Spatchcocked smoked turkey on a platter.

Juicy Smoked Spatchcock Turkey Recipe with Crisp Skin

Name: Smoked Spatchcock Turkey Recipe with Crisp Skin
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 3 s
Total time: 2 h 45 min 3 s
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Whole Turkey; ¼ cup of the poultry Rub of your choice; 3 tablespoons olive oil; ¼ stick of butter, melted

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Our smoked spatchcock turkey recipe is a trifecta of smoky flavor, juicy meat, and crispy skin.

It’s everything you could want in a perfect Thanksgiving turkey or as a large meal with incredible flavor to serve a group.

Here in Texas, smoked turkey isn’t just for Thanksgiving day.

You’ll find smoked turkey served every single day at the world’s most renowned BBQ joints.

And after you try our recipe, you’ll want to make it more frequently too!

What is Spatchcocking?

Spatchcocking is another word for butterflying your meat by removing the backbone, which flattens the meat.

Once you master how to spatchcock a turkey, you can also do this for a Smoked Spatchcock Chicken Recipe for an even easier weeknight meal at home.

What are the Benefits of Spatchcocking a Turkey?

When you spatchcock a turkey, the meat is flattened out and this helps the cooking process in a number of ways:

Faster Cooking Time: The flattened turkey cooks faster because all the meat is closer to the heat source. At times, this might cut your cooking time in half, while achieving delicious results.
More Even Cooking: Not one likes dry turkey. Another benefit of spatchcocking is that your flattened bird cooks more evenly. That means you don’t risk drying out parts of the meat while waiting for your bird to come to a safe internal temperature.
Crispier Skin: Since the surface area of the skin is cooking at the same level, you are more likely to achieve crispier skin without the risk of some parts burning while other parts remain rubbery.

Man pressing down while spatchcocking a turkey.

How to Spatchcock a Turkey

Don’t be intimidated by the spatchcock method! Think of spatchocking a turkey like making a few snips and then giving your bird CPR.

Start by removing your poultry from your smoked turkey brine, if applicable, and thoroughly dry it off with a paper towel. We even like to dry out the skin for a number of hours in the refrigerator after removing it from the brine.
Place the turkey on a large cutting board. While you could use a sharp knife, we highly recommend using a strong pair of sharp kitchen shears to cut on both sides of the backbone of the turkey.
Remove the entire backbone from the turkey and discard it or save it to simmer in a pot of store-bought gravy to add in more turkey flavor.
Flip the whole bird over with the cavity open underneath.
Use the weight of both of your hands to press down on the entire turkey (much like giving CPR) to flatten the turkey. You will hear the breast bone in the ribcage break and the turkey will flatten.
Your bird is now spatchcocked! Now coat the turkey with your favorite dry rub, injections, or use our mayonnaise roasted turkey herb baste for the exterior.

Equipment Needed for a Smoked Spatchcock Turkey

Kitchen Shears – The easiest way to cut out the backbone while spatchcocking a turkey is to use a pair of kitchen shears. It’s also the best way to protect yourself while safely butchering the chicken.
Rub – We like to use a dry rub on the exterior of the chicken skin to add flavor and help to keep the skin crispy. You can use the rub of your choice, but for this recipe we used the Traeger Fin and Feather Dry Rub.
Smoker – we use a Traeger wood pellet grill, but you can also use a Big Green Egg, electric smoker, or even a charcoal grill with indirect heat.
Basting Brush – One way to get irresistible crispy skin on a spatchcock smoked turkey is to use our butter and olive oil baste recipe. Be sure you have a basting brush handy for this step of the recipe.
Meat Thermometer – The key to not ending up with a dry smoked turkey is closely monitoring the internal temperature. We use a wireless thermometer in the thickest part of the breast meat to be able to determine when the internal temp reaches the desired 155 degrees F. The USDA safe guidelines for cooking turkey recommends a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F, but keep in mind the spatchcocked turkey will continue to increase in internal temperature while it rests. If you remove your turkey from the smoker at 155 degrees F, it will reach a safe temperature after resting and keeps the meat very juicy.

How Long Should a Turkey Rest?

The resting process is a critical aspect of the recipe, although many people consider it an afterthought.

You don’t want to spend lots of time and money carefully smoking a turkey only to lose a lot of the juices from not giving it a long enough resting time.

It’s recommended to rest a turkey on a sheet pan for at least 30 minutes so that the juices are incorporated into the meat and so that the internal temperature continues to rise in the bird.

This is especially important if you remove the turkey from the smoker at 155 degrees F and need the internal temperature to safely rise to 165 degrees F.

If you are cooking a larger turkey over 20 pounds, you might want to increase the resting time to 40 minutes.

When resting your turkey do NOT cover it with aluminum foil, or you will end up making that crisp skin turn soggy.

Instead, let it rest uncovered. Don’t worry, the meat will still stay hot.

