This Roast Spatchcocked Turkey takes only half the time to cook than the traditional non-butterflied version. The bonus is a crispy skin.
This year, we have been blessed with abundance from our Vegetable Garden. At first, it was a slow start because of our cold and windy weather but the seedlings eventually grew stronger and caught up. That said, it was an unusual growing year as some vegetables like beans and cucumber, which are easy to grow, did not do well. Thankfully Asian greens, beets, carrots, cabbages, cauliflower, celery, garlic, herbs, leeks, melons, peppers, potatoes, and squashes did well.
Roast Spatchcocked Turkey – A Faster Way of Cooking Turkey
After canning the bulk of the vegetables, I still had lots of beets, carrots, celery, and peppers left. I also dried lots of herbs and transplanted some healthy live plants into the greenhouse. As such, I was able to use them in our most recent Thanksgiving Dinner. Since I had been so busy with canning, I wanted a faster way to cook the turkey and this Roast Spatchcocked Turkey is definitely the way to go.
A Productive Garden
I was harvesting daily and adding more seeds to the Raised Beds and so, we had a supply of fresh, organic vegetables from the garden daily. I continued harvesting right through the third week of November as the temperatures were milder than usual. It was amazing and we are very thankful for that!
Goodies From The Garden in Late November
For this turkey dinner, I used dried herbs (sage, rosemary, and thyme) and also fresh herbs (parsley and rosemary) transplanted into the greenhouse before the weather turned too cold. I did a late harvest of Detroit Dark Red beetroots, Parisian Carrots, and Kyoto Red carrots which I roasted together with the turkey. Note to self – grow more beetroots next year. They are so, so good simply roasted.
What is Spatchcocking?
Now, back to the roast turkey. Spatchcocking is butterflying poultry by removing its backbone.
Once the backbone is cut out, the bird can be flatten so that it can be cooked faster and more evenly. Usually it is roasted at a higher temperature, hence reducing the roasting time by half as compared to non-butterflied poultry.
Advantages of Spatchcocking
There are several advantages to spatchcocking poultry.
1. Since it is laid out flat with the legs to the side, it cooks faster and more evenly.
2. The skin of the bird is all on the top and so it browns nicely and gets crispy, which is a treat!
3. The removed backboned can be boiled to make turkey broth and turkey gravy can be made while the turkey is roasting in the oven.
4. The cooking time is greatly reduced, resulting in surprisingly moist meat.
Crispy Skin
To get a crispy skin, I placed the spatchcocked turkey uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. I did not but should have sprinkled salt and pepper all over the turkey to let it marinade the meat. I will do that next year. The next day, I made a butter mixture with dried sage, rosemary, and thyme.
This butter mixture was spread under the skin near the breast area and also, all over the turkey. Then, I poured some water into the pan to create a slightly moist environment so that the turkey will not dry out. The water also prevents the juices from burning and smoking in the pan.
Roasted Vegetables Served with Roast Spatchcocked Turkey
The turkey was roasted at 425°F (220°C) in a regular oven or 400°F (200°C) in a convection oven. At this high temperature, vegetables take a shorter time to cook. I only placed it in the oven in the last 35 to 40 minutes of roasting. A 12 pounds spatchcocked turkey will take approximately 60 to 70 minutes to cook. The temperature at the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast should reach a temperature of 165°F (74°C).
A roasted spatchcocked turkey may not look as pretty as its plump counterpart but no one would know once it is carved and ready to be served. 😉
The Result
The meat is surprisingly moist! The skin was crispy and the turkey was relatively easy to carve. There were no juices overflowing the cutting board and that is a plus as well. The shorter roasting time made it so much easier and less of a hassle. I will do it gain next year.
Tools used in making this Roast Spatchcocked Turkey
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Farberware Nonstick Bakeware 11-Inch x 15-Inch Roaster with Flat Rack, Gray
Calphalon Contemporary Hard Anodized Nonstick 16-Inch Roasting Pan with Rack 5 piece Set
KitchenAid Stainless Steel Meat Thermometer
KitchenAid Stainless Steel Meat Thermometer
Roast Spatchcocked Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 fresh (not frozen) turkey (10 to 12 lbs)
- Salt to taste
- Ground pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp butter at room temperature (52g)
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Instructions
- Take neck and giblets out of the turkey. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers. Wash the turkey inside out. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Place turkey on a cutting board, breast side down. Cut off tail and trim off excess skin around the cavity.
- Using a very sharp pair of kitchen shears, cut along one side of backbone until you reach the thigh joint. That joint is the hardest part to cut through. Carefully cut around it up to the neck.
- Make another cut along the other side of the backbone. Th entire backbone can now be removed. Reserve it for making turkey broth for use in making Turkey Gravy.
- Using a cleaver or sharp knife, split the breastbone in half lengthwise. This will make it easier for the next step.
- Flip the turkey over and press down hard on the ridge of the breastbone until you hear cracks. The turkey should now rest flatter on the cutting board.
- Transfer the turkey onto a roasting rack with breast side up, and place in the refrigerator overnight, uncovered for it to dry up.
- When ready to roast, preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) in a regular oven or 400°F (200°C) if using a convection oven.
- Chopped together dried herbs if they are a little chunky. Add to the room temperature butter and mix until combine.
- Spread butter mixture under the skin near the breast area.
- Sprinkle salt and ground pepper all over the turkey. Spread or rub remaining butter mixture all over the turkey.
- Tug the wing tips over the shoulder and under the breasts. Pour about 2 cups (48ml) of water into the baking pan.
- Transfer turkey to the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue to roast for another 30 minutes.
- Check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Some turkey may be ready after 60 minutes. If not, rotate again and continue roasting for another 10 to 15 minutes. Check temperature after every 10 minutes. If the skin is brown, tent the turkey with alunimum foil to prevent further browning.
- According to the FDA, the turkey is safe when a food thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast reaches a temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Remove from oven and allow turkey to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
Notes
2. If you wish to have a pan of roasted vegetables, peel and cut root vegetables like beetroot and carrots into half inch thick slices. Half brussel sprouts lengthwise. Toss each kind of vegetables separately with salt, ground pepper, chopped fresh rosemary and thyme, and olive oil. Place prepared vegetables in a roasting pan.
Add the pan of vegetables after first rotation of turkey in the oven. At 425°F (220°C) in a regular oven or 400°F (200°C) for convection oven, vegetables should be cooked in 35 to 40 minutes.
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