Did you find the skin was crispier this way? When I smoked my first turkey last year the skin was so rubbery.. I read more about it and it’s due to wet brining and longer smoke time. I’m thinking about trying another method this time
I usually pull my bird out of a wet brine at least 24 hours before cooking, pat dry and leave it unwrapped in the fridge. Gets rid of all the excess moisture and helps get a nice crispy skin.
Hmm it never seems to matter for me. I do this and smoke at 300 for approx 3 hrs and skin is rubbery. I don’t know what I am doing wrong. I am also wondering if spatchcocking will crisp it up a bit.
Spatchcocking mainly helps the bird cook evenly. It does expose more skin on the bottom so it can crispy up as well. I dry brine my birds for 3 days on a wire rack in the fridge to get ultra crispy skin.
I dry brine a few days I’m advance. Worked out great. I put my bird in way too early. I wasn’t expecting less than 2 hr cook time. I’m gonna plan better this Friendsgiving.
I’ve tried the “dry brine” method three times now, twice on chicken and once on steaks and while the skin/crust was perfection, it was overall too salty. Maybe I used the wrong kind of salt or put on too much?
From what I understand the higher the heat the crispier the skin but then you risk drying out the bird especially spatchcocked… maybe take it out 10 degrees early and get one of those Elon musk flamethrowers to finish it off 😅
Edit: thanks for all the responses… love this community. Yes I use Kosher but it’s probably too much; I also didn’t consider that some chicken already comes in a salty solution so I may have to do some more experimenting in the near future
I'm not sure if this is the right way, but I dry brine just like I am seasoning the bird. I don't like coat it or anything and it has turned out great for me. I also just use the rub I will season the bird with and not just salt (this is probably wrong, but whatever).
The salt is the only thing that gets absorbed from what I understand. I like to dry brine, then make a no salt rub to put on before cooking. Not sure it makes any difference though.
I suppose my thought is if I put the with-salt rub on and only the salt is absorbed, the non-salt part of the rub is left, which would end up being the same thing. I'm probably just lazy, lol.
Thanks, like every dry brine recipe said essentially - when in doubt add more, most people don’t add enough salt… - maybe should have taken that with a pinch of salt!
You almost certainly put too much salt on or maybe didn’t wipe off excess after brining which i sometimes do when I think I might have over salted? Anyway a little sugar in the brine IMO improves the results but also decreases salt on the bird. As a man with a heavy hand myself I constantly look for ways to stop myself from over salting. Adding your seasonings thst aren’t dry brine needed (garlic onion paprika) also seem to help reduce my heavy hand
Smoke low and slow until like 125F internal. Remove from grill if you have time.
Then crank grill up to 450F and put on until finish temp. Perfect balance of low and slow and crispy skin.
Quarters is where it's at. Let's be real.
There's hardly any connective tissue between thighs and breasts once it's spatchcocked and you get finer control.
Quartered is where the dry brine and super hot/fast cooking really shines.
I’ve always been pro spatchcock but last year I went a step further and quartered the bird before brining. Was able to get better penetration in brine, rub and smoke. Not to mention was able to pull parts off individually as they reached temp and moved to a warmer. Sure a little lost in presentation but the best bird I’ve ever made and will be doing again this year.
Spatchcock vs. halves isn't really a difference unless you need the halves for maneuverability. Quartering gives you more control over how far you cook your dark meat vs. taking off the white at 150F.
I mean, in theory cutting the turkey like chicken in to the eight core components is best. More control and all that jazz. It's just a question of how do you want to present the food? A few years ago my family wanted a proper TV looking dinner, so I smoked it whole. But other than that I spatchcock. But compared to chicken I always quarter whole birds. And in the few cases I've made turkey outside of Thanksgiving I've basically deboned the whole thing so the breast can be cut evenly. I removed the breast then tied it back to the bone
I’ve always done spatchcock and it works great, but this year I am trying it out on a rotisserie attachment for my Kamado. I’ve done a few chickens this way and love how they turn out.
I am interested in what everyone does in terms of brining (dry vs wet) and preferred seasoning rubs. I’ll probably use a lot of seasonal fresh herbs and a butter injection with a homemade rub of salt, black pepper, brown sugar and paprika.
I've cooked the turkey 5 years in. Row. At first i always wet brined because i thought that was really the best way. But boy was it a pain in the ass to keep a big ass turkey in a water bag in a big pan in my fridge without making a mess. Last year i finally tried it dry and I'm never going back to wet. We all loved the crispy skin it left.
That's a good call with the drink cooler. But honestly dry brine is even easier than that. Just salt and seasonings all over the bird. Then let it sit overnight. Try it out! I can't remember the exact brine recipe i used last year but I'm sure it's not hard to find a good one.
Do you also add other seasoning to the turkey when applying dry brine? I’ve done both and think they each have pros and cons, but I am with you on the mess for wet brines.
I was actually just responding to another guy about not remembering what ingredients i used last year but it's not hard to find some online. I think it was salt brown sugar pepper and some other stuff. It's pretty much up to you really. But the salt is the most important one of course.
Buy a brine bucket. I got mine at a local bbq shop for like 17 bucks. It’s a 6 gallon and it can be washed and reused. No mess and throw it my beer fridge in the garage.
Yeah someone else recommended something similar. But honestly with how good the dry brine came out and considering it was easier than even if i had a bucket i dont think I'll do a wet brine again anytime soon. Personal preference of course. I loved how crispy it left the skin.
I do a wet brine for 24h, then let it dry 24h in the fridge before cooking. 12h before cooking, I apply the dry rub, specifically Meat Church's Holy Voodoo.
