Spatchcocked Turkey with Herbed Butter
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In this spatchcocked turkey recipe, I will show you how to speed up the process of smoking a turkey by butterflying it, commonly called “spatchcocking the turkey”.
This opens up the turkey allowing it to cook faster and a lot more evenly, makes it easier to carve and often helps the skin to get more crispy especially if you are able to cook it a little hotter than normal smoking temperatures.
The herbed butter along with my Texas rub seasons this baby to perfection and your Thanksgiving will be a huge success!
- Preparation time: 30 minutes
- Brine time: 8-12 hours
- Cook time: 4-6 hours
- Smoker temperature: 240°F (116°C)
- Meat finish temperature: 165°F (74°C)
- Recommended wood: Fruitwood and/or Pecan
- Any size turkey
- Turkey brine (recipe below)
- Herbed butter (recipe below)
- Jeff's Texas rub
Note: You can brine first and then spatchcock the turkey or vice versa. I like to spatchcock it first but this is completely personal preference.
This is an old word that just means to butterfly the turkey by cutting out the backbone and laying it open. This allows it to cook faster and more evenly. This also allows you to cook a much larger bird in the smoker safely.
When you are smoking a turkey at low smoker temperatures such as 240°F (116°C) it is not recommended to use a turkey that is larger than 12 lbs due to the fact that it will stay in the danger zone of 40°F to 140°F (4°C to 60°C) for too long.
By laying it open, this allows even a large bird to cook much safer since the heat can get to all sides and cook it much faster.
Remove the turkey from it's packaging.
Remove giblets, neck, pop-up timer and any plastic or hardware that is holding the legs together.
Place the turkey on your cutting board with the backbone facing up and neck end toward you.
Using a pair of heavy duty kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to completely remove it from the turkey.
Turn the turkey breast side up and press down with both hands to flatten it.
Make a simple turkey brine using 1 gallon of cold water, 1 cup of coarse kosher salt. You can also add ¾ cup of dark brown sugar. (the sugar is optional but I think it adds a lot to the brine).
Here's some brine recipes you might enjoy!
Pour the salt into the water and stir until it becomes clear again. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
Place the turkey in a plastic, glass or stainless steel container and pour the brine over the bird to cover.
Please note: Depending on what container you use, you may require more than 1 gallon of brine. Just double or triple the brine recipe as required.
Place a lid or cover on the container with the bird and the brine and place it in the refrigerator overnight. If the container is too large for the fridge, you will need to ice it down and ensure that it stays at or below 39°F for food safety purposes. 8-12 hours is recommended brining time for best results.
Please see my Turkey FAQ if you have questions about why you should brine or how it benefits the turkey.
When the turkey is finished brining, discard the brine and rinse the turkey really well under cold water. Sometimes this is best done outside if possible.
Dry the inside and outside of the turkey with clean paper towels.
It doesn't hurt to place the turkey in the fridge uncovered for about 2 hours to allow the skin to dry further. This helps the skin to end up with a good “bite through”.
While the drying process is occurring, make up the herb butter (recipe below)
Herb Butter
- 1 stick of butter, softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup thyme, chopped
- 1/4 cup chives, chopped
- 1/4 cup sage, chopped
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 TBS Jeff's Texas Rub
You can put all of this into a food processor and get a nice mixture if you like. I opted to just chop everything by hand and then fold the ingredients into the butter. Cutting the butter into smaller pieces first helps with this.
If you make this ahead of time, you can form it back into a log and wrap in plastic wrap to keep it fresh.
When ready to use, leave out on the counter for an hour or two to soften.
Split the butter into (2) parts and put half of it under the skin and half of it on the outside of the skin.
In order to get it under the skin, you will have to loosen the skin first.
Work your hands between the skin and the meat tearing the membrane loose as you go. Do this carefully and patiently and you will be able to completely loosen the skin from the breast meat and even the thighs and legs. Leave the skin attached around the edges (except for where your hand entered) to help hold in the butter and herbs.
