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smoked spatchcock turkey made on a pellet grill

Spatchcocked Turkey on a Pellet Grill

Mads Martigan
A whole thanksgiving turkey spatchcocked, seasoned, and smoked to perfection on a pellet grill with step by step instructions.
Whether you've got a Traeger, Pit Boss, Camp Chef, Yoder, or any other type of pellet grill, we've got you covered!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Resting Time 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Australian, barbecue, BBQ, Keto, Smoked, Thanksgiving
Servings 8 people
Calories 350 kcal

Equipment

  • Pellet Grill
  • Sharp Pair of Kitchen Shears
  • Wood Pellets - Hickory, Oak, or Fruitwood
  • Internal Meat Thermometers
  • Carving Knife

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Whole Turkey
  • Your Favorite BBQ Rub -OR-
  • Kosher Salt and Pepper

Instructions
 

Clean and Spatchcock the Turkey

  • Clean, rinse, and pat dry the whole turkey well with paper towels. Remove the neck and giblet bag from the cavity.
    a raw turkey on a tray
  • Trim any excess pieces of skin or fat off of the turkey.
  • Place the turkey on a cutting board with the breast side DOWN. The legs and wings will also be pointing down.
    a raw turkey turned upside down to spatchcock
  • Using kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone from one end to the other, cutting all the way through.
    one side of the spine cut to spatchcock a turkey
  • Repeat on the other side of the backbone and then remove the entire backbone.
    cutting along the side of the spine when spatchcocking a turkey
  • Open the turkey up as much as you can and make a small slice from one end to the other of the inside of breastbone to make it easier to snap and flatten out.
    cutting the breastbone of a spatchcock turkey
  • Apply gentle pressure with both hands until you hear a snap of the breast bone and the turkey lays flat on the cutting board. Now flip the turkey over with the breast side UP to season.
    an opened up spatchcocked turkey before going on the pellet grill

Smoking the Spatchcock Turkey on the Pellet Grill

  • Sprinkle about ¼ to ½ cup KOSHER salt and a few tsps of black pepper, OR your favorite BBQ rub to both sides of the spatchcocked turkey.
    seasoning a spatchcocked turkey for the pellet grill
  • Fill the hopper with pellets, start up the pellet grill, and preheat to 300-350°F. If your BBQ rub has a lot of sugar in it, choose 300°F. If you only used salt and pepper, go ahead and use 325-350°F.
  • Place the spatchcocked turkey on the pellet grill, directly on the grill grates with the breast side facing up and to the left.
    placing a spatchcock turkey on the pellet grill
  • Place an internal temperature probe if you have one into the center of one of the breasts, and another one, if you have one, into the middle of one of the thighs.
  • Close the lid, cook the spatchcocked turkey for about 2.5 to 3 hours, monitoring the temperature as it may cook faster or take longer.
  • When the internal temperature of the breast has reached 165°F, and the internal temperature of the thigh hits 175°F, remove the turkey from the pellet grill.
    thermometer in the breast of a spatchcocked turkey showing 168 degrees

Rest and Carve

  • Let the turkey rest for 25 minutes before carving to allow the juices to distribute.
    a spatchcock turkey smoked on a pellet grill
  • Carve, plate, and serve immediately.
    carving up a pellet grilled spatchcocked turkey

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal
Keyword barbecue, Camp Chef, camp chef spatchcocked turkey, grilled turkey, pellet grill, pellet grill spatchcocked turkey, pellet grill turkey, pellet smoked, Pit Boss, pit boss spatchcocked turkey, Rec Tec, smoked spatchcocked turkey, smoked turkey, spatchcock, spatchcock turkey, spatchcocked, spatchcocked turkey, traeger, traeger spatchcocked turkey, whole turkey, Yoder
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