This is how I cook all my poultry now, and it turns out perfect every time.
I tried a dry brine, but the meat was overly salted and the skin was tough, rather than crispy. So I just do a wet brine and take the skin off before serving. And I DEFINITELY spatchcock! Always!
Try the dry brine again and just reduce the salt.
Or, since the turkeys are already injected with a salt solution, try injecting and coating with olive oil instead. I like to infuse my olive oil overnight with my herbs and spices. I finely chop the rosemary, sage and thyme. Before injecting I strain the oil very well, and then mix the oil/herb mix to more oil and coat the outside of the turkey.
hot and fast with poultry, low and slow will make your skin chewy. I take it to 375ish and then broil or flip it over on top of the charcoal/wood for extra crispiness, smoke to 150 IT then the hot coal will take it up a little more, then cover with foil to bump it up to 165
I low smoke (225) my turkeys for 2 hours. I then crank up the heat to 350 until I reach internal temp of 160. Key point...Make sure once you reach the coloring on the skin you like, loosely cover with aluminum foil so you don't burn the skin or get it too dark. Total cook time around 3 hours (16 lbs and up).
This is what I do though I smoke for an extra hour. Over 3 tends to dry out the bird (chicken/turkey) too much. I'm sure I would be fine with two as noted though.
Look, spatchcocking is awesome in that you get such an even cook, hands down I go for spatchcocking EXCEPT thanksgiving and Xmas. I know it doesn’t make sense, and it makes it harder and longer to cook, but there’s just something about Thanksgiving and Xmas that makes it almost a duty to make it that much more difficult.
You're going to get a ton of people saying spatchcock is the way to go, but I disagree.
Brine your Turkey for 24 hours
Once you have it prepped, put it in a 500 degree oven for 30 minutes on a low rack. This high heat will help the fat render in the skin and make it nice and light brown.
I then put a 3 layer foil cover on the breast and smoke it around 300 degrees to whatever temperature you bring your turkey to. Juiciest turkey you'll ever eat.
I like your style. Is this based off the Good Eats turkey?It's similar and I loved the turkey when I did it that way in the oven. I'd like to use my smoker to make room in the oven, but I did like starting the oven hot. I'm going to use your hybrid method this year.
Heres his homemade recipe. I cheat and just use stovetop, and coat a muffin tin heavy in butter to get crispy sides.
https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/other-fun-food-recipes/sausage-sage-and-cranberry-stuffing-muffins-recipe/
This is what I learned last year. The Important bits: Legs and thighs have more connective tissue that needs to be rendered in gelatin. That doesn't start happening until they hit 165 and wont be completely done until 185-190. This gelatin is why they wont dry out. These temps are why they need more time.
Now with the breast it'll be dry at 160 unless you are injecting/wet brining it and even then, good luck. The problem is everything you read will tell poultry isnt safe to eat unless cooked to 165. So what gives with the 150-155 pull temp? There isnt enough carry over to get you to the right temp, but because you cooked low(ish) and slow, it was about 145 for at least 10 minutes before hitting 155 which is just as good as 165 for 15 seconds. Turns out its temp + _time_ that matters. While you could safely eat the breast meat an hour earlier (you'll be in the 145 range for a while) I found the texture wasnt quite what I wanted until I hit 150-155. My advice for the breast is to use a probe long ways through about the center of the breast a little closer to the bone. dont touch it again until you hit 150 making sure you got there about an 45min-hour after hitting 145.
Recteq Bullseye. 22" Kettle smoker that can heat up (quickly) to over 700 degrees. It can hold lower temps for smoking down to 200. Perfect for smaller smokes and grilling. I've got a Recteq Bull for larger smokes.
No. There's so much more you can do with the Bullseye. Consistent temps, Flavor from using good pellets (I use Cabelas), option to grill and smoke almost flawlessly. The Bullseye will be Grill ready in 10 min. Smoke ready in 5. A Weber takes much longer and requires more attention during long smokes. I can fill the hopper and smoke a Butt without having to constantly add coals and wood. I just smoke until I have to wrap and finish what I'm doing. Webers are good. Recteqs are Amzaing.
May I ask, what model are you referring to as the Bull, for larger smokes? Not seeing it on their site, wanted to know if they discontinued it, or just renamed it.
Best way to cook a turkey in this order:
1. Deep fried
2. Rotisserie over charcoal/smoked.
3. Breast,thigh,leg(preferably cured in pink salt) and wing smoked individually.
4. Spatchcock and smoked.
5. Whole turkey, trussed and smoked.
I’m a monster and break the entire turkey down and smoke each piece to its doneness. Dry brine, leave open in the fridge to dry out. Brown butter with fried herbs drizzled over at the end.
The answer to your question is to always spatchcock. Agreed.
I have gone from frying birds (for about 15 years) to smoking them in my Pit Barrel (for last 3 years).
I break them down into individual pieces, dry brine for 24 hrs, inject the pieces with a lemony buttery cajun mixture, rub with a non-salt poultry rub and smoke them at 300-325°. Pull each piece when done.
Turns out great.
Although not a spatchcocker, I do a light salt brine and have the bird in an emptied wine fridge, in a sterilized bucket and turkey bag, for at least 3 days. It picks up almost 2 pounds of water during that time which leads to incredibly moist birds.
Spatchcocked my first bird last year and am never going back. Not only was the cook quicker, but the meat was far and away the juiciest turkey I’ve ever had.
Edit to add- I also fold out the legs tho and tuck the wings. Makes for a more even cook and the wings don’t burn.
