Cooking a turkey can be an intimidating task, especially on important holidays like Thanksgiving. Many home cooks struggle to get their turkey cooked perfectly – not underdone but also not dried out. However, there are techniques you can use to help ensure turkey perfection every time. One of the best methods is spatchcocking your turkey before roasting. Spatchcocking, also known as butterflying is the process of removing the backbone and flattening the bird for more even and quicker cooking. When combined with monitoring the temperature spatchcocking can help you easily achieve turkey nirvana. In this article, we’ll look at the ideal temperature for cooking a spatchcocked turkey.
What is Spatchcocking and Why Do it?
As mentioned above, spatchcocking is removing the backbone of the turkey and flattening it out before cooking. This may sound like an odd technique, but it provides some major benefits:
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Promotes even cooking and ensures both white and dark meat are properly cooked. With a regular turkey, the breast cooks faster while the legs and thighs are more protected. Spatchcocking exposes the legs so they cook at the same rate as the breast.
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Allows for crisper skin With a spatchcocked bird, all the skin is facing up so it can get nice and crispy A regular turkey has skin underneath that never crisps up.
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Cooks the turkey much faster. Removing the backbone and flattening the bird significantly decreases cooking time. You can roast a spatchcocked turkey in about 1 hour 15 mins as opposed to over 2 hours or more for a regular turkey.
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Provides better gravy. The removed backbone can be used to make an extra flavorful turkey stock for gravy.
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Takes up less oven space. A flattened turkey fits better in the oven, leaving room for all your side dishes.
Determining the Ideal Temperature
Cooking a spatchcocked turkey requires a different technique than a regular turkey since it cooks so much faster. The key is using a high temperature to properly crisp the skin and cook the meat before it dries out. But what exactly is that ideal high temp?
After extensive testing by cooks and chefs, the consensus is that 450°F is the best temperature for roasting a spatchcocked turkey. Here’s why this high heat works so well:
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Allows the turkey to cook in about 1 hour 15 minutes, preventing it from drying out.
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Blasts the skin with enough heat to make it super crispy and golden brown. Lower temperatures just won’t achieve that level of crispy skin in the short cooking time.
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Cooks the dark meat and light meat evenly so both reach the safe internal temperature at the same time.
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Generates plenty of hot drippings in the bottom of the pan that baste the turkey meat and keep it extra moist.
While 450°F is ideal, temperatures between 425°F and 475°F can also work well. The key is using a high heat to rapidly cook and crispen the flattened bird. Temperatures under 400°F run the risk of drying out the breast meat before the dark meat is cooked through.
Monitoring Internal Temperature
In addition to using the proper roasting temperature, monitoring the internal temperature of the turkey is crucial for perfect results.
For food safety, you need to cook the turkey to an internal temperature of 165°F. However, hitting this temp risks overcooking the breast meat which only needs to reach 150-155°F.
The best method is to remove the turkey once the breast meat reaches 150-155°F even if the thighs are only at 140-150°F. As the turkey rests, the thighs and legs will continue cooking and reach a food safe 165°F.
To accurately monitor the temperature, use a good digital meat thermometer. Check the temperature in both the thickest part of the breast and innermost part of the thigh. Once the breast is at 150-155°F, the turkey is ready to come out of the oven.
Let it rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. The residual heat will finish the cooking while allowing the juices to redistribute for moist, tender meat.
Additional Tips for Roast Turkey Success
To guarantee your spatchcocked turkey is the star of the holiday table, keep these additional tips in mind:
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Dry brine the turkey – Rubbing the turkey all over with salt and letting it rest overnight improves moisture and flavor.
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Use a cooking thermometer – It takes the guesswork out and ensures the turkey is cooked to a safe temperature without overcooking.
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Roast on a rack – Elevating the turkey allows air circulation for crisper skin. Place a rimmed baking sheet underneath to catch drippings.
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Add aromatic veggies – Placing onions, carrots, celery and herbs under the turkey adds flavor. The veggies baste in the drippings, which can be used for gravy.
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Let it rest before carving – Resting is essential for perfectly cooked turkey. It allows the juices to redistribute so they don’t run out when you carve.
