Spatchcock Turkey

Prepare your Thanksgiving day turkey the easy and delicious way by spatchcocking the turkey! Spatchcock turkey is an easy and delicious method of cooking poultry where you remove the backbone of the turkey so that it cooks faster and more evenly.

We always spatchcock our turkey these days because this method produces incredibly moist turkey meat with a crispy, flavorful turkey skin that cooks in a fraction of the time. Ever since we discover this method, it’s now the only way we make a whole turkey!

Why Spatchcock Turkey

I’m convinced at this point in life that this is probably my most favorite way of cooking turkey for Thanksgiving. Other names for spatchcock turkey are “butterfly turkey” and “flattened turkey”, because that is literally what it is.

Carve out the backbone, then press down hard on the cavity to crack that hard breast bone and flatten the turkey so that the turkey lays flat. That’s what you do for spatchcock turkey.

It may sound intimating, but it is really not that hard. I’m here to prove it and show that there’s no reason to be nervous about preparing a spatchcock turkey. If I can do it, you can do it.

Spatchcock turkey the EASIEST hassle-free way to prepare a turkey that’s also flavorful, moist, not dry….you know, all the issues or complaints you normally hear about preparing a turkey for Thanksgiving. After trying many different methods and recipes, this is is HANDS DOWN my preferred choice.

The trick with cooking a whole turkey is that different parts will cook at different pace, but spatchcocking it actually helps even it out more than if we just put the whole turkey in the oven.

You can also use the spatchcock method to lie the turkey flat, season it with the brine and butter compound, and smoke it on the grill instead of roasting in the oven.

If you’re cooking for a smaller group for Thanksgiving, you can spatchcock a smaller turkey or just roast up a turkey breast.

Don’t forget to make some gravy, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes to serve alongside this spatchcock turkey to complete your Thanksgiving meal. If you want to go beyond the basics, Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and Spaghetti Mac and Cheese are some of my personal favorites.

Tools Needed

The trick to success for spatchcock turkey is really having sharp and sturdy kitchen tools.

• Kitchen shears: not just any kitchen shears, you need a sharp one that can cut through bones easily. This is the one we use and love. It was gifted to us years ago and it is simply the best. We use it for general kitchen stuff.
• Instant read meat thermometer: there’s no better way to get a juicy turkey than to get the thickest part of the breast to hit 165℉ and removing it promptly. The best way to achieve that seamlessly is to use a high quality meat thermometer. It’s worth the investment!
• Sharp chef’s knife
• A big cutting board
• Half sheet pan: to roast the turkey and veggies on

Ingredients

Okay! Let’s talk about a few key ingredients used to make our spatchcock turkey! It is not a lot and I truly believe less is more.

Here’s what you need:

• Whole turkey: I typically get a 10-12 lbs turkey. I have done both frozen and fresh turkeys, and both methods work fine. Remember to defrost frozen turkey well ahead of time in the refrigerator (1 day for every 5 lbs of turkey).
• Unsalted butter: this is basically what brings SO MUCH flavor to the turkey and to keep it moist. We will be stuffing it under the skin, spread it on top of the skin. It’ll be EVERYWHERE! Do NOT use salted butter. If you use salted butter, you will want to significantly reduce the salt for brining the turkey and also the salt in the herb butter compound.
• Herbs and spices: this will be combined into the butter mixture and we are going to rub it all over the spatchcock turkey, and under the skin as well. I use a simple fresh thyme, rosemary and garlic combo. It is a winning compound butter (if I may say so myself).
• Salt: used in the 1) dry brine to ensure the turkey meat is flavorful, and 2) butter compound to bring flavor to the turkey meat.
• Veggies: turkey will be resting on carrots, celery, and onions while it cooks in the oven. These ingredients brings about lots of wonderful flavors into the turkey, and also flavor the drippings to make the best gravy.