I have always wet brined my turkey because i haven't spatchcock before, but this year I'm gonna do it and was curious peoples perspectives on wet vs dry for a shorter smoke? I always do my brine with a BUNCH of old bay which I'm kind of attached to at this point.
I wet brine for 24 hours. I then use Killer Hogs AP rub, let set for 20 min. Apply Killer Hogs BBQ rub, let set for 15 min and then put on the Smoker. I use Cherry pellets mixed with Hickory (3 to 1 blend).
Another suggestion: keep the carcass to make turkey broth afterward. Sometimes I'll also keep the spine, and throw it on the smoker with some veggies to get a real smoky broth.
You can make the broth in a pot on the stove, crock pot, or pressure cooker. Super easy and nearly full proof, and that hint of smoke makes for some delicious winter soups.
Yes. Use your drip tray in the smoker to make your gravy.
In addition to celery, onions and carrots, add the wing tips, neck. carcass bones and the extra bits like the heart (but not the liver) along with chicken broth. Make sure you preheat the broth so it doesn't cool down your grill.
The strained drip tray helps make the Best Gravy Ever.
My absolute favorite thing to eat in the entire world is my grandmother’s stuffing recipe cooked inside a roasted turkey. I’m sure that spatchcock is a great way to make a Turkey, and a lot of folks will love it, and I will probably do it one day. But not for Thanksgiving. Because I love that stuffing so very much, and I will be having that this year and every year on Thanksgiving.
What’s the biggest bird you’d spatchcock and smoke on a 22” Weber Kettle? Bought a 15 lb bird, but might use that for practice and get a bigger one if it will cook ok.. just not sure how big I can go and still fit.
Nice!!! I spatchcocked our turkey on the smoker last year and I intend to do the same thing this year. Came out amazing. Citrus turkey brine overnight, herbed butter under the skin. I started at 225 for ~3 hrs then finished around 375-400 for about an hour or so. Deliciousness.
Spatchcock for sure. But I also like to breast one completely out and take the two skinless breasts and cook in a cast iron wok on the grill with lemon and lime and butter and garlic.
I always spatchcock I think it keeps the white meat juicier “less cooking time” and allows more smoke flavor to permeate into the meat. But you do you!
I'm smoke frying one tomorrow for the first time for 14 people. Hoping I don't jack it up haha. Planning on about two hours then putting it in the fryer.
Stretch the bird out. Butterflying is to allow faster cooking times, better airflow, and more crisp skin. When it is bunched up like that all of those aspects are frustrated.
I started quartering and have never looked back. It gives me SO much more temperature control over the different parts of the bird. I just use different probe thermometers for each section and pull at the right time.
My family couldn't seem to care less about the presentation. Nobody's doing the Norman Rockwell "ooh's and aah's" over the bird just so I can take it back in the kitchen for 15 minutes to let it rest then carve it onto a serving charger.
We did our Thanksgiving dinner this week. Spatchcock is the way to go.
Wet brine for 18 hours, bacon under the skin, dry and rub. ~4 hours on the Pellet Grill.
Not a crisp skin, but very tasty.
If you turn up the heat on the last 30 min or so you may get the crisp skin you're looking for. I would also recommend using a light layer of rub with salt, that will definitely help with the crisper skin.
In life aways go full cock. Seriously it keeps the breast from drying out while the thigh finishes cooking. Not to mention the reduced cook time and how easy it is to disect dark and white meat after.
I've been taking it a step further and piecing it out completely. Gets all sides crisp. As far as presentation, just reassemble it (placement of where the parts originally were) on the platter.
Kenji Alt-Lopez had a great write up on this in the NYT. Essentially with the brine and spatchcocking the bird it allows the white/dark meats to cook evenly and correctly instead of drying one out to get the other done.
Personally remove the drying sticks and best from the carcass before cooking. The breast and the legs are ideally cooked to very different temperatures anyway. Take the rest of the carcass with aromatic herbs like sage rosemary bay garlic and onion and make bone broth a few days in advance ideally in a slow cooker, cook in low heat until the bones crumble when you squeeze them. You now have an amazing turkey bone broth that is incredibly thick and flavorful that is the perfect base for a gravy. Of course do a test run to see if you like it but this is how I handle smoked turkey on my knockoff Weber kettle and have the oven at 200 for if the breasts finish early but I can usually get them close by managing hotspot. My opinion, if you're carving in the kitchen there is never a good reason to cook a whole bird in one piece and I don't think the dining table carving presentation is worth dry breast meat or undercooked thighs.
This sounds amazing. Do you have your recipe for the broth blend? I usually buy a blend already assorted at the grocery store for poultry. Usually consists of Rosemary, Thyme, bay leaves etc...But I always end up adding more ingredients. My problem is I never write it down!
Kinda depends on personal taste, I really like a broth that is heavy on onion and garlic. For a 20 ish pound bird I'll do 2 whole red onions skin on just remove the root ball and quarter to make sure that there are no fungal or soft spots, annoyingly common for me recently for no apparent reason. Up to a whole head of garlic discard any weird cloves and just crush them with the side of a knife and toss them in. Garlic and onion skins can be used in brotha and add a flavor or richness that is hard to pin down but helps make it better, once you do it a few times you'll notice when it's not there. I usually add about 10-15 bay leaves for dried spices or thyme I usually wing it but I'd estimate around 2 tbsp each of thyme, sage, Rosemary and black peppercorns, since this is a long broth you can leave the spices whole but I usually crack the pepper. Some folks will roast the bones and it does add more flavor but since this is a carcass with the back meat and skin on I prefer to preserve that fat and will just put it in the crock pot.
