it in half straight down the breastbone and smoke the halves side by side. Keep the smoker at 300°F, expect 3¼ to 4 hours, and start checking at 2¾.

If Your Smoker Can’t Reach 300°F

Many electric smokers top out at 275°F, which leaves the skin soft. Smoke the turkey at the highest setting until the breast reaches about 150°F. Then move it on its sheet pan to a 425°F oven for 15 to 25 minutes, until the breast reads 160°F and the thighs at least 170°F.

Cold and Windy Days

The year it was 28°F with a steady wind, our turkey took almost an hour longer than usual. Park the smoker out of the wind and add 30 to 60 minutes to your plan.

Thanksgiving Countdown

This is built for dinner at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

• Saturday before: move a 12- to 14-pound turkey from the freezer to the fridge.
• Monday: buy wood or pellets, and test your thermometer in ice water.
• Tuesday evening: spatchcock, dry brine, and refrigerate uncovered.
• Thursday: start the smoker at 10:45 a.m., turkey on at 11:15, start checking at 12:45, off at about 1:30, carve at 2:15.

The Brine I’d Skip

The one I’d skip is a wet brine with apple juice. I tried it one year, and the skin was soggy no matter how long I smoked it.

Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating

Spatchcock and dry brine up to 2 days ahead. Don’t smoke the turkey the day before, because the skin goes soft in the fridge and never comes back. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge, or 3 months frozen. To reheat, lay slices in a baking dish with a few tablespoons of stock, cover tightly with foil, and warm at 300°F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Smoked spatchcock turkey looks like a project, but most of it is waiting.

A sharp cranberry sauce with orange zest cuts through the smoke, and cornbread dressing tastes like it was made for this bird.