Traeger Smoked Spatchco*ck Turkey Recipe - Delicious Thanksgiving Meal (2024)

FAQs

Should I Spatchco*ck a turkey for Thanksgiving? ›

Why should I spatchco*ck my turkey? While it is a little extra butchery work, spatchco*cking a turkey helps it cook more evenly and quickly. Additionally, this method exposes all the skin at the same time, so you end up with a perfectly crispy skin and juicy meat.

Set the Traeger to 225°F and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes. Set the wire rack over a 4-inch-deep roasting dish and set the turkey on top, breast side-up. Close the lid and smoke the turkey until the thickest part of the breast reaches an internal temperature of 100°F to 110°F, about 2 to 2.5 hours.

Not to mention, smoking your turkey low and slow is a great way to keep it tender and juicy. When all is said and done, smoking really doesn't take much more time than your typical Thanksgiving turkey might in the oven.

Cooking a whole turkey is notoriously challenging: the breasts cook quicker than the thighs, and its size and shape make it unwieldy. Spatchco*cking enables the meat to cook more evenly and makes it easier to fit on the grates of a smoker.

Smoke the spatchco*cked turkey.

Close the lid and smoke for approximately 4 to 4.5 hours, or until an internal thermometer reads 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast. The thighs will likely read higher temperatures, around 175-185 and that is totally perfect.

Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C). Spatchco*ck the turkey by cutting out the backbone with heavy shears, making an incision in the breastbone, turning the bird onto its back and pressing down firmly to flatten it out. If you didn't dry brine it beforehand, season the bird well with salt and pepper.

8. Smoke the turkey over low heat 225° - 275° F for approximately 11-13 minutes a pound. 9. Once the breast reaches 165°F, remove, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest approximately 30 minutes.

Once the bird is spatchco*cked and seasoned, it's ready to smoke. Place the prepared turkey directly on clean and oiled grill grates of your preheated 250°F smoker and close the grill lid. Smoke the turkey for approximately 12-15 minutes per pound.

Once spritzed, close the lid back up and continue cooking. After around 3 hours (depending on size of turkey) your turkey should be reaching around 162F in the breast and around 175F in the thighs. This is perfect! Pull it off the grill, let it rest for 10-15 minutes and then slice it up and begin the feast!

Vegetables – Roasted or sauteed veggies are great with smoked turkey. You can even grill some veggies to go along with the turkey! Potatoes – Roasted, mashed, stuffed, and everything in between, potatoes are a great side for smoked turkey.

Who has the best smoked turkey for Thanksgiving? ›

Make sure you have a drip pan at the ready to catch the drippings as well as keep your smoker environment moist. I use an aluminum pan that I can position on the grill underneath my turkey. Fill the pan with several cups of water at the beginning of the smoke.

Place the spatchco*cked turkey skin side up and let it smoke cook for about 4 hours at 240°F. Monitor the temperature of the breast at it's thickest part and when it reaches about 158-160 it's time to move it from the heat.

How long does it take to smoke a turkey? Cooking at 325 degrees F, it will take around 10 minutes per pound. My 16-pound turkey took 2 hours and 45 minutes, almost exactly 10 minutes per pound.

Hickory is a classic hard wood choice for smoking turkey for several reasons. It has a distinct flavor that is robust and very forward and is familiar to those who enjoy smoky flavors. Maple wood gives off a sweeter smoke and can add a lovely golden hue to anything you smoke with it.

Since the skin of a spatchco*cked bird is all on top, it all crisps up beautifully, giving you more crispy skin than a conventionally cooked bird. The removed backbone can be used to give your gravy an extra dimension of turkey flavor.

I cooked an entire turkey in half the time using the spatchco*ck method, and it's a Thanksgiving game-changer. I tried the spatchco*ck method of roasting a turkey and it cut the cooking time down to 75 minutes. Spatchco*cking involves cutting out the backbone and roasting the bird flat.

And guess what? Turkey is, too. So instead of spatchco*cking, get yourself some chicken legs and thighs, or cut that bird into parts yourself. Not only do these individual parts cook evenly, they also have more surface area—and that means more delicious, smoky charring from a grill and more golden, crispy skin.