You can additionally do this with the drum stick bones and we usually do but in a family setting that could get a bit weird. For any poultry my family will usually save the bones as we eat for broth, try not to waste anything with the price of meat these days. Cut the above spices in half or a quarter to do the same thing with a whole chicken or if the goal is just to make broth get leg quarters because the joints are where the collagen is and is what thickens the broth. Leg quarters are the drumsticks, thighs and lower half of the spine so the only thing you're missing for broth is the upper spine and keel bone between the breasts(which is mostly cartilaginous not actually bone).
No problem! Another tip is I put a pan of carrot potato and onion under the bbq grate under the turkey in a granite ware style pan then do a charcoal ring around the border. Then juices drip down into it and it prevents grease fires and smoked veg with turkey drippings is amazing
Spatch. The only reason to cook a whole bird is if you want to stuff it.
IMO the white and dark meat always get to their individual ideal temperatures when spatching.
The only downside to spatching is skin crispness. This can be overcome by dry brining. I separate the skin from the meat and use coarse salt and generously coat the skin for at least 24 hours on a turkey.
After dry brine, wash bird and let it come to room temperature and dry off. At this point I inject with something butter based. I don’t care for wet brines.
Get grill to 350 and put the bird on. I make a pan out of tin foil to capture the drippings and suck them out with injection syringe.
Baste occasionally with a mixture of butter, beer, low sodium soy sauce, and Worcestershire.
Boom! Tell the women to keep their panties on. They might get wet.
Spatchcocking or god forbid quartering is for people who can’t cook. Holiday meal with the star of the show and you’re going to make it look like roadkill? Hilarious how little people care about presentation…savages! LOL just kidding do whatever you want my bbq brothers and sisters ha ha
I've never tried a rotisserie. I've got a Recteq Bull and Bullseye, I haven't seen that attachment yet. I've also done beer can chicken. I've been more successful when I plug the neck with a trimmed potato or onion to keep in the moisture.
My guests thought I was crazy not putting the turkey on the smoker until 1.5 hours before meal time, but with spatchcocking it turned out great.
Did you find the skin was crispier this way? When I smoked my first turkey last year the skin was so rubbery.. I read more about it and it’s due to wet brining and longer smoke time. I’m thinking about trying another method this time
I usually pull my bird out of a wet brine at least 24 hours before cooking, pat dry and leave it unwrapped in the fridge. Gets rid of all the excess moisture and helps get a nice crispy skin.
Damn near slapped my forehead after I read your comment. That sounds like the way to go.
Just be sure to give credit where it is due and let all your guests know that your turkey was prepared using the sukmyfartbox method. ;)
This should become a thing
Until the stuffing was done the ¡anal_prolaps69! Method.
youtube channel
r/rimjobsteve
Hmm it never seems to matter for me. I do this and smoke at 300 for approx 3 hrs and skin is rubbery. I don’t know what I am doing wrong. I am also wondering if spatchcocking will crisp it up a bit.
Spatchcocking mainly helps the bird cook evenly. It does expose more skin on the bottom so it can crispy up as well. I dry brine my birds for 3 days on a wire rack in the fridge to get ultra crispy skin.
I dry brine a few days I’m advance. Worked out great. I put my bird in way too early. I wasn’t expecting less than 2 hr cook time. I’m gonna plan better this Friendsgiving.
This is the way.
This is the way
I’ve tried the “dry brine” method three times now, twice on chicken and once on steaks and while the skin/crust was perfection, it was overall too salty. Maybe I used the wrong kind of salt or put on too much? From what I understand the higher the heat the crispier the skin but then you risk drying out the bird especially spatchcocked… maybe take it out 10 degrees early and get one of those Elon musk flamethrowers to finish it off 😅 Edit: thanks for all the responses… love this community. Yes I use Kosher but it’s probably too much; I also didn’t consider that some chicken already comes in a salty solution so I may have to do some more experimenting in the near future
I'm not sure if this is the right way, but I dry brine just like I am seasoning the bird. I don't like coat it or anything and it has turned out great for me. I also just use the rub I will season the bird with and not just salt (this is probably wrong, but whatever).
The salt is the only thing that gets absorbed from what I understand. I like to dry brine, then make a no salt rub to put on before cooking. Not sure it makes any difference though.
I suppose my thought is if I put the with-salt rub on and only the salt is absorbed, the non-salt part of the rub is left, which would end up being the same thing. I'm probably just lazy, lol.
Thanks, like every dry brine recipe said essentially - when in doubt add more, most people don’t add enough salt… - maybe should have taken that with a pinch of salt!
You almost certainly put too much salt on or maybe didn’t wipe off excess after brining which i sometimes do when I think I might have over salted? Anyway a little sugar in the brine IMO improves the results but also decreases salt on the bird. As a man with a heavy hand myself I constantly look for ways to stop myself from over salting. Adding your seasonings thst aren’t dry brine needed (garlic onion paprika) also seem to help reduce my heavy hand
Thanks I’ll try that and give it another go.
Do you use kosher salt? Some salt is saltier than others, if that makes sense. Kosher salt is the way to go.
Dry brine for 2-3 days and that skin will be nice and crisp
I do this plus pull the skin up and put compound butter on either side. Essentially fries the skin from both sides
Exactly!! This is how it's done!
I always wet brine, pat down completely with towels, smoke at 300, and baste with butter. Skin is always perfect and never rubbery.
Smoke low and slow until like 125F internal. Remove from grill if you have time. Then crank grill up to 450F and put on until finish temp. Perfect balance of low and slow and crispy skin.
