Pellet Grilled Spatchcock Turkey

Juicy, fall off the bone smoked turkey spatchcocked for faster cooking

Pellet Grilled Spatchcock Turkey

Juicy, smokey, fall-off-the-bone deliciousness takes your regular holiday turkey over the top. Spatchcocking allows the smoke from your favorite wood chips to penetrate to the bone without drying it out. Your pellet grill can deliver deliciously tender turkey any time of year!

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: smoked, spatchcock, turkey

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 4

Resting Time: 15

Total Time: 4 35

Servings:

Calories: 457kcal

Author: Imma

Equipment

1 Pellet grill or another smoker

Ingredients

1 15-pound turkey
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons dry rub (your choice of chicken, turkey, poultry, Creole, or Italian)

Instructions

Spatchcock the Turkey

Locate the parts you want to remove: the neck and the gizzard.
Use your kitchen shears to cut the left side of the backbone from the tail to the neck. Then, do the same to the right side of the backbone.
Flip the turkey over and press down on it with both hands to break the breast bone and flatten the wings.
Rub the turkey all over with your choice of seasoning.

Smoke It

Preheat the smoker to 250-275℉ (120-135℃). The higher the temperature, the faster the turkey will cook.
Place the turkey in the smoker and baste it with its juices every 1-2 hours. Smoke until the internal temperature of the thickest part reaches 165℉ (75℃). It may take about 4 hours.
Flip the turkey halfway through for even browning, although it's unnecessary.
Remove the turkey from the smoker and let it rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Just a quick brine because the rub will give it flavor. And the smoke will easily penetrate the meat, so 4-5 hours of brining should be enough.
If cutting the backbone is too hard, try getting a little farther or closer to the bone. Or move it around to find the thinnest part.
The turkey will be much juicier if you let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Only open the smoker lid when necessary. Constant opening of the smoker will cool the smoker and lead to a longer cooking time.
Stuffing a smoking turkey probably isn't safe. So make the stuffing separately and serve it on the side. You could also put it in the smoker 30 minutes before the turkey finishes for a smoky stuffing.
Smoke your turkey until an instant-read meat thermometer reads 160℉ (72℃) in the thickest part of the breast. The thigh should read 180℉ (82℃). The turkey leg should move easily when ready to remove it from the smoker.
Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition