Honey Chipotle Spatchcock Turkey

Oct 10, 2023 • Tom Jackson

Infuse your holiday meal with Chef Tom’s bold Honey Chipotle Spatchcock Turkey, featuring a rich Ancho & Chipotle brine, chipotle-honey butter injection, and smoky char—all cooked flat for even, juicy results. Every bite is a sweet‑heat symphony—with crispy skin and deeply smoked flavor, it’s a standout alternative to traditional turkey.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE

Two-stage flavor, not just a rub. An ancho-chipotle brine soaks all the way through overnight, then a honey-chipotle butter injection adds a second layer of flavor deep in the meat itself.
Spatchcocking cuts real time off the clock. Flattening the bird means both breasts and thighs finish together in about 2 hours instead of the 3–4+ hours a whole trussed turkey needs.
The injection glaze does double duty. Half goes into the meat before cooking, and the reserved half gets brushed over the skin at the end — nothing about this recipe wastes flavor.
One pan, one grill, minimal cleanup. Cooking flat on a foil-lined sheet pan means no roasting rack, no carving board mess mid-cook — just spin the pan and go.

Honey Chipotle Spatchcock Turkey

Tom Jackson

Rated 4.0 stars by 71 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

16

Prep Time

45 minutes

Cook Time

2 hours

Calories

241

Spatchcocked for speed and infused for depth, this turkey takes about 45 minutes of prep and ~2 hours cooking time on a pellet grill set at 325 °F. The method is simple, the flavor is legendary, and it's all crowd-tested to deliver delicious results with minimal fuss.

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Ingredients

14 lb turkey, spatchcocked
2 bottles Sweetwater Spice Ancho & Chipotle Brine Bath Concentrate
5 quarts water
Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning

Injection:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup Reida Farm Wildflower Honey
1 tbsp chipotles in adobo, the pepper, minced
1 tbsp adobo sauce from the chipotles in adobo

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Directions

Spatchcock the turkey. To take the backbone out, place the bird breast side down. Cut along both sides of the backbone with kitchen shears, from one opening of the cavity to the other.
Dump both bottles of Sweetwater Spice Ancho & Chipotle Brine Bath Concentrate into a Briner Bucket. Add five quarts of water and whisk. Place the spatchcocked turkey in the liquid and lock the plastic plate in place to keep the bird submerged. Place the Briner Bucket in the refrigerator and let brine for one hour per pound (14 pound bird brines for 14 hours).
Remove the turkey from the brine and place on a prep tray. Remove was much liquid from the surface as possible, using paper towels. For the crispiest possible skin, let the turkey sit open in the refrigerator for a day. Otherwise, simple dab off the excess moisture and prepare to inject the turkey.
Day of the cook: Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 325ºF, set up for indirect grilling.
Melt the butter in a pint sized jar and add the honey, chipotle and adobo sauce. Blitz with an immersion blender. Strain through a mesh sieve to remove any seeds or other solids that would clog the injector needle. Set aside half of the injection for glazing later. Load the rest into an injector.
Inject the turkey all over until you can’t pull any more injection liquid into the injector. Save that little bit of injection liquid that’s in the bottom of the jar.
Season underneath the skin, all over the turkey using Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning. Pull the skin back into place. Pour that last little bit of injection over the skin and rub all over. Season the skin with Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning.
Transfer the turkey to a foil lined half sheet pan. Transfer the pan to the second shelf of the grill.
Cook the turkey for about 2 hours, then spin the pan to brown the turkey evenly. Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 155ºF in the center of the breasts, about two hours total cook time (this time will vary from turkey to turkey; it may take longer or shorter).
Pour the reserved half of the chipotle honey butter injection over the skin of the turkey and brush to distribute evenly. Let the turkey rest for about 29 minutes before slicing.

Image of Honey Chipotle Spatchcock Turkey

Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

Why brine with ancho and chipotle?
The brine infuses smoky, mildly spicy notes deep into the meat before it ever hits the grill, which pairs naturally with the sweet honey-butter injection that follows.

What internal temperature should I pull the turkey to?
The USDA recommends poultry reach 165ºF internal for food safety. Check the thickest part of the breast with a reliable thermometer and confirm it hits 165ºF before resting and slicing.

Can I use a different wood for smoking?
Yes — cherry or pecan both work well, and hickory or oak also complement the honey-chipotle flavor if you want something bolder.

How do I avoid burning the glaze?
Brush the reserved glaze on toward the end of the cook and keep an eye on it — if the sugars start browning too fast, tent the turkey loosely with foil.

How long will leftovers keep?
Store sliced turkey in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days, or freeze for up to 6 months. Reheat gently with a bit of the reserved butter or stock to keep it moist.

How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — works indoors with adjustments, but the grill is recommended. The brine and injection steps are all kitchen tasks; it's the smoke and char from the grill that this recipe is really built around.

Recipe Highlights

Spatchcocking for even, faster cooking: Direction Step 1 removes the backbone and flattens the bird before anything else happens — that single step is what lets both breasts and thighs finish in the same roughly 2-hour window.
Long brine for deep flavor: Step 2 brines the turkey for a full hour per pound (14 hours for a 14lb bird), giving the ancho-chipotle liquid time to actually penetrate the meat rather than just seasoning the surface.
Injection built in two stages: Step 5 splits the butter-honey-chipotle mixture in half — one half goes inside the meat via injector, the other half gets saved for a final glaze, so nothing gets wasted and every bite gets both layers.
Glazed after the cook, not during: The final step brushes the reserved injection liquid over the skin only after the turkey comes off the grill, which keeps the sugars from scorching during the long cook.