Spatchcocked Smoked Turkey
This is a way to smoke a turkey evenly without dying out half the bird to get the other half just past the under cooked line. In my experience, even the cheapest store brand frozen turkey works well for this recipe. I buy them up after Thanksgiving and stick them in the freezer to smoke out later in the year. Here's how it goes...
1. After thawing the turkey, use a pair of heavy kitchen shears, or some well washed and sanitized tin snips, and cut the back bone out of the turkey by cutting through the ribs on either side of it. I generally save this for making giblet gravy, but it's a nice dog treat too if you're not into giblet gravy.
2. Lay the bird out flat and use your favorite dry rub to coat the outside of the whole thing well. Cover with plastic wrap and let it set so the spices can marry well and flavor the surface of the meat. I often put it into the fridge for up to 48 hours before smoking it, but even just an hour works well too.
3. Select a smoking wood that you like for poultry. I find fruit woods work best. My favorite is green mulberry wood, but Osage, apple and pear all work nicely too. I suggest not using mesquite or hickory as these are a bit heavy for turkey, but suit your own tastes. Set your smoker to somewhere between 210 degrees and 260 degrees. I think lower is better.
4. After the smoker is hot and full of heavy smoke, place the bird, skin side down on the grate to smoke.
5. After 1 hour, turn the bird over and smoke for a further hour and a half.
6. To finish in the oven, remove the turkey from the smoker, place it on a sheet tray and cover it with foil. Set the oven to 350 degrees and roast until the internal temp of the breast and thigh meat reaches 165 to 170 degrees. Remove it from the oven and let the meat rest for 10 - 15 minutes before carving.
7. To finish on the smoker, after two and a half hours smoking, wrap the bird in foil and return it to the smoker until the internal temp of the breast and thigh meat reaches 165 to 170 degrees. Remove it from the smoker and let the meat rest for 10 - 15 minutes before carving.
Enjoy! I like it both hot from the smoker and chilled and served cold the next day.
OneBow