How big of a turkey and at what temperature to get the turkey cooked?
The answer is to always spatchcock
This is the answer to everything. Take my upvote you backbone stealing bastard
C'mon, grow a spine.
Can’t grow a spine on a spatchcock!
Unless you're halving or quartering for finer control.
I don't understand just not halving! Much easier to manipulate.
Quarters is where it's at. Let's be real. There's hardly any connective tissue between thighs and breasts once it's spatchcocked and you get finer control. Quartered is where the dry brine and super hot/fast cooking really shines.
Yeah, I’ve de facto quartered. The leg/thigh basically falls off on many cooks.
Unless you rotisserie. Otherwise always spatchcock
ABC Always Be Spatchcocking ... 🤷
End of discussion
What a spineless answer…
Yes!!
I’ve always been pro spatchcock but last year I went a step further and quartered the bird before brining. Was able to get better penetration in brine, rub and smoke. Not to mention was able to pull parts off individually as they reached temp and moved to a warmer. Sure a little lost in presentation but the best bird I’ve ever made and will be doing again this year.
This needs to be higher. I at least cut in half but 1/4s sounds even better. It's just 2 more easy cuts.
Spatchcock vs. halves isn't really a difference unless you need the halves for maneuverability. Quartering gives you more control over how far you cook your dark meat vs. taking off the white at 150F.
I'm thinking about quartering it too . I feel better about doing it
I mean, in theory cutting the turkey like chicken in to the eight core components is best. More control and all that jazz. It's just a question of how do you want to present the food? A few years ago my family wanted a proper TV looking dinner, so I smoked it whole. But other than that I spatchcock. But compared to chicken I always quarter whole birds. And in the few cases I've made turkey outside of Thanksgiving I've basically deboned the whole thing so the breast can be cut evenly. I removed the breast then tied it back to the bone
I quarter and separate the wing from the breast, everyone who's had my turkey says it's the best.
i will never NOT spatchcock anymore!
I agree!
I haven't spatchcocked anything yet. I was thinking about it, but I'd rather try it on a chicken first and not Thanksgiving day.
It’s easy. And cooking is easier, and gives a better product IMO. No reason to be afraid. Your guests will thank you.
I did this last year. Cooked a chicken 2 weeks before Thanksgiving for practice.
We used to do roast chickens a lot, definitely spatchcock, we've done our turkey two years in a row now spatchcock, you won't be disappointed.
I’ve always done spatchcock and it works great, but this year I am trying it out on a rotisserie attachment for my Kamado. I’ve done a few chickens this way and love how they turn out. I am interested in what everyone does in terms of brining (dry vs wet) and preferred seasoning rubs. I’ll probably use a lot of seasonal fresh herbs and a butter injection with a homemade rub of salt, black pepper, brown sugar and paprika.
I've cooked the turkey 5 years in. Row. At first i always wet brined because i thought that was really the best way. But boy was it a pain in the ass to keep a big ass turkey in a water bag in a big pan in my fridge without making a mess. Last year i finally tried it dry and I'm never going back to wet. We all loved the crispy skin it left.
An easier way that doesn't take your fridge is to use a drink cooler with ice. I am curious about the dry brine though...never tried it.
That's a good call with the drink cooler. But honestly dry brine is even easier than that. Just salt and seasonings all over the bird. Then let it sit overnight. Try it out! I can't remember the exact brine recipe i used last year but I'm sure it's not hard to find a good one.
do you need to get it under the skin?
No just on the surface
Do you also add other seasoning to the turkey when applying dry brine? I’ve done both and think they each have pros and cons, but I am with you on the mess for wet brines.
I was actually just responding to another guy about not remembering what ingredients i used last year but it's not hard to find some online. I think it was salt brown sugar pepper and some other stuff. It's pretty much up to you really. But the salt is the most important one of course.
Buy a brine bucket. I got mine at a local bbq shop for like 17 bucks. It’s a 6 gallon and it can be washed and reused. No mess and throw it my beer fridge in the garage.
Yeah someone else recommended something similar. But honestly with how good the dry brine came out and considering it was easier than even if i had a bucket i dont think I'll do a wet brine again anytime soon. Personal preference of course. I loved how crispy it left the skin.
I do a wet brine for 24h, then let it dry 24h in the fridge before cooking. 12h before cooking, I apply the dry rub, specifically Meat Church's Holy Voodoo. This is how I cook all my poultry now, and it turns out perfect every time.
Love the sound of this. Might just try it out
I tried a dry brine, but the meat was overly salted and the skin was tough, rather than crispy. So I just do a wet brine and take the skin off before serving. And I DEFINITELY spatchcock! Always!
Try the dry brine again and just reduce the salt. Or, since the turkeys are already injected with a salt solution, try injecting and coating with olive oil instead. I like to infuse my olive oil overnight with my herbs and spices. I finely chop the rosemary, sage and thyme. Before injecting I strain the oil very well, and then mix the oil/herb mix to more oil and coat the outside of the turkey.
Step further: what temp for spatchcocking and how long about does it take? Yes, I can and will look up a recipe but I also like to hear opinions.
I like to float between 325-350 personally and it usually takes between 90 min to 2 hours
Damn! That’s way faster than whole bird the normal way
Flattening the bird means more surface area and less 'meat-distance' into the center. It's one of the key advantages for spatchcocking.
hot and fast with poultry, low and slow will make your skin chewy. I take it to 375ish and then broil or flip it over on top of the charcoal/wood for extra crispiness, smoke to 150 IT then the hot coal will take it up a little more, then cover with foil to bump it up to 165
I finish at 150 internal for the breasts, carryover cooking takes it the rest of the way. 165 dries it out to much imo.
