22 pound turkey. Spatchcock, Roasted or Roti?

[Kneab]

I have a 22-pound bird this year.
My question is do I spin it on the rotisserie on a 22?
Or do I spatchcock it on a flat top 26?
I am leaning towards the spatchcock but I am unsure how big it will be flattened out.
Will it fit on a vintage 26?
Or am I better off roasting traditionally on the 26?

I would hate to cut the backbone out and flatten the bird and find out it won't fit.

[kettlebb]

My vote would be spatchcock if it fits

[Joetee]

I'm gonna spin mine this year. I've spatchcocked on a 22 inch kettle before but can't remember how big it was. Thinking 14 pounds maybe.
Spatchcock is a nice fast way to cook it though.

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[zavod44]

I have done a traditional roasted turkey on the grill for at least ten years, it's the best in my opinion.  I have nothing but trouble trying to rotisserie they seem to start feeling of no matter how hard I try to sure them up in the spit.  I'm not a spatchcock kind of guy.  Everytime I have tried it it comes out dry.....

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[Larry]

I️ think the recommended maximum weight for the roti is 20lb. I️ have roasted them in the past and everyone loves it.


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It's always better when you're cooking on a Weber!

[Cellar2ful]

My vote is for spinning on the rotisserie. Yes, recommended weight for the motor is 20 lb but I did a 25 lb bird last year on my 22" Weber rotisserie.  No problems on clearance or with the motor handling the bird.  Just made sure it was balanced and trussed well when I put it on the spit.  I cooked turkeys in a pan on the Weber for over 20 years.  Spun one on the rotisserie a couple of years ago and would not go back now.  The self basting quality of a rotisserie cooked bird cannot be duplicated by other methods. 

[zavod44]

My vote is for spinning on the rotisserie. Yes, recommended weight for the motor is 20 lb but I did a 25 lb bird last year on my 22" Weber rotisserie.  No problems on clearance or with the motor handling the bird.  Just made sure it was balanced and trussed well when I put it on the spit.  I cooked turkeys in a pan on the Weber for over 20 years.  Spun one on the rotisserie a couple of years ago and would not go back now.  The self basting quality of a rotisserie cooked bird cannot be duplicated by other methods.

See my rotisserie was not nearly as good as the regular roasted one.  I have done it successfully and I would not bother going back.....I flip my roasted one over half way through.....

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[Kneab]

I have done several in the 20 to 22 pound range on my rotisserie on a 22"
But I have not done one spatchcock style yet.

I figure that spatchcocked it will be too big for a 22 but will it also end up too big for a 26?

Maybe I am overthinking this.

[Mike in Roseville]

Maybe I am overthinking this.

Yeah, maybe just a little. Don't limit yourself with a turkey. Here is one I did a few years ago. This was probably the coolest one I've ever done....completely deboned it. Made a filling of green chiles, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Tied and cooked ala roulade.

Would have been great on a grill, smoker, or roti. The leftovers made for some amazing weekend tacos.





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[Foster Dahlet]

Maybe I am overthinking this.

Yeah, maybe just a little. Don't limit yourself with a turkey. Here is one I did a few years ago. This was probably the coolest one I've ever done....completely deboned it. Made a filling of green chiles, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Tied and cooked ala roulade.

Would have been great on a grill, smoker, or roti. The leftovers made for some amazing weekend tacos.





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@Mike in Roseville , you got skills!

[Mkrause]

Maybe I am overthinking this.

Yeah, maybe just a little. Don't limit yourself with a turkey. Here is one I did a few years ago. This was probably the coolest one I've ever done....completely deboned it. Made a filling of green chiles, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Tied and cooked ala roulade.

Would have been great on a grill, smoker, or roti. The leftovers made for some amazing weekend tacos.





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Wow! I think prepping a dozen chicken chicken lollipops is a PITA... not sure if i would have the patience to do that! Props to you Mike!

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[jcnaz]

22lb. spatchcocked Butterball on a 26"







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[Kneab]

22lb. spatchcocked Butterball on a 26"







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Nice. Just what I was hoping for.
Do you have anymore pictures of that cook?

[addicted-to-smoke]

Wow! I think prepping a dozen chicken chicken lollipops is a PITA... not sure if i would have the patience to do that! Props to you Mike!

I can barely spatchcock a chicken ... my kitchen shears are not true poultry shears. More like black scissors that don't happen to say "Fiskars." Even so, you're not supposed to actually "need" them to break the parts apart, from what I've read?

I never considered de-boning. Saw a video the other day where chef whats-his-name made it look so easy and quick. I think I'd be tearing and cussing and chopping everything in half and still pulling bones out one at a time.

Hat's off, indeed, for anyone who's done it.

[Mike in Roseville]

Wow! I think prepping a dozen chicken chicken lollipops is a PITA... not sure if i would have the patience to do that! Props to you Mike!

I can barely spatchcock a chicken ... my kitchen shears are not true poultry shears. More like black scissors that don't happen to say "Fiskars." Even so, you're not supposed to actually "need" them to break the parts apart, from what I've read?

So the deboning came from this progression of my brother and I️ trying to out-do each other with our birds. Started off with rubs, then smoked,
BBQ'ed, brining, deep fried, etc. You get the idea.

That year he sent me a picture of his spatchcocked turkey he made the day before Thanksgiving and I️ thought...seriously...what's left? Where do I go from here? That's when I️ thought to debone it. That Thanksgiving Day I sent him those pictures. The turkey prep "arms race" was over. Last year was the first year I've had Thanksgiving with him in almost a decade, and of all things I️ made... a ham.

Honestly, if you have a very sharp knife it's really not that hard. Just start by the wishbone and cut the breast meat away from the breast plate/ribs. When that's removed then remove the lateral bones, but leave the meat. The legs are the ones you really want to get perfect because of the tendons. I'd  say in total it maybe took me 30-40 minutes. I️ could probably do it in 20 if I️ was in a rush.

The filling was great. I️ did all of the green ingredients in a pan before tying and added a good helping of duck fat so it would help with the flavor, moisture, etc.

Honestly, rolling and tying was a bit tougher than deboning. It's a big jiggly mass the size of rugby ball that you are trying to tie up.

One of these days I'll do it again...on the rotisserie this time.

As for the spatchcock, @jcnaz pretty much answered the "will it fit" question.
Shears are nice for removing the backbone, but you can also do it with a very sharp knife and some leverage.


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