Once the skin is loose enough, stuff some of the herbed butter in the breast area, the thighs, and the legs. Pat it down from the outside to spread it out a little more.
Apply the remaining herbed butter on the outside of the skin. If it does not want to stick, microwave it a little to make it more fluid and apply with a silicone brush. (it tends to stick to your hands better than the turkey skin).
Completely coated with herbed butter, give it a good sprinkle all over with my Texas rub for perfect seasoning throughout.
Don't forget both sides of the wings, thighs and legs.
Set up your smoker for cooking at about 240°F (116°C).
If your smoker has a water pan, it's a great idea to use as this helps to reduce the drying effect of the heat.
Make sure you have enough smoking wood to last for at least 2 hours.
When the smoker is preheated and ready to go, it's time to cook some turkey!
Place the turkey on a cookie sheet to carry it out to the smoker or you can use a Bradley rack and just leave it on there while it cooks.
Place the spatchcocked turkey skin side up and let it smoke cook for about 4 hours at 240°F (116°C).
Monitor the temperature of the breast at it's thickest part and when it reaches about 160°F (71°C) it's time to move it from the heat.
The carryover cooking will take it on up to about 163-165 and it will be incredibly juicy, tender and flavorful.
Quickly tent some foil over the bird and leave it for about 10-15 minutes to rest before carving.
To carve, remove the leg quarters then separate the thigh from the leg. Remove the wings then remove the breast meat in one big section by cutting along the carcass as you pull back on the breast meat. Slice the breast meat into pieces and you are ready to eat.
Another really nice seasoning mix is as follows:
- 2 cups of mayo (I use Duke's)
- 6 TBS of Jeff's original rub
- 2 TBS of Jeff's Texas style rub
Stir well to combine.
Use half of this mixture on the inside of the turkey and the other half on the skin side and even some up under the skin if possible.
Good stuff!
Spatchcocked Turkey with Herbed Butter
Ingredients
- 12-14 lb turkey
- ½ cup Jeff's Texas rub
Turkey Brine
- 1 gallon cold water
- 1 cup coarse kosher salt
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
Herbed Butter
- 1 stick ((¼ lb) butter, softened)
- ¼ cup parsley (chopped)
- ¼ cup thyme (chopped)
- ¼ cup chives (chopped)
- ¼ cup onions (chopped)
- 5 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 TBS Jeff's Texas style rub
Instructions
Step 1: Spatchcock (Butterfly)
- Remove the turkey from it's packaging.
- Remove giblets, neck, pop-up timer and any plastic or hardware that is holding the legs together.
- Place the turkey on your cutting board with the backbone facing up and neck end toward you.
- Using a pair of heavy duty kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to completely remove it from the turkey.
- Turn the turkey breast side up and press down with both hands to flatten it.
Step 2: Brine Overnight (optional)
- Make the brine in a large brining container or food grade bucket or pail (the sugar is optional but I think it adds a lot to the brine).
- Pour the salt into the water and stir until it becomes clear again. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Double or triple the brine recipe as required.
- Place the turkey in a plastic, glass or stainless steel container and pour the brine over the bird to cover.
- Place a lid or cover on the container with the bird and the brine and place it in the refrigerator overnight or 8-12 hours.
Step 3: Rinse and Dry
- When the turkey is finished brining, discard the brine and rinse the turkey really well under cold water.
- Dry the inside and outside of the turkey with clean paper towels.
- Place the turkey in the fridge uncovered for about 2 hours to allow the skin to dry further.
- While the drying process is occurring, make up the herb butter (recipe below)
Step 4: Make the Herbed Butter
- Combine ingredients well in a medium sized bowl.
- If made ahead, allow it to soften to help with the application.
Step 5: Apply Herbed Butter
- Split the butter into (2) parts and put half of it under the skin and half of it on the outside of the skin.
- Work your hands between the skin and the meat tearing the membrane loose as you go. Do this carefully and patiently and you will be able to completely loosen the skin from the breast meat and even the thighs and legs. Leave the skin attached around the edges (except for where your hand entered) to help hold in the butter and herbs.