How to Spatchcock a Turkey

Spatchcocking a turkey sounds intimidating, but don’t be intimidated! You got this! Simply follow the instructions below and before you know it, you’ll be spatchcocking a turkey like a boss and will never want to cook turkeys any other way.

I promise – it’ll be easier than you think!

Note that you will want to first completely thaw the turkey. If turkey is frozen, bring it to the refrigerator a few days before to let it thaw. For every 5 pounds of turkey, you will need to defrost it for 24 hours in the fridge, i.e. a 10 pound turkey will take 48 hours to thaw in the refrigerator.

#1 Prepare the bird – Remove the neck and the bag of giblets (found in cavity of the bird). Discard them, or save them for gravy. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. There’s no need to rinse the turkey because the high heat in the oven will kill the bacteria. Washing will only increase cross contamination.

#2 Remove backbone with kitchen shears – With its breast-side down, locate the backbone. Using a sturdy pair of kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone, then cut down the other side. You’ll want to cut the backbone out, discarding it. When you cut along the side of the backbone, you will be cutting through some bones but a sturdy pair of kitchen shears will do the job without any problem. I have found a pair of sharp knife much harder to use than a sharp, sturdy kitchen shears. Warning: there’s be some crunchy sounds as you cut through the bones but keep going! 🙂

#3 Break the wishbone – turn the bird over, with the turkey breasts facing upwards. Use your hands (and your body weight) to press down along the middle of the bird, breaking the rib bone, thereby opening your turkey up and flattening it out.

#4 (optional) Tuck the wing tips under the turkey breasts – this will prevent those little wing tips from burning during cooking in the oven.

How to Cook Spatchcock Turkey

Step 1: Brine Turkey

I like to do a quick dry brine on my spatchcock turkey. I find that brining for a full 12-24 hours is a bit much and not necessary, but not brining at all makes certain parts of the turkey (like the turkey breast) a bit bland. So my solution is a quick brine.

By brining they turkey, the salt will also absorb the moisture in the skin, allowing our spatchcock turkey to crisp up even more in the oven.

To brine the turkey, generously season turkey all over with salt, getting the salt under the skin as well. Let turkey sit for ~4 hours.

Step 2: Dress Turkey

Prepare compound butter by bringing together softened unsalted butter with chopped fresh thyme, chopped fresh rosemary, minced garlic, and salt.

There’s no need to use an expensive roasting pan to roast the spatchcock turkey. I use a regular sturdy half sheet pan and it works beautifully.

So grab a baking sheet pan, spread out the vegetables – carrots, celery, and onions, on the pan, then top with fresh herbs. Place that spatchcocked turkey bird on top.

You can place a rack on top of the veggies and then place the bird on the rack if you’d like, but it doesn’t make a big difference in my experience.

Carefully detach skin from breast, thigh, and drumstick meat without tearing it. Using your finger (or a spoon), rub compound butter between the skin and the meat, and place some on top as well. Do this for all parts of the spatchcock turkey, especially the turkey breast.

It is important to get the compound herb butter below the skin (not just on top of the skin) so that the delicious flavors can seep into the meat.

Step 3: Roast Turkey

Transfer the sheet pan or roasting pan to the oven, which should be preheated to 400℉.

Roast turkey for for 75-90 minutes. This will vary depending on the size of the turkey. Typically 8 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 165℉.

Avoid overcooking turkey. Try to get the thickest part of the breast to 165℉ then remove promptly. The more temperature climb north of 165℉, the higher the chance of turkey meat drying up.

When turkey is done cooking, transfer to a serving platter to avoid overcooking it. Let it rest for 10 minutes or so before carving into the turkey.

To make gravy, discard herbs and veggies on the roasting pan and reserve the pan drippings (lots of incredible flavors in here!). You may want to use a colander to get just the drippings into a pot.

Prepare gravy using my simple gravy recipe using turkey fat drippings.

Carve spatchcock turkey and serve with cranberry sauce or cranberry relish in addition to that delicious gravy!

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