© 2024 National Turkey Federation
1225 New York Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20005
1225 New York Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20005
“Spatchcocked turkey results in a more evenly cooked bird that also cooks more quickly than roasting in the oven. Plus, the added smoke flavor takes this moist, juicy bird to new heights! The addition of an aromatic rosemary lemon compound butter makes this the turkey of your dreams.” – Robyn Lindars, GrillGirl
For more tips, check out our guide on spatchcocked turkey. Get our recommended Rosemary Orange Turkey Brine recipe here.
1 13-lb turkey, spatchcocked – if your turkey is bigger than that, increase compound butter recipe
1.5 sticks butter (room temperature)
Zest of 2 lemons
1 tbsp sea salt
6 bunches of rosemary, stems removed
Brine the turkey overnight using our Rosemary Orange Turkey Brine or your preferred recipe. If it hasn’t been removed yet, remove the backbone from the turkey.
Combine the butter, lemon zest, rosemary and salt with a stick blender until uniform in consistency and all the rosemary needles have been chopped up.
Take your finger and separate the skin from the meat of the turkey to create a pocket to put the butter underneath the skin and gently get the butter in as many places as possible under the skin of the turkey. Repeat and slather the outside of the bird with butter.
Create direct/indirect zones on your grill opting for between 375-400°F. Add wood chips if preferred (cherry, maple, oak, apple are all great for turkey).
Remember, you will be smoke roasting on the grill on indirect heat until the very end.
Cook on indirect heat with the breast facing up until an internal read thermometer reads 160°F. When you hit that temperature, transfer the turkey to the direct side and grill until the breast reads 165°F internal temperature. Keep in mind the bird will continue to cook once you take it off the grill. Tent it under foil for 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute before slicing into it.