Spatchcock Turkey

Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers

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I've been searching for info on the best way to cook a spatchcocked turkey. I have found many threads here, and there that have a little info spread out. There are a BUNCH of defunct links that everyone says "is a must" to read/watch before doing this.

At the risk of beating a dead horse (again) I would like for any suggestions for the following:

1) brine or not? Recipes please
2) rub or not? (I'm assuming the answer is yes) Recipes please?
3)foil or ice the breast? and other areas?
4)how long?
5)what's the best wood?
6)to stuff or not? with...?

And any other pertinent info I'm going to need. I'm doing a test run this weekend, so any and all guidance would be great!

Hopefully we can put together enough GREAT info, that the mods will want to make it a sticky for all for the upcoming Turkey day!! :clap2:
 
My best turkey's are brined. Will not do them otherwise now. Actually.. I will not do ANY poultry not brined now.

I have not cooked one on a grill or smoker yet, but would like to soon.

I do not stuff with stuffing. Rather, I stuff with aromatics that are preheated then
put in the cavity.

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil
(though if spatching, this is moot)



Here are two brine recipes that I have done in my oven, and both are fantastic.

Hawaiian Style Turkey Brine
4 quarts pineapple juice
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/3 cups soy sauce
1 cup light maple syrup
1 cup salt (1 1/2 cups Kosher or coarse salt)
6 cloves garlic, cut into halves
4-6 whole bay leaves
2 tablespoons red pepper, crushed

Combine all ingredients. Place turkey in large container and pour brine over.
Cover and allow to brine for 1 hour per pound minimal.

------------------------------------------------------------------

This one was from the Weber Virtual Bullet site.
My GF's favorite of all time.
Apple Brine For Turkey
2 quarts apple juice
1 pound brown sugar (light or dark)
1 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
3 quarts cold water
3 oranges, quartered 4 ounces fresh ginger, unpeeled and thinly sliced
15 whole cloves
6 bay leaves
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Substitute 3/4 cup Morton Kosher Salt or 1/2 cup table salt for Diamond Crystal.

Combine apple juice, brown sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve. Boil for one minute, remove from heat, let mixture come to room temperature, then refrigerate to 40°F.

In a large non-reactive container, combine the apple juice mixture with the remaining ingredients. When adding the oranges, squeeze each piece to release the juice into the container, then drop in the peel.
 
LoneStarMojo said:
I like to brine but when it's not convenient to brine I use my brine as an injection...works nicely!
Click to expand...


Care to enlighten a little more detail about your brine injection? That sounds interesting, but wonder if it isn't too salty and couldn't you additionally add flavor at the same time.
 
I did a spatxhcock turkey a couple of weekends ago. 12lb @400 in under 90 min. Herbed
Butter under the skin and all over the bird. I added
Some a couple of chunks of cherry wood. Next to the other turkeys at the dinner it went first :)
 
I use a quarter cup of my favorite rub added to a gallon of water, just happens to be Simply Marvelous Cherry right now and brine the bird over night, add more water if you need it. Remove from brine and pat dry and then dust with more rub, both sides and then smoke using peach or cherry chunks until you get and internal temp of 160, cover and let it rest for at least 1/2 an hour. Like in the oven if the breasts start browning to fast tent it with foil. I do them all the time and just put the whole thing on a platter and let everybody dig in, always looks like the vultures got to it, nothing but a pile of bones left! Good Stuff.
 
Last edited:
Kenny Rogers said:
I've been searching for info on the best way to cook a spatchcocked turkey. I have found many threads here, and there that have a little info spread out. There are a BUNCH of defunct links that everyone says "is a must" to read/watch before doing this.

At the risk of beating a dead horse (again) I would like for any suggestions for the following:

1) brine or not? Recipes please
2) rub or not? (I'm assuming the answer is yes) Recipes please?
3)foil or ice the breast? and other areas?
4)how long?
5)what's the best wood?
6)to stuff or not? with...?

And any other pertinent info I'm going to need. I'm doing a test run this weekend, so any and all guidance would be great!

Hopefully we can put together enough GREAT info, that the mods will want to make it a sticky for all for the upcoming Turkey day!! :clap2:
Click to expand...

How can you stuff a spatchcocked Turkey? :crazy:
 
Last edited:
NorthwestBBQ said:
How can you stuff a spatchcocked Turkey? :crazy:
Click to expand...

