To grill a spatchcock turkey, cut out the backbone, press the bird flat, and cook it skin side up over indirect heat on a covered grill until a food thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh and wing. A flattened bird cooks faster and more evenly than a whole one, because the legs sit out at the edges where the heat is and the breast no longer shields the inside of the bird. It also fits on an ordinary kettle or three-burner gas grill, which makes it the easiest way to get a Thanksgiving turkey off the oven’s schedule.
Why Spatchcocking Works So Well on a Grill
A whole turkey is a difficult shape to cook. The breast is thick and exposed on top; the thighs are tucked against the body where heat arrives last. By the time the dark meat is done, the breast has often overshot. Spatchcocking (also called butterflying) changes that geometry:
- Even thickness. The bird lies roughly flat, so heat reaches all parts at a more similar rate.
- Legs toward the fire. You can turn the thighs toward the hotter side of the grill so they keep pace with the breast.
- Lower profile. The bird sits well under the lid, even on a kettle, so there is room for air to move around it.
- More skin facing up. All the skin is on one surface, exposed to the hot air, so it browns more evenly.
- Shorter cook. A flatter piece of meat simply heats through sooner. Expect it to finish well inside the time a whole bird of the same weight would need.
Choosing the Bird
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service guide Turkey: Alternate Routes to the Table lists turkeys of 8 to 16 pounds for covered charcoal or gas grills. That range is a sensible ceiling for a spatchcocked bird too, for a practical reason: a flattened 16-pound turkey is wide. Measure the indirect zone of your grill before you shop. The bird needs to sit entirely off the direct flame with a little room to spare.
The turkey must be completely thawed. FSIS says not to grill a frozen turkey, and a bird that is still icy at the center will not cut cleanly along the backbone anyway.
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
- Set up a clean station. Use a large cutting board on a damp towel so it cannot slide. Keep raw poultry juices away from anything that will be served without cooking.
- Turn the bird breast side down with the neck end facing you.
- Cut along one side of the backbone with heavy poultry shears, from tail to neck. Turkey bones are thicker than chicken bones, so work in short, firm cuts.
- Cut along the other side and remove the backbone. Save it, with the neck and giblets, for gravy stock.
- Flip the bird breast side up, spread the legs, and press down hard on the breastbone with the heel of both hands until you feel it crack and the bird lies flat.
- Tuck the wing tips behind the breast so they do not scorch.
- Pat the skin dry with paper towels and season. If you have time, an overnight uncovered rest in the refrigerator dries the skin further and helps it crisp.
Setting Up the Grill for Indirect Heat
The goal is hot, circulating air around the turkey with no flame directly under it. FSIS’s grill guidance calls for an air temperature of 225°F to 300°F with a drip pan beneath the bird. Many cooks run a spatchcocked turkey toward the top of that band, or a little above it, to crisp the skin; whatever temperature you choose, the 165°F internal reading is what decides doneness. If indirect cooking is new to you, our guide to direct versus indirect heat explains the principle.
Charcoal kettle
Bank lit coals on one side, or split them into two piles at the edges, and set a foil drip pan in the empty space. FSIS describes letting the coals develop white ash before you start, then replenishing with about 15 briquettes every hour as needed to hold temperature. Place the turkey over the drip pan with the thighs pointing toward the coals and close the lid. Position the lid vent over the turkey so smoke and heat pull across it.
Gas grill
On a grill with two or three burners, FSIS says to place the turkey away from the flame by turning off one burner and putting the bird over that area. With a three-burner grill, light the outside burners and leave the middle one off; with two burners, light one side. A single-burner grill needs a pan of water under the grate to create indirect heat, according to the same guide. Always follow the grill maker’s directions, which FSIS also stresses.
Grilling the Turkey
- Preheat with the lid closed until the grate-level temperature is steady. Check it with an appliance or probe thermometer at grate level, not just the lid gauge.
- Place the bird skin side up on the indirect side, thighs toward the heat. Insert a leave-in probe into the thickest part of the breast.
- Close the lid and leave it. Every opening dumps heat and adds time.
- Rotate once, about halfway, if one side is browning faster. On gas grills, the back is often hotter than the front.
- Check with an instant-read thermometer once the probe shows the breast approaching done. FSIS’s standard is 165°F in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. Check all three.
- If the skin is pale but the meat is nearly done, you can briefly move the bird closer to the heat or raise the temperature, watching closely so the drippings do not flare.
How Long Does It Take?
FSIS’s estimate for a whole turkey on a covered grill is 15 to 18 minutes per pound at 225°F to 300°F. A spatchcocked turkey should come in under that, because it is thinner, but how much faster depends on the grill temperature, the weather and how flat you got the bird. Treat the whole-bird figure as your outside limit for planning and start checking temperatures early. For a full discussion of the unflattened approach, see our guide to whole turkey on the grill.
A flattened bird often finishes earlier than guests expect. If dinner time is fixed, build the timeline around the turkey being ready early, then hold it. Or move dinner up: one practical use for a short Thanksgiving thank-you text on the day is letting relatives know the meal is landing sooner than planned.
Resting and Carving
Move the turkey to a board with a groove and rest it, loosely tented, before carving. Our guide to resting meat after grilling explains why the juices need that time. Carving a spatchcocked turkey is easier than carving a whole one:
- Cut through the skin between breast and thigh, then pull each leg quarter away and separate the drumstick from the thigh at the joint.
- Remove each wing at the shoulder joint.
- Cut each breast half off the bone in one piece, then slice it across the grain on the board.
The same habits that make beef easy to serve, a sharp knife and slicing across the grain, apply here; the carving order used for a beef roast is a good refresher on knife technique before the holiday.
Gravy From the Backbone
Do not throw out the backbone. While the turkey cooks, simmer it with the neck, an onion, a carrot and some celery in water for a few hours. Strain it and you have stock for gravy that tastes of turkey rather than bouillon. The drippings in the drip pan are usually too smoky and concentrated to use alone, but a spoonful or two adds depth. Keep the stock and gravy hot, or cool and refrigerate them promptly like the rest of the meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a spatchcock turkey faster to grill than a whole turkey?
Yes. Flattening the bird makes it thinner and more even, so it heats through sooner than a whole turkey of the same weight. USDA’s estimate for a whole turkey on a covered grill is 15 to 18 minutes per pound; treat that as an upper limit and go by the thermometer.
What temperature should a spatchcock turkey reach?
165°F, measured with a food thermometer in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh and wing, according to USDA FSIS.
Can I stuff a spatchcock turkey?
There is no cavity once it is flattened, and FSIS advises against stuffing a turkey cooked on a covered grill in any case. Bake the stuffing separately in a dish until it reaches 165°F.
Do I need special tools to spatchcock a turkey?
Heavy poultry shears do most of the work. A large cutting board, paper towels, and a food thermometer cover the rest.
What size grill do I need?
Measure the indirect zone. The flattened bird must sit entirely off the flame with some space around it, and a spatchcocked turkey is much wider than it was whole. Lay a tape measure across your grate before you buy a large bird, and if it will not fit, choose a smaller turkey or cook a breast and legs separately.