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When you think of Thanksgiving dinner, you probably picture a big, round, fully cooked turkey that is trussed up and placed in the middle of the table. Its beautiful, sure, but is it really the best way to prepare the iconic holiday bird?.
No, definitely not. We cooked turkey three ways, and found that spatchcocking is a superior method in almost every way.
If you want to know what “spatchcocking” means, it’s when you butterfly a bird and roast, grill, or smoke it while it’s lying flat. You’ll need to put in some work and a good pair of poultry shears to make this method work, but the turkey you’ll end up with will be the best you’ve ever had.
Spatchcocking a turkey has become an increasingly popular preparation method, especially for Thanksgiving. But is spatchcock turkey actually better than roasting a turkey the traditional way? In this article, we’ll examine the pros and cons of spatchcocking to find out if it’s worth the extra effort
What is Spatchcock Turkey?
Spatchcocking is a method of preparing poultry by removing the backbone and flattening the bird before cooking. This allows the turkey to cook more evenly since it lies flat in the pan.
To spatchcock a turkey, use sharp kitchen shears to cut out the backbone. Open up the turkey like a book, press down to flatten the breastbone, and tuck the wing tips under. Some butcher shops will even spatchcock the turkey for you.
Pros of Spatchcock Turkey
There are several advantages to spatchcocking your Thanksgiving turkey
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Cooks faster: Spatchcock turkey cooks in about half the time as a traditional roast turkey. Expect it to be done in 60-90 minutes as opposed to 3-4 hours for a roasted whole turkey. This can free up precious oven space and time on a busy Thanksgiving day.
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Cooks more evenly: With a spatchcock turkey, the breast and thigh meat finish cooking at the same time. The flattened shape allows for even air circulation around the entire bird. No more dealing with overcooked breasts or undercooked legs!
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Crispier skin The skin of a spatchcock turkey crisps up very nicely since the bird lays flat in the pan All portions of the skin cook and brown evenly
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Easier to carve: With the backbone removed, carving a spatchcock turkey is much simpler. The breast halves can be easily sliced without struggling to maneuver around the cavity.
Cons of Spatchcock Turkey
However, there are a few potential drawbacks to spatchcocking:
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More prep work: Removing the backbone does require some extra hands-on cutting. If you aren’t comfortable with kitchen shears, you’ll need to ask the butcher to spatchcock it for you.
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Messier pan juices: The flattened shape of a spatchcocked turkey means the pan juices will spread out instead of pooling in the cavity. This can make it a bit messier to prepare gravy.
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Might not fit in pan: Larger birds over 15 pounds or so may be difficult to fit in a roasting pan once spatchcocked and flattened. Stick to smaller 10-12 lb turkeys.
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Can dry out: Without the insulating effect of the cavity, some cooks find spatchcock turkey dries out more easily. Keep a close eye on it and tent with foil if needed.
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No dramatic presentation: Admittedly, a beautifully roasted whole turkey makes a prettier centerpiece. Spatchcock turkey has a more casual, rustic appearance.
How to Cook Spatchcock Turkey
To cook spatchcock turkey, preheat the oven to 450°F and place the turkey breast-side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and rub the skin with herbs and spices.
Roast for 60-90 minutes, until the breast meat reaches 165°F. If the skin browns too quickly, loosely tent foil over the turkey.
Let the spatchcock turkey rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. Use the pan juices to make gravy.
Should You Spatchcock Your Turkey?
So should you spatchcock or not? Here are some final thoughts:
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Spatchcock for a smaller turkey (10-15 lbs). It cooks quick enough to be done by dinner time.
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Stick with traditional roasting for a large turkey over 18 pounds. It likely won’t fit spatchcocked.
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Spatchcock if you need to free up oven space and cook times.
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Roast traditionally if you prefer the dramatic presentation of a whole turkey.
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Spatchcock for perfectly cooked meat since it promotes even cooking.
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Consider your gravy making skills – you’ll need to strain the messier splattered juices.
