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Did all the different parts (esp. legs and wings) turn out well when cooked in a natural pose like that? I would’ve guessed it’d be better to tuck the wings under or spatchcock it or something.
This is spatchcocked. It cooks fairly evenly, but the breasts take the longest. Not a big deal since the dark meat tolerates higher temperatures better. I usually target 145 F internal temp. This one went over.
I’ve thought about putting together a video of my spatchcocking technique since I have it down to a few minutes. It’s a combination of a few videos I’ve watched.
Essentially, starting at the back, cut around the rib cage, separate the thigh bones, then remove the entire rib cage from the breast plate by cutting through the cartilage.
How’d the skin turn out? Every time I smoke a bird the skin winds up being rubbery.
That’s the downside. This time I had lots of time to let it rest, so I popped it in the oven at 550F right before serving for five minutes. Probably could have used a bit more time.
Looks good. How long did it take?
About 3 hours in the smoker. Turkey goes quick usually, and it comes out better at a higher smoker temperature.
was it dry? the rub looks lovely but I like juicy turkey meat…
Not dry. Came out juicy. That’s a factor of final internal temperature, not cooking method.
Do you find it’s worth the loss of gravy potential?
Turkey on top rack. Pan under top rack. Everything drips into the pan. Makes awesome gravy.
This looks dry AF too
I don’t make gravy anyway so it’s no loss for me
The smoke is of course delicious, but the really important part is the final internal temperature of the meat. Doing the same cook in an oven would still come out great.
I target 145 F. There’s a PDF document by the FDA that breaks down the time and temperature needed to kill the bad stuff. 165 is instant, but 145 at ten minutes is also safe.
