Let's Talk BBQ

FORUM SPONSORS => Pit Barrel Cooker Co. => Topic started by: rcrabb22 on November 10, 2020, 09:20:37 AM

Title: Anyone smoked a spatchcocked turkey in the PBC?
Post by: rcrabb22 on November 10, 2020, 09:20:37 AM
I was going to get 2 birds about 12lb each.  I was going to cook one traditional in the oven and the other spatchcocked.  I haven't decided whether to hang it with 2 hooks or use the grate.  Anyone have experience with this?
Title: Re: Anyone smoked a spatchcocked turkey in the PBC?
Post by: pmillen on November 10, 2020, 10:05:17 AM
Interesting question.  Do you visualize an advantage to spatchcocking it?
Title: Re: Anyone smoked a spatchcocked turkey in the PBC?
Post by: rcrabb22 on November 10, 2020, 04:18:56 PM
Interesting question.  Do you visualize an advantage to spatchcocking it?

Last year I did a whole bird using the PBC turkey hanger and the thighs took forever to reached a food safe temperature the breast meat was dry as a bone.  Pit temp was a steady 235F then faded below 200F after 3 hours or so.  I do not remember the weather outside but late November in northern Illinois is rarely above 45F.  I kept screwing with the lid and the lower airflow cover to raise the pit temperature and it became a very labor intensive cook.
Title: Re: Anyone smoked a spatchcocked turkey in the PBC?
Post by: pmillen on November 10, 2020, 08:16:51 PM
Smoked turkey can benefit greatly from brining to keep it moist.  Here's (https://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=24582.msg308369#msg308369) a useful brine for turkey.  Then stick the bird in the refrigerator, uncovered, for a day or two to dry the skin making it easier to crisp up.

My PBC benefitted greatly from the addition of a stoker.  See this (https://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=13589.msg185152#msg185152) post.
Title: Re: Anyone smoked a spatchcocked turkey in the PBC?
Post by: Bacala on November 22, 2020, 12:57:06 PM
Here's a thread from several years ago describing one I did, but it was cut in half entirely rather than spatchcoked. Probably would cook pretty much the same, though.

And yes, we have no pictures today!  ;)

https://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=12226.0 (https://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=12226.0)
Title: Re: Anyone smoked a spatchcocked turkey in the PBC?
Post by: rcrabb22 on November 24, 2020, 10:48:23 AM
I was going to get 2 birds about 12lb each.  I was going to cook one traditional in the oven and the other spatchcocked.  I haven't decided whether to hang it with 2 hooks or use the grate.  Anyone have experience with this?

Well I have more time to think about this.  The pandemic has postponed our family Thanksgiving get together for a bit.
Title: Re: Anyone smoked a spatchcocked turkey in the PBC?
Post by: rcrabb22 on January 05, 2021, 10:12:22 AM
I cooked the spatchcocked turkey this past weekend and it turned out well.  I was able to keep the PBC temp at 265 F for the entire cook which was about 3.5 hours.  I used (1) 3" square of pecan split into 3 smaller pieces and Kingsford blue bag charcoal. The bird was open side down on the grate.  After 2 hours I temped each breast and one was 135F and the other was at 125 F so I rotated the bird 180 degrees.   
Title: Re: Anyone smoked a spatchcocked turkey in the PBC?
Post by: akruckus on January 06, 2021, 03:10:41 AM
Looks pretty darn good to me.  Did you keep the skin up the whole cook? If skin side up the whole cook any reason why you didn't flip it?
Title: Re: Anyone smoked a spatchcocked turkey in the PBC?
Post by: rcrabb22 on January 06, 2021, 12:45:27 PM
The skin was crispy as it was.  I used the PBC all purpose rub to the whole turkey and applied vegetable oil spray to the top of the bird just before putting on the grate in the PBC.  I watched a number of videos on YouTube smoking a spatchcocked turkey and none of the videos showed the bird flipped over.   I never considered doing that.