This Smoke‑Roasted Spatchcock Turkey with Sausage Stuffing takes your holiday centerpiece to the next level. The flat-roasted turkey cooks evenly and crisps beautifully over smoke, while savory sausage stuffing roasted underneath soaks up all of that smoky goodness.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Even, fast cooking thanks to spatchcock technique and low smoke heat
- Juicy turkey meat infused with smoke, seasoning, and herb butter injection
- Sausage stuffing enriched by drippings, turning into juicy, savory bites
- Effortless feast: turkey and side dish cook in harmony on the same rack
Smoke Roasted Spatchcock Turkey with Sausage Stuffing
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.8 stars by 5 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
12
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
2 hours 3 minutes
Calories
342
Ideal for a flavorful, all-in-one roast, this recipe blends succulent turkey, aromatic herbs, and hearty sausage into delicious harmony—effortlessly elegant and easy to execute.
Ingredients
- 1 (15 lb) turkey
-
Sweetwater Spice Classic Holiday Turkey Bath
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
-
Cattleman’s Grill Ranchero Seasoning
- 1 turkey neck
- 1 turkey backbone
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 bunch parsley stems
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
-
2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 lb french bread, cubed
- 1 lb country pork sausage
- 1 cup leeks, halved, sliced 1/4” thick
- 1/2 cup carrots, peeled, diced
- 2 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp fresh sage, minced
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 quart turkey stock
- 2 eggs, beaten
-
ATBBQ Poultry Flavor Bundle
For the turkey:
For the turkey stock:
For the Sausage Stuffing:
Get the kit for this recipe
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.
Place the spatchcocked turkey in a large Briner Bucket. Pour the Sweetwater Spice Classic Holiday Turkey Bath over the bird along with two cups water. Dissolve the kosher salt into one quart of cold water. Pour the mixture over the turkey. Add up to one gallon of water to the buck to cover the turkey. Lock the brining plate in place to keep the bird submerged. Refrigerate the turkey in the brine, one pound per hour.
- While the turkey is brining, prepare the stock. Cut the backbone into 3 pieces. Preheat a stock pot over high heat. Put a couple of tablespoons of oil in the stock pot. Sear the neck and backbone pieces in the hot oil, turning until browned on all sides. Remove from the pot. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook until all the browned fond on the bottom of the pot is released from the pot. Add the neck and backbone back to the pot, along with the remaining ingredients. Cover with one gallon of cold water. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until reduced by half. Strain the stock through a cheesecloth lined strainer. Discard the solids. Refrigerate the liquid.
Remove the turkey from the brine. Pat the bird dry with paper towels. Pull the skin away from the meat, but leave it attached. Using the Cattleman’s Grill Ranchero Seasoning, season the meat under the skin for maximum flavor absorption.
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640 pellet grill to 350°F. Lay the bird flat on a foil lined sheet pan and place the pan in the cooker. Cook the turkey until the breast meat has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. It is likely that the legs will cook a bit faster than the breasts. That is fine. However, do NOT cook the breasts past 165°F. We recommend using an instant read thermometer like the Maverick PT-75.
- To make the stuffing, set your grill to 250°F. Place the cubed bread on a sheet pan. Cook until dried out, about 1 hour. Set aside.
Brown the sausage in a Lodge 12” cast iron skillet. Remove the sausage from the skillet when cooked through, but leave behind the rendered fat. Add the leeks and carrots and cook until the carrots are tender. Add the garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary and chili flakes and cook another minute, stirring. Add the wine to deglaze. Cook until the wine is almost completely reduced down.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dried bread and sausage mixture. Mix well. Slowly add the turkey stock until the stuffing is completely moistened, but the bread cubes still hold their form. Add the eggs and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a Lodge 12” cast iron skillet. Bake at 375°F until a light crust is formed on top, about 1 hour.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Can I cook the stuffing separately from the turkey?
Yes but cooking it beneath the turkey lets the stuffing absorb drippings and smoke flavor for maximum richness.
Is the herb butter injection necessary for flavor?
It adds moisture and flavor, but the rub and smoke alone still produce a delicious turkey without it.
How do I make sure the turkey cooks evenly?
Spatchcocking flattens the bird for uniform heat distribution; rotating the rack partway through helps too.
Can I prep any of this ahead of time?
Yes build the stuffing, and even inject and season the turkey, the day before. Keep everything refrigerated until cook time.
Can I cook these indoors?
We rate these as a 3 out of 5. Works indoors with adjustments, but the grill is recommended.
Recipe Highlights
Homemade stock from the trimmed backbone and neck: Searing them first before simmering builds a stock with more depth than store-bought, and it becomes the moistening liquid for the stuffing.
Seasoning applied under the skin: Pulling the skin back to season the meat directly gets more flavor absorption than seasoning the surface alone.
Explicit 165°F ceiling on the breast: The recipe is unusually direct about not cooking past that point, protecting against dry, overcooked white meat.
Twice-baked stuffing: Drying the bread cubes first, then baking the assembled stuffing again, builds a crisp top layer over a moist interior.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 342
- Carbs
- 17 grams
- 6%
- Protein
- 39 grams
- Fat
- 11 grams
- 15%
- Saturated Fat
- 3 grams
- 20%
- Sodium
- 425 milligrams
- 18%
- Cholesterol
- 106 milligrams
- 35%
- Fiber
- 1 grams
- 3%
- Sugar
- 1 grams
