1st Spatchcocked Turkey on UDS, advice?

D

Debmar

Knows what a fatty is.
Joined
Nov 14, 2018
Messages
70
Reaction score
80
Points
18
Location
Winnipeg...
Did some searching and found some info but thought I would ask again. couple specific questions but open to any advice. always appreciated.

picked up a frozen turkey yesterday and intend to smoke on the uds. Have never done one but chickens have become a favorite of the family. Have never brined the chickens cause the 1st one came out so good I don't want to change anything. always spatchcocked, oiled the skin a bit and seasoned, and smoked breast down at 325-350 (with some oak for smoke) till 165 I.T. in the breast. actually 1st time turned it over to breast up after the 1st hour but 2nd try was done at the hour mark and it was just as good as when I turned so have never turned again.

other than the turkey being way bigger (3x approx.) and taking longer should I just treat it the same as the chickens? I usually see people talk brining the turkey, necessary? Can I just leave breast down the whole time or due to the larger breast size so I need to turn it.

Don't want to screw it up as its much bigger loss it I wreck it.

thanks a lot.
 
I would brine for sure, at least I always do with turkey. i usually go skin up when I am smoking turkey, but that is a preference thing, one thing is the breast will be done quite a bit sooner than the thighs and legs if you dont account for that. Some will ice the breast prior to cooking, some will separate the breast from the legs/thighs.
 
I like to brine Turkey. Wet brines are usual, but dry brines work too. Treat it the same as chicken. 300+ is a really good temperature.
 
Are you going to use a drip pan? The drippings are good stuff.
I'd start with bone sides down. Only flip if needed. Drip pan or not.
I only use kosher salt directly on the skin. No oil.
I haven't found a difference between spatchcocked or not meat flavor wise.
Just a bit faster cook time.
No brining.
Just one example.
 

Attachments

  • turkey 2.jpg
    turkey 2.jpg
    63.9 KB · Views: 131
If you are spatchcocking you should not need to ice the breast Turkeys I believe are more difficult to spatchcock as the bones are so much bigger I like to brine as it adds moisture but that is up to you You can also make up a brine solution and inject the bird Thirdeye has a thing about breaking up a chicken and cooking it- pretty much the same idea He showed this recently on a thread asking for help with cooking chickens for a Grad party Thirdeye also has a great blog Check it out Very informative Cook at a temp like you did with chicken I like to flip mine I would start it breast up initially and then flip if you do it Also you should check out the Oiless Turkey Fryer also called The Big Easy- It does a great job and runs off of propane
 
Re drip pan no i wasnt planning on it
Never have used one and not really set up to have one on my uds type thing i smoke on
Maybe i have to remedy that
 
I have had good luck in my UDS following the instructions on amazing ribs including using a throwaway foil dish to catch the drippings for the gravy.
 
You and your family are going to LOVE smoked turkey!! Way better than chicken, in my opinion. I brine the turkey, for 24 hours, then smoke away. I usually do a 18 - 20 pounder and smoke around 280 degrees. Takes me about 4+ hours till done. Not spatchcocked, that will cook quicker.
 
Salt

You definitely need salt. But most (not all) turkeys come pre-salt injected. And it isn't always easy to tell what you have. Check the label for sodium per serving. I forget the numbers off hand, but I think pre-injected will be 250+ mg/serving, while non-injected will be in the double digits. Someone correct these numbers if I'm off. You have to have salt, but I am careful not to salt an already-salted bird.


I by far prefer the pre-salted variety, it's very convenient. I'm pretty sure they take the opportunity to inject a lot of water and charge for it, but the convenience of not having to mess w/ salt is king in my book. The cheaper birds seem to always be pre-salted.



Smoked turkey is the best thing to ever come off my Weber. I'm super interested to hear how your UDS works out w/ the turkey.
 
Thanks for the advice all. Will treat it pretty much same way that I do chickens then and see how it goes. I will try to remember to post some pics of the endeavor.
 
I like to spatchcock when using my PBC. I think your chicken method will be fine. Here is what I like to do. I like to separate the leg quarters (just easier for temps.) I put a light rub UNDER the skin. Skin up with a piece of aluminum foil under the breast meat. I poke holes every inch in the foil to allow the drippings to drain. (My Thermapen works great for that) The fat is in the skin so it naturally bastes by having it on top. The foil keeps it from getting too crispy. Sometimes I will remove the foil for the last 30 minutes, but most of the times it is not necessary. Also, I don't use a lot of wood chunks since poultry can be too smokey (IMO). Please let us know how it turns out!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

L
It may be Spring, but today is Thanksgiving
Replies
17
Views
492
Smoke Dawg
Smoke Dawg
H
Who likes Chick Fil A?
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
bonz50
bonz50
Z
Turkey Breast Hold Time?
Replies
10
Views
569
SmokeOCD
S
N
First thanksgiving meal of the day?
Replies
5
Views
354
oldgfbbq
O
TheHojo
Brisket, pork belly, turkey on the Blue Smoke
Replies
19
Views
975
cowgirl
cowgirl
Back
Top