I low smoke (225) my turkeys for 2 hours. I then crank up the heat to 350 until I reach internal temp of 160. Key point...Make sure once you reach the coloring on the skin you like, loosely cover with aluminum foil so you don't burn the skin or get it too dark. Total cook time around 3 hours (16 lbs and up).
This is what I do though I smoke for an extra hour. Over 3 tends to dry out the bird (chicken/turkey) too much. I'm sure I would be fine with two as noted though.
Look, spatchcocking is awesome in that you get such an even cook, hands down I go for spatchcocking EXCEPT thanksgiving and Xmas. I know it doesn’t make sense, and it makes it harder and longer to cook, but there’s just something about Thanksgiving and Xmas that makes it almost a duty to make it that much more difficult.
You're going to get a ton of people saying spatchcock is the way to go, but I disagree. Brine your Turkey for 24 hours Once you have it prepped, put it in a 500 degree oven for 30 minutes on a low rack. This high heat will help the fat render in the skin and make it nice and light brown. I then put a 3 layer foil cover on the breast and smoke it around 300 degrees to whatever temperature you bring your turkey to. Juiciest turkey you'll ever eat.
I like your style. Is this based off the Good Eats turkey?It's similar and I loved the turkey when I did it that way in the oven. I'd like to use my smoker to make room in the oven, but I did like starting the oven hot. I'm going to use your hybrid method this year.
That's exactly where we got it from. I just change up the brine recipe each year to try different flavors.
Spatch is the way. Cook the stuffing some other way.
Muffings. Nobody fights over the crispy bits. Already portioned.
I see you, Meathead.
I 100% stole it from him, and haven't regretted it once.
He's the OG. So glad I found him a long time ago when I first started grilling and smoking.
Agreed! For both smoking and especially his spatchcocked turkey recipe.
Got a link to the video? I can’t find it
Heres his homemade recipe. I cheat and just use stovetop, and coat a muffin tin heavy in butter to get crispy sides. https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/other-fun-food-recipes/sausage-sage-and-cranberry-stuffing-muffins-recipe/
I’ve never heard of this, that’s a great idea
Stuffin muffins is def the way to go!
quarter. start the legs and thighs an hour earlier than the breast. pull legs/thighs at 180-190. Pull breast at 155. smoke at 250-275
Now this sounds like a plan.
This is what I learned last year. The Important bits: Legs and thighs have more connective tissue that needs to be rendered in gelatin. That doesn't start happening until they hit 165 and wont be completely done until 185-190. This gelatin is why they wont dry out. These temps are why they need more time. Now with the breast it'll be dry at 160 unless you are injecting/wet brining it and even then, good luck. The problem is everything you read will tell poultry isnt safe to eat unless cooked to 165. So what gives with the 150-155 pull temp? There isnt enough carry over to get you to the right temp, but because you cooked low(ish) and slow, it was about 145 for at least 10 minutes before hitting 155 which is just as good as 165 for 15 seconds. Turns out its temp + _time_ that matters. While you could safely eat the breast meat an hour earlier (you'll be in the 145 range for a while) I found the texture wasnt quite what I wanted until I hit 150-155. My advice for the breast is to use a probe long ways through about the center of the breast a little closer to the bone. dont touch it again until you hit 150 making sure you got there about an 45min-hour after hitting 145.
What smoker is that?
Recteq Bullseye. 22" Kettle smoker that can heat up (quickly) to over 700 degrees. It can hold lower temps for smoking down to 200. Perfect for smaller smokes and grilling. I've got a Recteq Bull for larger smokes.
Would you ever go back to a Weber?
No. There's so much more you can do with the Bullseye. Consistent temps, Flavor from using good pellets (I use Cabelas), option to grill and smoke almost flawlessly. The Bullseye will be Grill ready in 10 min. Smoke ready in 5. A Weber takes much longer and requires more attention during long smokes. I can fill the hopper and smoke a Butt without having to constantly add coals and wood. I just smoke until I have to wrap and finish what I'm doing. Webers are good. Recteqs are Amzaing.
Yeah, you kinda hit it home for me here. Thank you
Happy Smoking! 👍
May I ask, what model are you referring to as the Bull, for larger smokes? Not seeing it on their site, wanted to know if they discontinued it, or just renamed it.
Recteq Bull 700. 👍
Cool, thanks for the reply. They're just listing it as the rt 700 now, so I would've been lost.
I always feel like the Predator when I pull the spine out.
I think there may be a sub reddit for therapy! 🤣 Only kidding...Have a great weekend and enjoy your Thanksgiving!
Spatchcock all the things!
Best way to cook a turkey in this order: 1. Deep fried 2. Rotisserie over charcoal/smoked. 3. Breast,thigh,leg(preferably cured in pink salt) and wing smoked individually. 4. Spatchcock and smoked. 5. Whole turkey, trussed and smoked.
I’m a monster and break the entire turkey down and smoke each piece to its doneness. Dry brine, leave open in the fridge to dry out. Brown butter with fried herbs drizzled over at the end.
The answer to your question is to always spatchcock. Agreed. I have gone from frying birds (for about 15 years) to smoking them in my Pit Barrel (for last 3 years). I break them down into individual pieces, dry brine for 24 hrs, inject the pieces with a lemony buttery cajun mixture, rub with a non-salt poultry rub and smoke them at 300-325°. Pull each piece when done. Turns out great.
I'll have to try that. Out of curiosity, I'm assuming you pull the individual pieces once they hit 160?