- Once the skin is loose enough, stuff some of the herbed butter in the breast area, the thighs, and the legs. Pat it down from the outside to spread it out a little more.
- Apply the remaining herbed butter on the outside of the skin.
Step 6: Season with Texas Rub
- Season the entire turkey skin side and meat side with my Texas rub for perfect seasoning throughout.
Step 7: Smoke Time
- Set up your smoker for cooking at about 240°F.
- If your smoker has a water pan, it's a great idea to use as this helps to reduce the drying effect of the heat.
- Make sure you have enough smoking wood to last for at least 2 hours.
- Place the spatchcocked 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.
Step 8: Rest and Serve
- Quickly tent some foil over the bird and leave it for about 10-15 minutes to rest before carving.
- To carve, remove the leg quarters then separate the thigh from the leg. Remove the wings then remove the breast meat in one big section by cutting along the carcass as you pull back on the breast meat. Slice the breast meat into pieces and you are ready to eat.
Easy and very good. It cooked a little faster than I expected.
You show two temps for the turkey 240 & 225…which is it?
Jeff,
Winner! Winner! Smoked Turkey Dinner!
Worked out splendidly on my Oklahoma Joe’s with the offset heat box, and applewood from our trees.
Hi Jeff. Would I get these fantastic results if I substituted half a cup of mayo for the stick of butter? I’m thinking the mixture would spread easier and stick better using mayo. Appreciate you. Thanks.
Yes, you can absolutely sub in mayo for the butter in this recipe. Make sure the turkey is really dry before applying.
Hi Jeff. In your instructions to spatchcock a chicken you remove the keel bone. You don’t mention that in this recipe. Would you recommend it for a turkey?
Removing that keel bone helps it to open up a little better but I often don’t worry about it. I did not remove it when I was creating this recipe and it turned out really good.
Followed the techniques in the video and we have NEVER had turkey like this!! Absolutely delicious. 16 pound spatchcocked turkey, brined overnight, mayo/spice-rubbed and kept over applewood at 250F. It took about 3 hours to reach 160 in the breast. Easy Sunday afternoon choice – come home from church, get it rubbed while hubby heats the smoker, pop it in and relax!
Thank you for the great feedback!
This was an inspiring recipe, thank you! I changed it up a bit, did a dry brine, and smoked low and slow and it turned out great! I had the butcher spatchcock it for us.
This recipe was awesome for family Thanksgiving!!! We did a wet brine for 12hr and was soooo juicy. Highly recommended!
Can this recipe be used for a 22lb bird? If so, do I need to adjust the smoking time on my pellet grill?
Yes, I usually stick with turkeys that are in the 12-14 lb range even when I am spatchcocking them. Last year I cooked one for the family that I did not purchase myself and it was 25lbs. I expected it to take a little longer than usual but it was done in 7 hours. I’d say plan on 6-7 hours for a spatchcocked 22 lb turkey but if it gets done early, you can turn it down to low heat and hold it for 30-60 minutes or 3-4 hours if you FTC the bird which is wrapped in FOIL, wrapped in a TOWEL, then into a COOLER.
I followed the directions that you gave for smoking a spatchcock turkey. The turkey turned out wonderful. I found that preparing and applying the butter herb mixture was almost impossible to do on the outside of the skin. Additionally, once it was applied, the butter mixture hardened up due to the colder temperature of the spatchcock turkey. After the butter mixture hardened, the butter herb mixture easily fell off, as I was trying to apply rub to both sides of the turkey. I would suggest applying the rub seasoning to both sides of the turkey, before the butter herb mixture gets applied.
Also, I forgot how much liquid rendered off the turkey during the smoking and cooking process. Fortunately, I had a pan below the turkey to catch those drippings. However, it would be good advice for your readers to know they should have a pan there as part of the recipe.
Thanks for the recipe Jeff. That will be on the smoker for Thanksgiving for sure. Great Recipes.
