Smoked Spatchcocked Turkey with Cajun Seasoning

A Smoked Spatchcocked Turkey is a game changer for the holidays or any special occasion. Spatchcocking a turkey (removing the backbone and flattening it) allows it to cook faster, and also more evenly versus a traditional whole bird. And smoking a turkey adds amazing flavor that cannot be replicated in the oven. Learn the steps for the perfect holiday turkey with an added spicy and savory Cajun seasoning.

Spatchcocked smoked turkey is an easy and absolutely delicious holiday roast.

There are endless ways to prepare and season your holiday turkey. Many opt for a traditional roast to make a show stopping centerpiece for their table. Others opt for the wild side and fry the whole bird (you know who you are). And some are looking for something different to change things up a bit each year! Inspired by the popularity of our Bourbon Brined Smoked Turkey (with over 1.5 million views), we wanted to step it up a notch with a little more flavor punch and a technique that speeds up the cooking process. Enter spatchcocked turkey.

Check out our round up if you are looking for other Thanksgiving recipe ideas on the smoker.

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What is Spatchcocking?

Basically speaking, spatchcocking means butterflying, and evolved arguably from Irish phrasing of dispatching a rooster. It’s the technique of removing the backbone of the turkey with a sharp boning knife or culinary scissors, and then flattening the turkey so that you have a more uniform shape.

The uniform shape of the turkey makes the cooking process faster since you don’t have a large cavity and bird to cook. It creates a more even surface for cooking (preventing smaller parts from drying out). And for grilling or smoking, it also makes it much easier for the bird to sit on your grates. Overall it’s quicker, easier, and, well, pretty much a fool-proof process (once you remove that backbone of course).

And while some may argue it doesn’t create the pretty centerpiece for your holiday table versus classic whole bird, I beg to differ.

*A spatchcocked turkey can also be a stunning centerpiece for your holiday tablescape*

Before actually spatchcocking, we are going to start with a brine to add moisture to the bird.

Thawing your Frozen Turkey

If you’re starting with a frozen turkey, plan 24 hours of thawing time for every 4 pounds of turkey. So give yourself the time to buy AND thaw prior to brining the turkey. For brining you need to start with a fully thawed (or fresh) turkey.

Turkey Brine Ingredients

Brining the turkey is important when smoking because it keeps a level of moisture in the bird that is otherwise pushed out in a low and slow cooking process. Brining uses a mixture of salt, sugar, water, and spices and leverages osmosis to infuse the cells of the turkey with the flavor and water. We have a detailed recipe and explanation on a basic turkey brine. This recipe expands on that by adding Cajun flavors, both to the brine and also dry rub (bring on the flavor!).

Combine the following in a large stock pot or cooler and stir to incorporate. If you don’t have a large stockpot, consider a large plastic brining bag available online or at the grocery store. Be sure any bag you use is food safe.

Water
Kosher Salt
Brown Sugar
Cajun Seasoning
Whole Black Peppercorns
Bay Leaves

Place the turkey into the stock pot and store in your refrigerator for 24 hours (no longer than 30 hours). If you brine longer than 30 – 36 hours the cells will start to break down and the texture of the meat will be gummy.

Some recipes will call for preparing the brine over heat. This speeds up the process of the salt and the sugar infusing with the water. However it can also be done with cold water. If you apply heat, be sure the brine is cooled down before adding the turkey to avoid food borne bacteria from developing. This is why we just do it cold, so we save time and don’t have to cool it down.

Hint: If you are brining multiple turkeys, plan one portion of brine for every turkey. And then just use a clean cooler to brine the turkeys. Be sure to keep the brine cold with ice throughout the process.

How to Spatchcock a Turkey

After the brining is done, it’s time to spatchcock and prepare the turkey for the smoker.

Remove from brine and pat dry: Start by removing the turkey from the brine and discarding the brine. Place the turkey on a large cutting board. Dry off the turkey completely (inside the cavity and on the skin).
Prep the Turkey: Stand the turkey upright so the breast side is facing AWAY from you. You’ll be looking at the backbone.
Remove the Backbone: Using a sharp boning knife or culinary scissors make a small cut on one side of the backbone. You are testing to see where the cartilage and bone meet so you can make heavy downward strokes to cut through the cartilage. Once you make about a 1-inch cut, continue cutting downward along the backbone until you have cut all the way through. If you run into bone, just continue to move the knife slightly further from the backbone until it hits cartilage again.
Repeat on the other side of the backbone.
Flatten the Turkey: Place the bird, breast side down, and press down on each side to flatten. Flip the bird so it’s breast side up, and press again (you’ll hear bones cracking) until the bird is flat.
Tug the wings under the bird and prepare to season.