What to Serve with our Smoked Spatchcock Turkey

Here are our favorite side dishes to serve with this juicy turkey:

Southern Corn Pudding with Brown Butter: This was our big win from Thanksgiving of 2023. It was so good that we made it AGAIN five days later. Our Southern Corn Pudding Recipe is made with nutty brown butter, creamed corn, canned corn, and jiffy cornbread mix. Just stir it up in a casserole pan and bake for a sweet and savory side dish.
Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage, Apple, and Sage: Our family demands that we make this stuffing every single holiday. The Sausage Stuffing Recipe with Apple and Sage features sourdough bread, which takes it over the top.
Air Fryer Broccolini: There is a reason why this is one of our most popular recipes. This Air Fryer Broccolini Recipe is perfectly charred without causing the broccolini to go limp. It’s healthy, flavorful, and goes with just about any entree!

What to Make with Smoked Turkey Leftovers

Store any remaining turkey meat in an airtight container and use the meat for your favorite leftover recipes.

We love to make our Leftover Turkey Mini Pot Pies every year! Leftover turkey meat is great in soups, sandwiches, and casseroles. You can even find your favorite rotisserie chicken recipes and swap the chicken for the turkey meat.

This guide to 25 Low Carb Rotisserie Chicken Recipes has some great recipe ideas where you could easily swap in turkey.

Smoked Spatchcock Turkey Recipe with Crisp Skin

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 2 ½ hours

Additional Time: 30 Minutes

Serves: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

1 Whole Turkey
¼ cup of the poultry Rub of your choice
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ stick of butter, melted

Directions:

If you are using a frozen turkey, thaw the bird completely.
We like to brine our turkey 2 days before smoking it for 24 hours. Start by removing your poultry from your smoked turkey brine, if applicable. Using paper towels, pat the entire turkey dry. We even like to leave it in the fridge, uncovered, overnight to really dry out the skin. This helps to get the skin crispy.
Place the turkey on a large cutting board. Use a strong pair of sharp kitchen shears to cut on both sides of the backbone of the turkey.
Remove the entire backbone from the turkey and discard it or save it to make gravy or turkey stock.
Flip the whole bird over with the cavity open underneath.
Use the weight of both of your hands to press down on the entire turkey (much like giving CPR) to flatten the turkey. You will hear the breast bone in the ribcage break and the turkey will flatten.Your bird is now spatchcocked!
Now coat the turkey with your favorite dry rub, injections, or use our mayonnaise roasted turkey herb baste for the exterior.
Preheat your smoker to 215 degrees F then place your turkey directly on the grill grates and smoke for 30 minutes per pound. This is going to add all the smoke flavor to the turkey.
To create a crispier skin and to finish cooking your poultry, increase the heat to 440 degrees F. Baste with the butter olive oil mix (¼ stick of melted butter and 3 tablespoons of olive oil) every 20 minutes and cook until it hits a breast internal temp of 150-155 degrees F.
Let the turkey rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes. This ensures the skin does not get soggy and the juices settle into the meat, which will create even juicier turkey. When resting, the internal temperature will continue to increase.
Carve and serve!

Smoked Spatchcock Turkey Recipe with Crisp Skin

Yield: 1 Smoked Turkey

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 3 seconds

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes 3 seconds

Looking for a juicy smoked spatchcock turkey recipe with crisp skin? This recipe ensures your turkey stays moist with irresistible skin!

Ingredients

1 Whole Turkey
¼ cup of the poultry Rub of your choice
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ stick of butter, melted

Instructions

If you are using a frozen turkey, thaw the bird completely.
We like to brine our turkey 2 days before smoking it for 24 hours. Start by removing your poultry from your smoked turkey brine, if applicable. Using paper towels, pat the entire turkey dry. We even like to leave it in the fridge, uncovered, overnight to really dry out the skin. This helps to get the skin crispy.
Place the turkey on a large cutting board. Use a strong pair of sharp kitchen shears to cut on both sides of the backbone of the turkey.
Remove the entire backbone from the turkey and discard it or save it to make gravy or turkey stock.
Flip the whole bird over with the cavity open underneath.
Use the weight of both of your hands to press down on the entire turkey (much like giving CPR) to flatten the turkey. You will hear the breast bone in the ribcage break and the turkey will flatten.Your bird is now spatchcocked!
Now coat the turkey with your favorite dry rub, injections, or use our mayonnaise roasted turkey herb baste for the exterior.
Preheat your smoker to 215 degrees F then place your turkey directly on the grill grates and smoke for 30 minutes per pound. This is going to add all the smoke flavor to the turkey.
To create a crispier skin and to finish cooking your poultry, increase the heat to 440 degrees F. Baste with the butter olive oil mix (¼ stick of melted butter and 3 tablespoons of olive oil) every 20 minutes and cook until it hits a breast internal temp of 150-155 degrees F.
Let the turkey rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes. This ensures the skin does not get soggy and the juices settle into the meat, which will create even juicier turkey. When resting, the internal temperature will continue to increase.
Carve and serve!