If you’re planning on cooking a large turkey for the holidays – or if you are short on time – you might want to check out this this Spatchcock Smoked Turkey method. Spatchcocking or removing the backbone is great for larger birds. And it’s great if you have limited on shelf space in your smoker.
In this recipe, Malcom uses:
- Dexter Russell Kitchen Shears
- Killer Hogs AP Rub
- Swine Life Mississippi Grind
- Butcher’s Bird Booster
INGREDIENTS
- 18–20lb Whole Turkey
- 2 cups Water
- ¼ cup Butcher’s Bird Booster
- 2 Tablespoons Killer Hogs AP Rub
- 2 Tablespoons Swine Life Mississippi Grind
- 1 Stick Butter
- 1 bundle Poultry Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, Sage)
- 3 cloves Garlic
INSTRUCTIONS
- Thaw frozen turkey in refrigerator for 5 days; remove neck and giblet bag, rinse, and pat dry with paper towel.
- Remove the tail with a sharp knife, flip the turkey breast side down and cut along each side of the backbone with kitchen shears. Discard backbone and use a sharp knife to cut through the breast bone (wish-bone) allowing the turkey to lay flat.
- Trim away and sinew or fat from the bone side of the turkey and dry the cavity with paper towel. Spray with Olive Oil cooking spray and season with a layer of AP and MS Grind rubs.
- Flip the turkey over breast/skin side up; use paper towel to completely dry the skin and spray with olive oil cooking spray; season the skin side with AP followed by MS Grind rubs.
- Mix the Butchers injection with 2 cups of water. Inject the breast, thighs, legs, and wings with the mixture.
- Prepare smoker for indirect cooking using your favorite wood or smoking pellets for flavor. The smoker should be at 275-300⁰ the entire cook.
- Place turkey skin side up on the smoker. Tuck the wings and arrange the legs so the bird lays flat on the rack. Add additional MS Grind as needed to cover the places where touched.
- Smoke the turkey for 1 hour then baste. Heat the butter with the herbs and garlic in a small pot until melted; keep warm. Use a basting brush to drizzle the melted butter mixture over the skin as the turkey cooks.
- Cook the turkey until a probe thermometer reads 165⁰ in the thickest part of the breast. Rest the turkey for 5-10 minutes and cut into desired portions
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