I have tried most of your smoked turkey recipes. This one is very good, and my family loved it! But I would have to say my favorite is your bacon butter turkey recipe with a spatchcocked bird brined in your buttermilk brine recipe! This combination caused me to start smoking 2 birds at a time just so I can have some leftovers! Thank you so much for all of your recipes, and your rub and sauce recipes! you are top notch!
Thank you so much.. I appreciate your kindness!
I don’t have a smoker, but would love to try this in an oven. How long and at what temp should I use?
I have not made this, but would love to try it. No smoker, how long and what temp. In the oven?
Rose, set your oven to 350°F and cook the 10-12 turkey for about 2 to 2.5 hours or until it reaches 160°F or so in the thigh and breast. The turkey temperature will come on up to 165°F during the rest. If your bird is larger, it will take a little longer so be sure to cook it to temperature rather than time.
What is that pan called you have under your turkey? For the life of me I can’t seem to come up with the appropriate search terms to get that one!!
It’s a stainless steel pan with a rack.. I found mine on Amazon at https://smoking-meat.com/ss-pans-with-racks and use them for everything to keep my smoker cleaner AND to reduce cleanup. It also makes it super easy to move the food to and from the smoker.
Jeff, how long do you think the smoking time might be on a larger bird (around 22-24 lbs)?
Thus sounds amazing. How much more would the cook time be for a larger bird? Approximately 20 lbs.
I would like to try this over the holidays, it sounds amazing. What type of wood is best for smoking a turkey or what kind id you use Jeff, it really does make a difference and I know nothing about what wood goes best. Thank you in advance.
Jessica, I’ve used fruit woods, hickory, pecan, quite a few different ones and they all do have their own flavor profile. My all time favorite is pecan.. not as strong as hickory or mesquite but still let’s you know it’s there a little more than fruit woods. The best fruit wood I’ve used on turkey is mulberry but that’s sort of hard to find unless you just happen to have a mulberry tree that you can trim for smoking wood.
Offered to smoke a turkey for someone in the neighborhood and threw in some ribs as a bonus. The feedback: “ That was the best turkey and best ribs we’ve ever had. My family and I thank you for a wonderful Christmas meal.” Can’t go wrong with your rubs and recipes.
I’ve done this twice and it was outstanding both times. The cool thing about this is you can follow it to the T and it will be great, but if you want to ad lib with the seasonings, you can create your own recipe. The process is damned near perfect.
Love the fact it cuts the smoking time down as compared to smoking the bird whole.
Yet another winner! Been spatchcocking for years in the oven, but using the pellet grill is so simple, delivers a great bird and frees up oven space.Very high reward for really not much work on cooking day. Most folks at our table had never had a smoked bird before, it was a huge hit. Jeff’s recipes are dinner table tested and always turn out perfect for me.
Love this recipe Jeff!.. melting the herb butter a bit helped a lot.. Did a 13 lb bird and my electric smoker did the trick in 2 hours! Couldn’t believe it came out right that quickly.. 160 degrees on the dot!.. maintaining 240 all the way.. Doing another on TG of course :)
Thanks!
Jeff,
I have been following your recipes for several years now. I have the site and the time and temperature chart bookmarked for quick reference. In all the years I have never butterflied a turkey, but it sounds like an idea way of making sure for a crispier skin. Thanks so much for all the info you provide for us.
I have Fig trees in my yard and thought about using some for smoking. Has anyone ever tried it? I would love to know
How much longer for a larger bird? About a 25 lb!
How much wood chips is needed to last 4 hrs for the turkey? Will 13 lb require 4.5 hrs? Thank you
Jeff could smoke a larger turkey by cooking it the Spatchcock way could go as large as 20lb
Followed directions exactly, 14 pound bird was done in 4.5 hours and was outstanding.
Smoked the turkey following your instructions. I’ve smoked many in the past 30 years, but the spatchcock method was outstanding! I’ll be doing it with chicken as well. the herbed butter was on point as well. thanks for sharing.
This was a new one for me and it was a hit! I checked my internal temp at 3 hours and it was already 195! Thankfully the brine and herbed butter saved the bird, (and my butt) Keep the recipes coming.