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Turkey - Spatchcock or Whole?

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corey24
corey24 Posts: 386
in EggHead Forum
So I have always cooked chicken spatchcock and love it but never a turkey.  I always do my turkey in a roaster pan with plate setter....Should I change?  I've always worried that spatched a 13-16 lb bird over direct heat it would burn the outside?  Your thoughts and opinions!

XL Egg Owner Since Dec 2013 - Louisiana

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  • Dobie
    Dobie Posts: 3,364
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    If presentation doesn’t matter then spatchcock but use the platesetter for indirect cook.
    Jacksonville FL
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  • corey24
    corey24 Posts: 386
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    So you do spatch with plate setter?  I see some don't....

    XL Egg Owner Since Dec 2013 - Louisiana

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  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,088
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    I go spatch'ed, raised direct at 375-400F when cooking one bird.  Will not even try a different way now as I love how they turn out. 

    This year I have to do two birds on my large.  I am going to have to get creative. I know what I am going to try but not sure if it is going to work. 
    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
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  • dharley
    dharley Posts: 377
    edited November 2017
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    Sea2Ski- Are you thinking of a spatched bird on the grate at the rim and a whole bird on a rack above? Or lighting both eggs and getting creative with pieces and parts?
    LBGE, PSWOO, 36" Blackstone, MasterBuilt smoke box- Playing with fire in Three Rivers, MI

    My '23 & Me' said I'm 2/3 bacon and 1/3 Red Blooded American

    USMC Veteran

    Always do sober what you said you would drunk, that'll teach you to keep your mouth shut.  -EH
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  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
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    Why don't you do both?? Turkeys are cheap, and you'll have options in case one is not up to par. My preference is spatched and grilled direct. Then I do one regular style for gravy. Happy T-Day! Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
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  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,357
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    Spatchcock is pretty nice, but Mad Max's most beautiful product is the great turkey that you can do with a hole turkey done in a roasting pan.
    =======================================
    XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP
    Tampa Bay, FL
    EIB 6 Oct 95
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,375
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    Just to add to the quandary - with spatched chix I run very raised direct but with spatched turkey I run indirect.  I use the air-gapped drip pan to collect the goodies for the gravy.  No worries as long as you foil protect any part of the turkey that may be outside your heat deflector.  And I am in a major minority here but I use a hatchet to spatch the turkey.  Easy to get thru the bones.  FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901
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    I don’t spatchcock turkey. I don’t cook turkeys that often and I like the appearance of it left whole. 
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
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  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,088
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    dharley said:
    Sea2Ski- Are you thinking of a spatched bird on the grate at the rim and a whole bird on a rack above? Or lighting both eggs and getting creative with pieces and parts?
    @dharley I am not going to do that. I think the variance in time will be to great and impossible to time them correctly. Either I am going to spatch them both, and if they fit rotate the levels a few times during the cook OR I am going to do something crazy like debone them. Or some combination of the two methods.  I honestly have not made up my mind yet. 
    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
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  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
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    Spatchcock for even fast cooking, whole for traditional presentation.
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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  • mEGG_My_Day
    mEGG_My_Day Posts: 1,653
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    I'm not doing a turkey this year.  But when I do, I always spatchcock indirect.  Those bones can be hard to get through, so I love @lousubcapidea of using a hatchet.  I'll probobly try that next time I cook a turkey.
    Memphis, TN 

    LBGE, 2 SBGE, Hasty-Bake Gourmet
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  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
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    I prefer filling the cavity with various steeped aromatics, herbage, cinnamon sticks, apple, ernyin, orange, ginger, lemon, garlic, etc, pairing it all with the rub, brine.
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

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  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 6,297
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    mEGG_My_Day said:
    I'm not doing a turkey this year.  But when I do, I always spatchcock indirect.  Those bones can be hard to get through, so I love @lousubcapidea of using a hatchet.  I'll probobly try that next time I cook a turkey.
    I saw a YouTube video where some guy spatchcocked a turkey with an electric Sawzall.
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  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,088
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    Gulfcoastguy said:
    I saw a YouTube video where some guy spatchcocked a turkey with an electric Sawzall.
    I would not be surprised if the video started with "Hold my beer, watch this..."
    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
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  • HendersonTRKing
    HendersonTRKing Posts: 1,803
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    No spatch here. Mad Max’d for presentation, brine’d for taste, egg’d to keep me out of the traffic in da house!

    Hope everyone has a great t’giving and posts results in a show off thread!  Remember that there’s much more that unites us than divides us!  Like taking pix of our food during holiday gatherings!
    It's a 302 thing . . .
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  • Dlahood
    Dlahood Posts: 13
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    new to the EGG as of 2 months ago and I am hooked.  I did my first spatchcock turkey this past Saturday.  I followed Chris' from Dizzy Pig game plan.  Turned out great!  Best turkey ever.  Google spatchcock turkey BGE dizzy pig it will come up.  Fantastic!



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  • MaskedMarvel
    MaskedMarvel Posts: 3,142
    edited November 2017
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    Doing a test breast now. They always turn out super juicy. 
    Large BGE and Medium BGE
    36" Blackstone - Greensboro!