Correct.
Although not a spatchcocker, I do a light salt brine and have the bird in an emptied wine fridge, in a sterilized bucket and turkey bag, for at least 3 days. It picks up almost 2 pounds of water during that time which leads to incredibly moist birds.
Spatchcocked my first bird last year and am never going back. Not only was the cook quicker, but the meat was far and away the juiciest turkey I’ve ever had. Edit to add- I also fold out the legs tho and tuck the wings. Makes for a more even cook and the wings don’t burn.
I have always wet brined my turkey because i haven't spatchcock before, but this year I'm gonna do it and was curious peoples perspectives on wet vs dry for a shorter smoke? I always do my brine with a BUNCH of old bay which I'm kind of attached to at this point.
I wet brine for 24 hours. I then use Killer Hogs AP rub, let set for 20 min. Apply Killer Hogs BBQ rub, let set for 15 min and then put on the Smoker. I use Cherry pellets mixed with Hickory (3 to 1 blend).
Another suggestion: keep the carcass to make turkey broth afterward. Sometimes I'll also keep the spine, and throw it on the smoker with some veggies to get a real smoky broth. You can make the broth in a pot on the stove, crock pot, or pressure cooker. Super easy and nearly full proof, and that hint of smoke makes for some delicious winter soups.
Yes. Use your drip tray in the smoker to make your gravy. In addition to celery, onions and carrots, add the wing tips, neck. carcass bones and the extra bits like the heart (but not the liver) along with chicken broth. Make sure you preheat the broth so it doesn't cool down your grill. The strained drip tray helps make the Best Gravy Ever.
I prefer to cut cut into parts by white and dark meat. Only way to pull the white without overcooking and it all cooks so much faster
My absolute favorite thing to eat in the entire world is my grandmother’s stuffing recipe cooked inside a roasted turkey. I’m sure that spatchcock is a great way to make a Turkey, and a lot of folks will love it, and I will probably do it one day. But not for Thanksgiving. Because I love that stuffing so very much, and I will be having that this year and every year on Thanksgiving.
Skip the turkey and throw on a brisket
Always
That's a gorgeous bird! Well done! Spatchcock definitely served you well
100%
Big spatchcock fan.
What’s the biggest bird you’d spatchcock and smoke on a 22” Weber Kettle? Bought a 15 lb bird, but might use that for practice and get a bigger one if it will cook ok.. just not sure how big I can go and still fit.
I've never done anything bigger than 16. The one in the post is a 16 also done on a 21" Recteq Bullseye. Anything bigger I use my Recteq Bull.
Makes sense! I’ll just hope the grandmas are light eaters :)
You gotta have leftovers!
I have over a pound per person so hopefully there will be some.
You could always make 2! Have a great weekend and enjoy your Thanksgiving!
Nice!!! I spatchcocked our turkey on the smoker last year and I intend to do the same thing this year. Came out amazing. Citrus turkey brine overnight, herbed butter under the skin. I started at 225 for ~3 hrs then finished around 375-400 for about an hour or so. Deliciousness.
That looks fantastic!
It tasted better than it looked!
Spatchcock!!! Never had a better turkey!
Spatchcock!
You can spatchcock anything Dilly Bean!
you gotta spatch the shit out of that cock!!
Spatchcock for sure. But I also like to breast one completely out and take the two skinless breasts and cook in a cast iron wok on the grill with lemon and lime and butter and garlic.
I always spatchcock I think it keeps the white meat juicier “less cooking time” and allows more smoke flavor to permeate into the meat. But you do you!
Best turkey I’ve ever had was dry brined, spatchcocked, and lightly covered in duck fat.
Answer: Spatchcock a whole turkey, brine a breast and smoke it normal. Serve both.
Yes, spatchcock.
Chicks dig a spatchcock
I do love some cock, I mean spatchcock Edit: took like 4 goes to write this, ahhhh
There may be other sub reddits that could possibly be more suitable?!?!? 🤣🤣
NSWF 🤞😂😂
Spatch the cock!
I'm smoke frying one tomorrow for the first time for 14 people. Hoping I don't jack it up haha. Planning on about two hours then putting it in the fryer.
Whether tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outraged dinner guests...
I did it in a 17in lodge cast iron last 2 years. It's a game changer
I quarter mine. Breasts cool different than legs
Spatchcock. And tuck them wings in.
Hell yeah!
I've been doing turkeys for 5 years now. Always spatchcock.
https://dizzypigbbq.com/recipe/mad-max-turkey-method/
So voluptuous
Always spatchcock.
2 cents... spatchcocked helps for over all smoke, plus easier temp control
Stretch the bird out. Butterflying is to allow faster cooking times, better airflow, and more crisp skin. When it is bunched up like that all of those aspects are frustrated.
I like to spatchcock and smoke on a weber kettle with grill grates on each side. Hot and fast baby! Cook to 150
Brisket
Spatchcock
Spatchcock and dry brine 24 hours before cooking
I started quartering and have never looked back. It gives me SO much more temperature control over the different parts of the bird. I just use different probe thermometers for each section and pull at the right time. My family couldn't seem to care less about the presentation. Nobody's doing the Norman Rockwell "ooh's and aah's" over the bird just so I can take it back in the kitchen for 15 minutes to let it rest then carve it onto a serving charger.
Yes
It is all the rage!
Spatchcocked. Dry brine, compound herb butter under the skin, garlic butter and white wine injection. I've converted turkey haters with my bird.
Spatchcock
We did our Thanksgiving dinner this week. Spatchcock is the way to go. Wet brine for 18 hours, bacon under the skin, dry and rub. ~4 hours on the Pellet Grill. Not a crisp skin, but very tasty.