While it is a little extra butchery work, spatchcocking a turkey helps it cook more evenly and quickly. Additionally, this method exposes all the skin at the same time, so you end up with a perfectly crispy skin and juicy meat. Take your time and the results will be well-worth the effort!
Your turkey will be ready faster
Spatchcocking can drastically reduce the amount of time you spend roasting your bird.
Opinions differ on how quickly you can cook a spatchcocked turkey. Serious Eats J. Kenji Lopez-Alt—perhaps the internets foremost spatchcocking evangelist—says you can cut the cooking time in half, to about 80 minutes. Mark Bittman of The New York Times, meanwhile, claims your turkey will be done in just 35 minutes.
Either way, your bird will cook a heck of a lot faster than the two to five hours Butterball says itll take to roast a whole bird.
Why is it so much faster? Because a flat turkey cooks more evenly, it can handle higher heat. When cooking a whole turkey, you need to keep it at a low temperature (about 325°F) so the outside doesn’t dry out and get overcooked.
When the bird is butterflied, you can crank up the heat (up to 450°F) without worry. As youd imagine, the cooking time drops precipitously.
Your gravy and stuffing will be tastier, too
Roasting your turkey on a bed of veggies means extra flavorful juices to make gravy afterwards.
We hear you: “But how can that be? You cant stuff a flat turkey!”
True. Technically, it wont be real “stuffing.” (Well save the stuffing vs. dressing debate for another day.) But whatever you choose to call it, your starchy stuff will be more flavorful (and more plentiful) if you use this method.
Putting the spatchcocked turkey on a bed of mirepoix (chopped onions, carrots, and celery) and thyme sprigs will keep the oven moist while the turkey cooks and give you better gravy drippings when you’re done.
If you really want stuffing that tastes better with turkey drippings, make your stuffing in a big casserole dish and then put browned turkey wings (bought separately) on top of it. Youll get all the flavor of the drippings without the hassle of scooping it out of the bird. More than that, this method lets you make more stuffing than you could safely fit inside a whole turkey, which isn’t food-safe anyway.
Spatchcocked Turkey | Better. Faster. Juicier.
FAQ
Does spatchcock turkey taste better?
What is the downside of spatchcock?
Does spatchcock reduce cooking time?
Is a Spatchcock Turkey better than a whole turkey?
While Classic Roast Turkey looks the most Norman Rockwell-esque on a platter, spatchcocking turkey has serious advantages over whole roast turkey. More Surface Area for Crispy Skin. Since the bird is laid flat, all of the skin is on the top, where it’s more directly exposed to heat, giving you more golden, crispy skin.
How to cook a Spatchcock Turkey?
Rub the butter under the turkey skin and on top for max flavor penetration and juiciness. From there, adding aromatics like apples, carrots, celery, and fresh herbs to the roasting pan will perfume the turkey as it cooks, as well as add flavor to the drippings. Spatchcock turkey is ideal for high-temperature cooking.
Does a Spatchcock Turkey cook more than a cuboid?
Because it’s resting on top of a roasting pan or baking sheet, one side of that sphere will always cook more than the other. A spatchcocked turkey, on the other hand, resembles a cuboid, in which the top surface is skin and the volume is meat. This leads to three end results.
Does a spatchcocked Turkey have a backbone?
Since the skin of a spatchcocked bird is all on top, it all crisps up beautifully, giving you more crispy skin than a conventionally cooked bird. The removed backbone can be used to give your gravy an extra dimension of turkey flavor.
What size Turkey should you Spatchcock?
A 13-lb. turkey is the largest bird you should spatchcock to ensure it fits in a roasting pan, and 10 to 12 pounds is ideal. If you’re tight on space, a smaller turkey will more easily fit properly in the pan. Look for 6- to 11- pound Li’l Butterballs in stores this holiday season. Carson Downing. Food Styling: Lauren McAnelly
Can you stuff a spatchcocked Turkey?
Other folks complain that you can’t stuff a spatchcocked turkey, and that’s true. However, you can start your turkey in the oven resting directly on top of a large tray of stuffing, transferring the turkey to a rack in a rimmed baking sheet about half way through cooking before the stuffing has a chance to start burning.