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This beginner-friendly Traeger spatchcock smoked turkey recipe turns out perfectly tender with crispy skin — NO BRINE NEEDED! Learn how to pellet smoke it in this simple step-by-step guide…

Table of Contents

This smoker recipe is perfect for a BBQ dinner any time of the year – but especially on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter or game day!

See the video

See this guide to thawing a turkey…

What is spatchcock turkey?

Spatchcocked turkey is a turkey that is no longer in its whole shape. In a previous recipe post, I smoked whole turkey with the pellet grill, for you to compare.

Instead, the spatchcocked turkey has its back bone removed and is flattened out. Therefore, it cooks in a flat layer directly on the grill grates. This means there is no hollow center cavity in the turkey when you cook it, which allows for more room for the hot heat of the smoker to flow around the spatchcocked turkey in the Traeger.

Also check out this guide to smoked turkey breast…

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make it.

For the turkey

11 LB whole turkey (or use a larger 12, 13, 14, 15 LB turkey and increase smoke time)
3 tbsp olive oil
½ cup BBQ rub, or poultry seasoning

Compound butter (optional)

2 tbsp butter, unsalted, softened
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tsp chopped thyme

Basting butter (option 1 – honey BBQ glaze)

¼ cup BBQ sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, salted

Basting butter (option 2 – classic garlic herb flavor, for a more dry, crispy skin)

½ cup butter, salted
2 tbsp garlic, diced
1 tbsp parsley, freshly chopped
½ medium lemon, juice freshly squeezed

Traeger Smoked Spatchcock Turkey Carving

Above is what your spatchcock smoker turkey will look like with the honey BBQ baste, if you choose to use it.

Which pellets do you use for Turkey?

You have quite a few options. You could use Hickory Pellets for smoking this spatchcock turkey recipe, they’ll be a bit stronger, but I love them for Turkey and in things like smoked burgers. For a lighter smoke flavor, try these Turkey Traeger Pellets. (see my thoughts on turkey pellets)

How to smoke spatchcock turkey step-by-step

Prep turkey. Remove it from the bag. Remove inside parts and discard. Pat turkey dry with a paper towel.

Infographic demonstrating steps to spatchcock turkey for smoking on pellet grills

Spatchcock turkey. Use kitchen shears or a really sharp chef’s knife to cut along each side of the backbone of the turkey. Remove and discard the backbone. Flip the turkey so the breast side is up. Push down in the center of the turkey breast to flatten it.
(optional) Add compound butter. Mix together compound butter ingredients. Use your fingers to loosen and gently separate the skin of the turkey breast from the meat. Smear compound butter between skin and turkey breast.

Season turkey. Drizzle spatchcocked turkey with olive oil and massage it into the skin. Add dry rub and massage it into the skin.

(optional) Chill turkey before smoking it. While you don’t need a full-on brine for this recipe, it’s recommended to let the spatchcocked turkey sit in seasoning for 30 minutes to overnight.

Remove turkey from the refrigerator 30 minutes before smoking it.

Preheat Traeger smoker (or whatever pellet grill you’re using) to 275 degrees F.

If desired (for extra moisture) add a small loaf pan filled with water to the corner, on top of the smoker grates, to remain in the pellet grill while smoking spatchcock turkey.

Infographic demonstrating spatchcock turkey smoker setup with water pan and bbq honey butter baste

Smoke spatchcock turkey. Once preheated, add the spatchcock turkey directly to grill grates, breast side up. Tuck the wings into the side of the bird so they cook more evenly.

Smoke spatchcocked turkey at 275 degrees F.

It’s going to smoke for about 1.5 hours at this temperature, but during that time, you’ll start the baste…

(optional) Prep baste for turkey. You don’t have to baste the turkey, but it will add a lot of flavor to the skin. To make it, add all the basting ingredients to a small pan.

30 minutes into smoking the turkey, place the pan in the smoker to melt.

30 minutes later, stir the baste to combine the ingredients. Brush half of the baste on the spatchcock turkey in the smoker.

Continue to smoke the basted turkey for an additional 30 minutes… which lines up perfectly with the 1.5 hours you initially smoke the turkey at 275 degrees F.

Raise the temperature of the smoker to 350 degrees F.

For the second time, brush the spatchcocked turkey with the remaining baste (you can also save some baste to add to the finished turkey after it’s done resting).

Add a thermometer to the turkey if desired and smoke it until internal temperature (measured in the thickest part of the turkey thigh) reaches at least 165 degrees F in the breast and 175 degrees F in the thigh.

The total smoke time for spatchcock smoked turkey in the SipBiteGo demonstration was about 2 hours.