Has anyone successfully spatchcocked their Thanksgiving Turkey?
My T-Day turkey is looking like it's going to be in excess of 20 lbs this year, and I'm nervous about how long the darn thing is actually going to be in my oven when I have pies, bread, sides, etc. to prepare.
Martha Stewart has a brief article on spatchcocking a turkey (removing the backbone and breaking the breasts so the bird is 'flat') and I was curious as to if anyone has ever done it before with a big bird, and to what degree of success. Did you baste the turkey while it was cooking? Heaven forbid I feed my picky family a dry turkey, I would never hear the end of it.
I would practice with a large bird, but there's no way we'll be able to eat 40 lbs of turkey in a month!
Best Answer
I've spatchcocked our turkey the past two years and will never go back to the usual way. It just cooks so much faster. The spatchcocking itself isn't to hard, although you do have to be willing to inflict a little violence on the turkey.
I basically follow Mark Bittman's recipe. The video is located here. I do, however cook a larger bird. The time I did it with an 18 pound bird it too a bit more than 90 minutes.
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Is it worth spatchcocking a turkey?
Why Should You Spatchcock a Turkey? Not only will spatchcocking turkey ensure plenty of crisp skin (since virtually all of it is out in the open), it makes it much easier to cook the white and dark meat evenly\u2014meaning the breast will stay juicy. It cuts down on the total cooking time too, always a plus.Is it hard to spatchcock a turkey?
Spatchcocking a bird is the process of removing the backbone and flattening it onto a baking tray (or butterflying it). It may seem a bit intimidating but it's really easy to do, saves a lot of cook time and helps everything cook evenly. With this method, you can cook a 10-12 lb turkey in about 70-90 minutes!Can you spatchcock a 25 pound turkey?
Key ingredients for Thanksgiving turkey Turkey - Obviously, you'll need a whole turkey. Spatchcocking works best on turkeys no more than 25 pounds. Last year, I spatchcocked a 25-pound turkey, and it was pretty much the maximum size to fit onto my extra large roasting pan and baking sheet.How much time does spatchcocking a turkey save?
A 12-to-14-pound bird typically takes 180-210 minutes to roast in the oven the traditional way; whereas with spatchcocking, your bird will be in and out of there in about 80-90 minutes. That's saving at least half the cooking time in the oven.Carla Makes a Spatchcocked Thanksgiving Turkey | Bon Appétit
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Answer 2
November 2010's Bon Appetit features a step-by-step for roasting a butterflied turkey. The stuffing is tucked under the skin. They do recommend having the butcher take out the backbone for you.
Answer 3
I see three excellent questions here:
1- How to cook a turkey without drying it out.
How do you keep turkey from getting too dry?
The quick answer to this question is always brining. I love brined turkey but often the drippings are too salty to make a gravy which is a tragedy. For that reason, and because of the faster cooking time, I wouldn't brine a butterflied turkey- or at least less than usual.
Basting is unnecessary and will not help the meat stay moist. It will add flavor but if the meat is cooking in its own juices this won't be necessary.
2- How to cook a turkey without monopolizing your oven.
I use Alton Brown's turkey roasting technique. He roasts at 500F for some time to fry the skin and then drops the heat for the actual roasting. If I am cramped for oven space I will do the 500F in the oven and then move the turkey to an electric roaster for the remainder of the cooking time. It doesn't brown as completely but the meat cooks beautifully.
3- The question you actually asked: have I ever butterflied a large turkey.
Of course the larger mass will take longer to roast but it will still be faster than traditional roasting so I wouldn't worry about it become too dry. The recipes that I found after reading your question sound delicious:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2007/11/14/herb-crusted-roast-butterflied-turkey/
I think you should go for it.
Thank you for asking this question. I am definitely going to try this with one of my turkeys this year.
** EDIT **
I did it and it was delicious. Besides the faster cooking time and resultant juiciness- I also appreciated the greatly expanded surface area that allowed me to get more flavoring against the meat.
Answer 4
As an alternative to spatchcocking, you can simply cut it in half. This is useful if grilling, as it's a bit easier to move around and flip.
Answer 5
Both Sam Sifton and Julia Child recommend spatchcocking. I have tried both. Sam's is faster and easier, but Julia's is amazing.
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016948-fastest-roast-turkey
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/episode/413-revisiting-julia-childs-roast-turkey
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