A spatchcocked turkey roasted at 450°F and cooked to an internal temp of 150°F in the breast is virtually guaranteed to turn out juicy, tender and perfectly browned. With the backbone removed and bird flattened, it cooks remarkably fast so there’s no need to bake it for hours. Monitoring the temperature and resisting the urge to overcook ensures both the white and dark meat are properly cooked with lots of flavor and moisture. Your holiday guests will be raving over your succulent spatchcocked turkey!
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A much better way to roast Thanksgiving turkey. White and dark meat came out juicy and correctly cooked at the same time (90 mins at 425-450). Dry brined for 2 days after butterflying. Put apple, onion, sage, thyme & parsley under and smeared compound butter under skin and over legs. Spatchcocked turkeys are wider than whole ones (duh. ). Our 18 pounder measured 18″ by 14″ — bigger than most roasting pans. Cut panels from foil pans to build out the sides — worked fine!.
You can put your dressing in a roasting pan — place split bird on rack and rest on roasting pan — turkey drippings go into the dressing – YUM! Remove turkey and rack to rest while top of dressing crisps up a bit — everything done, oven space saver and dressing has that stuffing taste from turkey drippings –.
Yes, I have been using this recipe for years and I love it. The largest I have ever done was a 22 lb turkey 2 years ago. Use a meat thermometer and allow for extra time and you will be fine.
First, the skin was dry brined (just kosher salt) and wrapped in plastic wrap for about 12 hours. The skin was then left uncovered overnight to dry. Put softened butter and thyme sprigs under breast skin and rubbed entire surface with more softened butter. Apple, onion, carrot, celery, thyme, sage and lemon as base, 12 lb bird needed 1 hour 10 minutes. Tender and moist! Best ever!.
Morning. I gave up wet brining years ago. To messy and IMO impacts texture of meat. A dry brine works wonders for all poultry. Ive got a 22 lb butterflied turkey dry brining for last 3 days in the fridge. The recipe is in the NYT as Dry-Brined Turkey. The Zuni Cafe recipe. An on-line search will give you some ideas and variations for a dry brined butterflied turkey. Mangia!.
Google “The Butcher Carves A Turkey” for a way to get around that problem. Ray Venezias advice on presentation makes for a real “WOW!” moment with your bird. Looks amazing, easy to serve.
Hosted Thanksgiving for the first time this year and needless to say I was nervous. This method worked great with a turkey that had been brined in water. I roasted it on a large sheet pan with a flat rack (actually a baker’s cooling tray). I didn’t add any vegetables because I already had a lot of side dishes and my pan was shallow, so I was afraid there would be too much liquid. It was beautiful brown and crispy, and extremely moist. Adding this to my growing repertoire.
Revolutionary? In 2002? I believe Julia Child published a butterflied turkey in The Way to Cook in 1989. And I highly doubt that she was the first. A good recipe requires no additional hyperbole, darlings.
I guess I should have read through these comments before I tried out this approach. It was a good idea, but I really rolled the dice when I thought the turkey would be ready in 45 minutes, or even 60 minutes. When it was finally done… it was pretty tasty. I also grilled a breast on the grill, which took about an hour and a half, so there was no Thanksgiving disaster. when in doubt, give yourself more time than you think is needed.
Made this today – best turkey ever. I did the mix of vegetables – potatoes, carrots, parsnips, garlic, celery, chopped into small pieces. Olive oil, salt, pepper and a cup of white wine. The breast was so moist and the flavors permeated through the meat. I will never cook turkey any other way! And the 14. 5lb bird took an hour and a half. So easy. I had the butcher cut out the backbone for me so no struggles there.
I have spatchcocked our turkey for 3 years. I like to make 2 turkeys as my oven is small, 27″. Last year, I roasted the turkeys on a bed of tri-color carrots. The turkey turned out great and the carrots were delicious!!!.
Since I learned about spatchcocking, I havent roasted a turkey or a chicken any other way. I look forward to trying the higher temperature to shorten the process even more. The only disadvantage is a less photogenic finished bird. I carve it in the kitchen and present it at the table ready to eat.
I rub garlic and onion powder, salt, and pepper on the chicken the night before. Give it an hour to reach room temp, then cook as instructed. This is the best and easiest way to cook a turkey. I roast the backbone ahead of time for the gravy. Also, spatchcocking a turkey is not easy. You need a cleaver to get some of the bones to cooperate.
