Holiday Smoked Turkey

SMOKING A TURKEY for the holidays is a pro move. Why? Since you cook it outside, it’s one less dish that has to compete for precious oven space. Slowly smoking the turkey cooks it gently, helping the relatively lean meat stay moist and juicy. The smoke and seasonings add a lot of flavor to the mild bird. And barbecuing is an activity that brings people together as they are drawn to the sights, sounds, and smells of the grill.

Someone who understands the beauty of a smoked turkey better than anyone is James Beard Award–winning pit master and restaurateur Rodney Scott. While Scott’s barbecue restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina; Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta, Georgia, are famous for whole-hog barbecue, his (2021), includes a holiday recipe that calls for a spatchcocked turkey (the backbone is removed and the bird is flattened so that it cooks more evenly and is easier to maneuver). In that recipe, which also calls for a ceramic smoker, the turkey is seasoned with a spice mixture and cooked skin side down for 1½ hours before it is brushed with a thin, vinegar-based mop. The turkey is then flipped skin side up; brushed with the mop again; and cooked for another 1½ hours in the smoky, low heat until it’s done.