SmokeBarbecue
Whole smoked turkey
A bird, spatchcocked so the breast and thighs finish together. 275°F, not an overnight 225.
Made it?
5 hr · 30 min hands-on · pull 160°F · rest 30 min
Ingredients
12 lb on the fire · ~6.6 lb to the table · 13 plates at 8 oz
- turkey, backbone removed, flattened12 lb
- kosher salt3 tbsp
- black pepper2 tbsp
- oil2 tbsp
- paprika2 tsp
Method
- 1
Spatchcock. Salt overnight uncovered. Oil, pepper, paprika.
- 2
275°F until breast 157–160°F and thigh 175°F, 3–4 hours. Probe both.
- 3
Rest 30. If the breast wins, foil it and give the thighs 15 more. This is not the turkey-breast cook already here.
If you don’t have it
- whole turkey → a neighboring cut on the same animal. Keep the same pull. Leaner cooks faster and dries sooner.
- turkey, backbone removed, flattened → What you actually have, if it is the same muscle family. A 22-lb bird is a different afternoon. Stay in the 12–16 lb range or spatchcock two smaller ones.
Same cook, different day
Weeknight
Less time. Same seasoning, hotter fire, watch the probe. Do not skip the rest.
On the plate
With this, try
- With this dish, try making potatoes au gratin.
In the oven the last 70 minutes of a roast, or while steaks reverse. Yukon Golds, ⅛-inch, layered with cream, garlic, salt, Gruyère. 350°F until a knife meets no fight, then a brief broil.
1 hr 15 min
- With this dish, try making charred brussels sprouts.
Same oven as a roast, last 25 minutes, or a skillet while steaks rest. Halve, fat, 425°F cut-side down until the faces are almost black.
25 min
- With this dish, try making petite roasted potatoes.
Same pan as a roast or chicken. Or a sheet next to chops. Halve, oil, salt, rosemary. 425°F cut-side down until the faces brown. Toss in the meat drippings at the end.
40 min