It's that time of year again! The leaves are turning colors, the air is getting cooler, the first month of school is done and everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving dinners.
Hosting a Thanksgiving dinner however is a lot more work than any regular dinner - the star of the meal takes hours to prepare and cook and can often make or break the meal. For those of you wondering how to cut your cooking time in half, make the turkey taste better and free up more time to focus on your sides - look no further.
Traditional Turkey Roasting
White meat should be cooked to at least 165°F to be palatable, lean breast meat will completely dry out much above 150°F. Thus, turkey is usually roasted over the course of hours at low temperatures to avoid overcooking the outer layer of meat.
So how to we get meat that's moist and not dried out? Skin that's supple yet crisp? A Turkey that's well made but in a faster, more food safe way? Well let me introduce you to Spatchcocking.
What is Spatchcocking?
Spatchcocking is a method of preparing your turkey before it starts cooking. It involves breaking apart your turkey to remove the back bone, flattening the turkey and exposing all the important bits of the turkey while roasting it flat.
Advantages:
Cooks faster: Flattening the turkey will allow it to roast evenly and thus it will be able to withstand greater temperatures.
Better textures: a flat turkey roasts skin up, meat down, creating juicy meat on the inside and a nice crispy skin on the outside.
Tastier sides: the stuffing can still be made in the roasting pan collecting all of the meaty juices underneath the turkey (just remove it in advance it may burn at the bottom) and likewise a killer gravy can be made using the discarded turkey backbone.
Unique Presentation: not only will a spatchcocked turkey be a unique presentation, it will also provide an easier way for guests to pick and choose the cuts of meat they want without leaving all of the carving to the host (who wants to sit down and enjoy the food by now)!
How To Spatchcock Step-by-Step:
1. Cut Out the Backbone
Start with the turkey breast-side down. Use kitchen scissors or shears to cut along both sides of the backbone, beginning at the tail end. Set aside the backbone for stock or gravy.
2. Flip the Turkey
Open the turkey wide using the new opening from where the backbone was. Remove any large pieces of fat. Flip the turkey breast-side up as if it were sitting. Remove any excess skin from the neck area.
3. Flatten the Turkey
Place your hand on one side of the breast, close to the breastbone, and push down firmly until you hear a crack. Do this on the other side as well. Pull the thighs out to help the lay flatter on the counter.
4. Position the Turkey
Place the turkey in a lined roasting pan, on a grill rack over seasonal vegetables. If you are preparing stuffing, the stuffing can go here instead. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey to secure them (so they don't flop out of the pan during roasting). I use this pan for roasting any bird at home.
5. Cook The Turkey
Cook the turkey according to the recipe or place in fridge uncovered until ready to cook. This method is extremely helpful for those that work weekends and have limited time to prepare - you can Spatchcock the night before and cook the following day!
Check out this recipe calling for spatchcocked turkey - try this at your next family function for juicier, crispier, yummier turkey (or other bird!). You'll save time, energy and effort and still have time to make all the other trimmings.
Happy Holidays and Bon Appetit!
Linda Kamaev
If you liked this method, have questions or comments on how it turned out, let me know in the comments below. Also subscribe to receive more curated content straight to your inbox!