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  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 5,429
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    Sea2Ski said:
    dharley said:
    Sea2Ski- Are you thinking of a spatched bird on the grate at the rim and a whole bird on a rack above? Or lighting both eggs and getting creative with pieces and parts?
    @dharley I am not going to do that. I think the variance in time will be to great and impossible to time them correctly. Either I am going to spatch them both, and if they fit rotate the levels a few times during the cook OR I am going to do something crazy like debone them. Or some combination of the two methods.  I honestly have not made up my mind yet. 
    Can you fit one inside  the other? Turducken style?  Turtursomething.  . .   :smile:
    Large, Medium, MiniMax, & 22, and 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
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    I'm cooking a spatch with the Mad Max rub. First opportunity to cook the bird on my Egg - traveled for the past several T-givings and X-mas's. Going raised direct 300. Rockwood and some cherry wood. 
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,674
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    Spatchcocked Turkey and Chicken on the Big Green Egg

    (you cut out the backbone and cook opened)

    I like a 11/12 lb bird. If I need lots of turkey I just cook a couple ( 1 & 1/2  hr cook app)

    Chicken 3 to 3.75lb bird or birds. Under an hour cook. 

    Or, just add a package of legs extra. 

    I do not brine the turkey or Chicken. 

    If time I like to leave uncovered in the fridge overnight (no problem if no time) 

    I cook "direct" @ 400/425 on a raised grill "skin side up" and never turn over.

    I will use a coffee rub. Use what you like.

    NOTE PLEASE (A LOT OF SMOKE IS NOT YOU FRIEND)

    I use about a single handfull of mixed chips: Cherry & Pecan. 

    Cook Turkey to temp (not time) breast @ 155/160 and thigh @ 165.

    Cook Chicken to temp breast 160.

    Rest both 10 mins.


     

    Coffee Rub (turkey, chicken, beef & pork)

    Equal part: Instant Expresso Ground coffee..

    Equal part: Brown Sugar..

    ½ part: Black Pepper..

    ½ part: Kosher Salt..

    ½ part: Garlic Powder..

    ¾ part: Ancho Chili Powder..

      Don't worry on exact, just close on measurement. I used to use turbinado sugar but we like with brown better. This is pulled from MollyShark, Hungry Man, & Richard In Fl then tweaked. I find the ancho chili powder is far less expensive in the bulk spice area than the bottled area ( have used both light or dark version). I make it starting with a half cup Instant Expresso Ground coffee and work from there as it seems to store well if sealed.


    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

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  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,674
    edited November 2017
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    Will be doing this cook in the morning. 9 years in a row now.


    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

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  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
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    @mickey - about how far above felt is that turkey?

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,674
    edited November 2017
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    Mattman3969 said:
    @mickey - about how far above felt is that turkey?
    2".... it is an adj rig """direct"""
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

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  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
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    Mickey said:
    Mattman3969 said:
    @mickey - about how far above felt is that turkey?
    2".... it is an adj rig """direct"""
    Thank you.  I'm hoping I can fit my bird on the woo extender direct.  If that's too tall I'll drop back to felt on the woo.  Maybe @lousubcap can help me out on this set up. 

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,746
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    I've spatched turkey raised direct, but prefer indirect and I still get crispy skin. That and Mickey's coffee rub is how I'm doing tomorrow's bird.
    Stillwater, MN
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  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,088
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    kl8ton said:
    Can you fit one inside  the other? Turducken style?  Turtursomething.  . .   :smile:
    @kl8ton ha ha..  Turtur style.. that is one setup I did not think of doing.

    After playing around, one is spatched and the other is deboned. I will do the spatched as high in the AR as possible direct, and the deboned will be on the extender. Crispy skin on the spatched be damned.
    I am thinking that although the deboned is higher, the meat is thicker and will be done indirect, so I am thinking that they will be done at about the same time? Don't know.
    One bird was 12.93 and the other was 12.98 - in other words - the same weight.  This will be an interesting cook for me.
    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,375
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    @Mattman3969 - checked out early last evening.  The deal will be the obvious clearance once on the extender.  Don't know the size of your bird but once spatched, press down on the breast bone (just like the chix process) and break it to further flatten out the bird.  If the extender gets the bird too high then if you have another grid and a way to raise it from the main grid you can still elevate that grid above the gasket line.
    Should you be able to fit on the extender, make sure your thermo is clear of the bid hen the dome is shut.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • G_S
    G_S Posts: 62
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    are not doing Thanksgiving till Saturday. 
    So I got afew days. 

    I have a question about Brines. 
    And this might be a dumb question. 

    But can I do a brine with just, water, afew sticks if butter, and a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays? 
    And throw on the Big Green Egg 
    Spatched cooked, indirect?

    Would this work?
    I onky have a Mini-Max


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  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
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    Haven’t been around as much these days , rolling with Mickey... wish me luck.

    hope this works. Happy Thanksgiving !


    Seattle, WA
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  • scdaf
    scdaf Posts: 176
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    G_S said:


    I have a question about Brines. 
    And this might be a dumb question. 

    But can I do a brine with just, water, afew sticks if butter, and a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays? 


    If there's no salt, it's not a brine.  Try dry brining at least overnight. 4/1 ratio of Kosher salt to baking powder.  Use about 1/4 cup for a 12 lb. bird.  Add any additional herbs and seasonings when ready to cook, I use a homemade herb butter under and over the skin, but NO MORE SALT at this stage.






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