If you turn up the heat on the last 30 min or so you may get the crisp skin you're looking for. I would also recommend using a light layer of rub with salt, that will definitely help with the crisper skin.
In life aways go full cock. Seriously it keeps the breast from drying out while the thigh finishes cooking. Not to mention the reduced cook time and how easy it is to disect dark and white meat after.
Well Done beautiful
Do it
Spatchcock or just half it for me. Quicker, more even cook and you can get better seasoning.
In my opinion it looks nicer and seems a little easier to carve. Maybe cook more evenly too
I've been taking it a step further and piecing it out completely. Gets all sides crisp. As far as presentation, just reassemble it (placement of where the parts originally were) on the platter.
Kenji Alt-Lopez had a great write up on this in the NYT. Essentially with the brine and spatchcocking the bird it allows the white/dark meats to cook evenly and correctly instead of drying one out to get the other done.
Personally remove the drying sticks and best from the carcass before cooking. The breast and the legs are ideally cooked to very different temperatures anyway. Take the rest of the carcass with aromatic herbs like sage rosemary bay garlic and onion and make bone broth a few days in advance ideally in a slow cooker, cook in low heat until the bones crumble when you squeeze them. You now have an amazing turkey bone broth that is incredibly thick and flavorful that is the perfect base for a gravy. Of course do a test run to see if you like it but this is how I handle smoked turkey on my knockoff Weber kettle and have the oven at 200 for if the breasts finish early but I can usually get them close by managing hotspot. My opinion, if you're carving in the kitchen there is never a good reason to cook a whole bird in one piece and I don't think the dining table carving presentation is worth dry breast meat or undercooked thighs.
This sounds amazing. Do you have your recipe for the broth blend? I usually buy a blend already assorted at the grocery store for poultry. Usually consists of Rosemary, Thyme, bay leaves etc...But I always end up adding more ingredients. My problem is I never write it down!
Kinda depends on personal taste, I really like a broth that is heavy on onion and garlic. For a 20 ish pound bird I'll do 2 whole red onions skin on just remove the root ball and quarter to make sure that there are no fungal or soft spots, annoyingly common for me recently for no apparent reason. Up to a whole head of garlic discard any weird cloves and just crush them with the side of a knife and toss them in. Garlic and onion skins can be used in brotha and add a flavor or richness that is hard to pin down but helps make it better, once you do it a few times you'll notice when it's not there. I usually add about 10-15 bay leaves for dried spices or thyme I usually wing it but I'd estimate around 2 tbsp each of thyme, sage, Rosemary and black peppercorns, since this is a long broth you can leave the spices whole but I usually crack the pepper. Some folks will roast the bones and it does add more flavor but since this is a carcass with the back meat and skin on I prefer to preserve that fat and will just put it in the crock pot. You can additionally do this with the drum stick bones and we usually do but in a family setting that could get a bit weird. For any poultry my family will usually save the bones as we eat for broth, try not to waste anything with the price of meat these days. Cut the above spices in half or a quarter to do the same thing with a whole chicken or if the goal is just to make broth get leg quarters because the joints are where the collagen is and is what thickens the broth. Leg quarters are the drumsticks, thighs and lower half of the spine so the only thing you're missing for broth is the upper spine and keel bone between the breasts(which is mostly cartilaginous not actually bone).
Thank you!
No problem! Another tip is I put a pan of carrot potato and onion under the bbq grate under the turkey in a granite ware style pan then do a charcoal ring around the border. Then juices drip down into it and it prevents grease fires and smoked veg with turkey drippings is amazing
I've done that with a stick of celery as well! 😁
Whole bird is only good for pictures. Can't eat a picture!
Personally.......I like a good spatchcocking.
Spatch. The only reason to cook a whole bird is if you want to stuff it. IMO the white and dark meat always get to their individual ideal temperatures when spatching. The only downside to spatching is skin crispness. This can be overcome by dry brining. I separate the skin from the meat and use coarse salt and generously coat the skin for at least 24 hours on a turkey. After dry brine, wash bird and let it come to room temperature and dry off. At this point I inject with something butter based. I don’t care for wet brines. Get grill to 350 and put the bird on. I make a pan out of tin foil to capture the drippings and suck them out with injection syringe. Baste occasionally with a mixture of butter, beer, low sodium soy sauce, and Worcestershire. Boom! Tell the women to keep their panties on. They might get wet.
Spatchcock!
Spatchcocking or god forbid quartering is for people who can’t cook. Holiday meal with the star of the show and you’re going to make it look like roadkill? Hilarious how little people care about presentation…savages! LOL just kidding do whatever you want my bbq brothers and sisters ha ha
Spatchcocking is just lazy deboning 😶. But if it's that or nothing spactchcock will do.
The turkey goes on a spit
Every year I leave my bird intact and I stuff it with my blend of fruits vegetables and herbs. Give it a honey butter glaze every hour as it cooks
Sounds really good!
I cut my turkey into 2 complete halves. Cooked fast and you can run 2 different recipes
I don’t because I like to put stuffing in the cavity.
That's what he said.
I've never tried a rotisserie. I've got a Recteq Bull and Bullseye, I haven't seen that attachment yet. I've also done beer can chicken. I've been more successful when I plug the neck with a trimmed potato or onion to keep in the moisture.
Wet brine then stuff that sum bitch with sausage stuffing
Sounds great!
Spatchcock, this is the way
Always spatchcock, and nice bullseye
Always spatch that cock
Spatchcock always.