Made this w/ 13 lb organic turkey. Roasted for 1 1/2 hours (20 minutes at 450
I had a 30 pound turkey. Surprise delivery from my neighbor who raises turkeys. Freshly butchered yesterday. So I halved the turkey by removing the backbone altogether with kitchen shears. I roasted both sides according to the recipe. Best turkey I have ever had. Bones will now be roasted for bone broth. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
I put my dressing/stuffing under the turkey. On the pan I put parchment paper so the dressing doesnt stick. I have tried oiling and foil and both stuck alittle.
This worked out wonderfully. Dry brined the day before, left out on the counter from the morning to reach room temp. Ended up completing detaching the legs while butchering. Followed instructions plus a few carrots and lemon slices. Roasted in a convection oven at 400 for 30 minutes, then 360 for 20 minutes. Breast was actually juicy and bird was lovely and golden!.
This method for roasting a turkey (or chicken) saves time and makes a turkey or chicken that is evenly cooked and has great crisp, evenly browned skin. Check the temperature of the breasts and thighs to make sure the meat doesn’t come out dry, and don’t cook it past 155º. As it rests out of the oven it will continue to cook to 165º or even slightly above.
I first made this in 2016 and it’s the only way I make turkey now. I dry brine it for 2 days before cooking. Beware, it cooks faster than you think.
Made an 8lb turkey. Thighs at 165 degrees. Turkey nowhere near done. Read the notes and saw someone else saying 165 degrees is for the breast, 180 for the thighs. Back in the oven now….
A 10lb turkey took about 2 hours. It was dry brined for two days, with a bag over it one day and no bag at all on the other day. Used garlic and thyme and slices of lemon. Turkey was beautifully browned and juicy. This is the best/easiest way to make a turkey.
This year, I’m grateful for this recipe because it made the best turkey I’ve ever cooked or eaten. It was even better because I didn’t do any of the usual prep work before Thanksgiving because my life got really busy. This recipe really saved the day for the bird eaters who came to dinner!.
First time with spatchcocked turkey 11 pounds. Was disappointed in how much longer it took the Turkey to cook. The oven thermometer showed that the meat was cooked, but the thighs were still bloody and the breast meat was mushy after two hours. I’ll try again but now know 45 minutes is way off.
The 12-pound turkey took two hours to cook, and I tried to get the heat as high as possible by putting it in different pans. too high sides, then a foil pan,. still too high, finally a bake sheet. I added stock to the pan to get the drippings so I could make gravy. Very mis lead about the time. In the end also switched to convection to get the bird done as we were running late.
I watched the video how to spatchcock a turkey which was very misleading. No where does Mark say the weight of the bird or WHY the turkey cooks so much faster. or does it? I cooked a 12-pound turkey the way it said to, and it took 2 hours, not 35 minutes like Mark did. I have an excellent oven and in the end, I put it on convection to hurry it along. Very disappointed. Loved the garlic and the turkey was flavorful.
Additional note. I put the turkey in a 450-degree oven and rubbed it with butter. When I opened the oven door, the smoke alarm went off! Just saying!!!!
Dont “drizzle” olive oil over the turkey unless you want the Fire Dept to come by. Olive oil and 450 degree oven dont mix.
Spatchcocked turkey is definitely the way to go in the future. Yesterday I made this, and it turned out great! The breast wasn’t dry, and the dark meat wasn’t underdone either. I put my 11-pound turkey on a rack and roasted it at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Then I lowered the heat to 325 degrees and roasted it for another 25 minutes. I used my heavy duty kitchen shears to remove the backbone, which I used to make stock.
Made an 11lb Turkey with some garlic and spices as indicated in the recipe. Came out perfect. Everyone who ate turkey, loved it. Even watched the video on How to Carve a turkey, which helped as well. NYTimes Cooking is Awesome.
Years ago I swore off roasting turkeys because they were always a big fail. I used this recipe to try the spatchcock method this year. The only thing I did differently was dry brine it for two days. Otherwise followed as written. One half of the breast was pretty good, the other half had a weird texture. The legs were tough and game-y (and this was a “good”quality turkey). It roasted unevenly, for some reason. So, more or less an epic fail, but thats probably down to me.
Possibly your oven has hot spots? Try rotating your turkey a couple of times. The back left corner of your oven is likely to be the hottest, so turning your legs and thighs toward that corner might help. Private notes are only visible to you.
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