Kenny Rogers said:
Well that's a darn good questions NW BBQ... I have no idea. However, I'm quite confident that if there were a way, the brethren of the forum would figure it out!
Click to expand...

Well, if I was to stuff a spatchcocked turkey I'd spatchcock it, stuff it, roll it up and tie it with a string and put in the smoker for my baby & me. Sorry I was on a roll.... :rolleyes: Cheers!!!
 
hankll said:
Care to enlighten a little more detail about your brine injection? That sounds interesting, but wonder if it isn't too salty and couldn't you additionally add flavor at the same time.
Click to expand...

Try a dry brine. Cooking would be the same as any bird with the only difference in the approach being the type of cooker you use.

Ive done it with great success running at, I think about, 280* until the internal temp of the breast meat is around 161*-165*.

http://bandera-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97304

http://bandera-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97467
 
NorthwestBBQ said:
How can you stuff a spatchcocked Turkey? :crazy:
Click to expand...

I don't think you can. The apples & onion are for the whole turkey. Like in the video.

You could sew 2 spatchcocks together and stuff that.
Stuffed Spatchcock Frankin-Turkey :heh:
 
Smiter Q said:
My best turkey's are brined. Will not do them otherwise now. Actually.. I will not do ANY poultry not brined now.

I have not cooked one on a grill or smoker yet, but would like to soon.

I do not stuff with stuffing. Rather, I stuff with aromatics that are preheated then
put in the cavity.

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil
(though if spatching, this is moot)



Here are two brine recipes that I have done in my oven, and both are fantastic.

Hawaiian Style Turkey Brine
4 quarts pineapple juice
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/3 cups soy sauce
1 cup light maple syrup
1 cup salt (1 1/2 cups Kosher or coarse salt)
6 cloves garlic, cut into halves
4-6 whole bay leaves
2 tablespoons red pepper, crushed

Combine all ingredients. Place turkey in large container and pour brine over.
Cover and allow to brine for 1 hour per pound minimal.

------------------------------------------------------------------

This one was from the Weber Virtual Bullet site.
My GF's favorite of all time.
Apple Brine For Turkey
2 quarts apple juice
1 pound brown sugar (light or dark)
1 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
3 quarts cold water
3 oranges, quartered 4 ounces fresh ginger, unpeeled and thinly sliced
15 whole cloves
6 bay leaves
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Substitute 3/4 cup Morton Kosher Salt or 1/2 cup table salt for Diamond Crystal.

Combine apple juice, brown sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve. Boil for one minute, remove from heat, let mixture come to room temperature, then refrigerate to 40°F.

In a large non-reactive container, combine the apple juice mixture with the remaining ingredients. When adding the oranges, squeeze each piece to release the juice into the container, then drop in the peel.
Click to expand...

i noticed much of this is directly out of good eats romancing the bird episode because i just watched it :). have you tried the cranberry dipping sauce he makes. it looks really interesting and delicious and i am wondering how it is on the turkey
 
NorthwestBBQ said:
How can you stuff a spatchcocked Turkey? :crazy:
Click to expand...

You put the stuffing between the breast skin and the breast meat (where the lemons are in my avatar). Keep it to a thin layer. Works great.

NUTZ
 
There is a great thread about turkey somewhere in this forum a few pages back. Check on the section on the types of turkey and brining. Turkey definitately benefits from brining, provided it's not juiced up like a butterball. So start with a turkey that isn't pre-brined.

turkey aslo does well with an herb butter rub under the skin.

if you want to inject (uneccesary if brined, IMO) inject under the skin and not through it to avoid the polka dot skin.
 
Smiter Q said:
My best turkey's are brined. Will not do them otherwise now. Actually.. I will not do ANY poultry not brined now.

I have not cooked one on a grill or smoker yet, but would like to soon.

I do not stuff with stuffing. Rather, I stuff with aromatics that are preheated then
put in the cavity.

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil
(though if spatching, this is moot)


.
Click to expand...

I usually only grill Turkey breasts. Not the whole turkey. I brine it, and grill it over indirect heat on a charcoal grill. Now I'm wanting to pick up a small, whole turkey and try this.

Do you mix all the aromatics together. Then heat them up (for how long), then stuff them in the cavity and cook away?

Hmmmmm

In this thread I've read "see the video". Could someone feel free to link the video?

Thanks,
 
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