
Butterflying a turkey helps it prepare dinner in a fraction of the time!
With this spatchcock turkey recipe, a big turkey is butterflied and cooks rapidly with juicy meat and additional crispy pores and skin!
Whereas it’s excellent for Thanksgiving dinner or the vacations, this spatchcocked turkey recipe is simple sufficient to make any time of 12 months.

The Quickest Solution to Prepare dinner a Huge Turkey!
My mother has been making spatchcock turkey for years. I’ve been making my pal Mary’s roast turkey which makes use of the same methodology of breaking down the turkey.
- Spatchcock turkey implies that an entire turkey is flattened earlier than cooking.
- It cooks a lot quicker than making a traditional roast turkey.
- Because it’s flattened, it cooks evenly for further tender meat (together with the breast meat).
- The pores and skin is crisp (no brine required), and there are nonetheless a lot of drippings for gravy.
What Is Spatchcock?
Spatchcocok can also be know as butterflying, it’s the technique of eradicating the spine and flattening it onto a baking tray. It might appear a bit intimidating, nevertheless it’s very easy to do, saves numerous cooking time, and helps every little thing prepare dinner evenly.
With this methodology, you possibly can prepare dinner a 10-12 lb turkey in about 70-90 minutes!




How To Spatchcock A Turkey
When spatchcocking a turkey, use poultry shears or very sturdy kitchen shears to chop the spine out. Most common and kitchen scissors aren’t sturdy sufficient, and a knife is harmful for this job.
When you plan to spatchcock a turkey, put money into poultry shears or ask the butcher or meat division in the event that they’ll reduce the spine out for you, a lot of them will.
- Place a rooster or turkey breast aspect down on a chopping board. Minimize alongside each side of the spine with the poultry shears. Relying on the scale of your turkey, it may be very troublesome to chop and takes a little bit of power. Be sure you set the spine apart to make gravy (or freeze it so as to add to Homemade Chicken Stock).
- Run a knife alongside the breast bone within the middle to “rating” it. Flip the turkey over (so it’s breast aspect up) and start to fold it aside.
- Press very firmly on the middle of the turkey breast with the palms of your hand till you hear it snap and flatten out.
- Pull the thighs out to assist flatten the fowl much more. As soon as the turkey is flattened, tuck thewing suggestions underneath.
This recipe works for spatchcock turkey or spatchcock rooster, the tactic is similar simply the cooking time must be adjusted!


Selecting a Turkey for this Recipe
I’ve used a turkey as much as 20 lbs however take into account, it’s actually arduous to discover a pan that matches a spatchcocked turkey bigger than 16 lbs (I needed to go to a restaurant retailer to purchase an enormous pan for a 20-pounder).
I’d counsel a turkey of about 10-14 lbs.
When making spatchcock turkey, you should utilize a butter-basted turkey (like Butterball) or common turkey. I decrease the temperature a bit if utilizing a butter-basted turkey so the drippings don’t burn.
A Baking Pan for Spatchcock Turkey
Be certain that your roasting pan has a reasonably deep rim because the turkey can have drippings that you simply’ll need for gravy!
Seasonings
I wish to hold it easy with recent herbs and a little bit of olive oil. You possibly can add garlic powder however recent garlic will burn at a excessive temperature.
I usually don’t use a wire rack however typically I do put a number of onion slices and celery ribs underneath the turkey for further taste.
Season the pores and skin generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
Learn how to Make Spatchcock Turkey
- As soon as the turkey is butterflied (as above), place it on a rimmed baking tray and relaxation for half-hour (or cowl with plastic wrap and hold it within the fridge in a single day). This can enable juices to launch and make crisper pores and skin.
- Pat the pores and skin dry with a paper towel and brush the pores and skin with olive oil and herbs.
- Roast the turkey it till it’s tender and the pores and skin is crisp about 1 hour and quarter-hour. Relaxation quarter-hour earlier than chopping.
Spatchcock turkey can be cooked in a smoker.

Temperature for Spatchcock Turkey
This cooks good and evenly because it’s flattened. A excessive temperature seals within the juices and ensures crispy pores and skin.
- Roast at 450°F for a daily turkey
- Roast at 425°F for a butter-basted (or Butterball) turkey
The turkey needs to be baked till a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 165°F. Like all roasted meats, relaxation the turkey for at the least quarter-hour earlier than you carve it. This frees up the oven to get the remainder of your sides prepared!
Once I make a spatchcocked turkey, I typically prepare dinner Crock Pot Stuffing or make my favourite stuffing recipe!
Serve the spatchcocked turkey alongside your whole favourite Thanksgiving aspect dishes like dinner rolls, sweet potato casserole and don’t neglect the gravy!
Extra Thanksgiving Recipes You’ll Love
We serve this alongside Mashed Potatoes and our favourite Asparagus or Bacon Wrapped Green Beans.
Extra Methods to Prepare dinner a Turkey

Spatchcock Turkey
Spatchcock turkey cooks rapidly and evenly leading to a juicy fowl with a deliciously crisp pores and skin!
Stop your display from going darkish
Take away neck and giblets from the turkey (and reserve for broth or gravy).
- Place the turkey on a piece floor, breast aspect down, so the spine is dealing with up. Utilizing poultry shears, reduce alongside both sides of the spine to take away the spine fully (reserve the bone for broth or gravy).
Flip the turkey over, breast aspect up. Utilizing your palms, press on the turkey to flatten it. You need to hear the cartilage within the breastbone crack because it flattens.
Tuck the wing suggestions underneath or snip them off and reserve for gravy.
You possibly can cowl the turkey with plastic wrap and relaxation within the fridge for two hours or as much as in a single day. Discard any juices on the baking tray earlier than roasting.*
Preheat oven to 450°F*. Mix olive oil and chopped recent herbs. Put aside.
Prepare the turkey on a big rimmed baking sheet. Dab the pores and skin dry with paper towels. Brush with the olive oil combination and season properly with salt and pepper.
Roast the turkey for 1 ¼ hrs to 1 ½ hrs or till the thickest a part of the thigh reaches 165°F.
Take away from the oven and loosely tent with foil. Relaxation at the least quarter-hour earlier than carving.
- If utilizing a butter-basted turkey, cut back oven temperature to 425°F.
- Reducing the turkey and letting it relaxation permits for a few of the juices to empty. This step is optionally available.
- I’ve used a turkey as much as 20lbs nevertheless it’s actually arduous to discover a pan that matches a spatchcocked turkey bigger than 16lbs. I’d counsel a turkey about 12 lbs.
- Ask the butcher in the event that they’ll reduce the spine out for you, a lot of them will and it’ll make your job so much simpler.
- Be certain that your roasting pan has a reasonably deep rim because the turkey can have drippings that you simply’ll need for gravy!
- I usually don’t use a wire rack however typically I do put a number of onion slices and celery ribs underneath the turkey for further taste.
Energy: 401 | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 47g | Fats: 22g | Saturated Fats: 4g | Ldl cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 508mg | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2.2mg
Vitamin data offered is an estimate and can range primarily based on cooking strategies and types of elements used.
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