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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.
As the holidays approach many home cooks start planning their big turkey dinner. For some this means tackling the intimidating task of roasting a whole turkey for the first time. Others may be interested in trying a new technique to get even better results. Spatchcocking, or butterflying, the turkey has become an increasingly popular preparation method. But is spatchcock turkey actually better than roasting a turkey whole? Here is a thorough exploration of the pros and cons of spatchcocking your holiday bird.
What Is Spatchcocking?
Spatchcocking is a method of preparing poultry or game birds for roasting or grilling. To spatchcock a turkey, you remove the backbone and flatten the bird. This allows the turkey to lie flat in the roasting pan rather than tied into a ball shape.
The term “spatchcock” originated from the Irish and British term “spatchcock chicken” It refers to splitting and flattening the chicken along the backbone before grilling or broiling it The word likely comes from the medieval English “spitchcock” meaning to skewer and grill meat or fish,
The Benefits of Spatchcock Turkey
There are several advantages to spatchcocking your turkey versus roasting it whole:
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Cooks faster: With the turkey flattened, it will cook in about half the time as a whole turkey. A 12-14 lb spatchcocked turkey may cook in only 1-1.5 hours.
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Cooks more evenly: With a whole turkey, the breast often dries out while the thighs remain underdone. Spatchcocking allows the white and dark meat to cook at the same rate.
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Crispier skin: With the turkey flattened, all sides of the skin are exposed directly to the heat for better browning and crispiness.
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Easier to carve: With the backbone removed, carving the turkey is much simpler. The breast can lay flat on the cutting board rather than at an awkward angle.
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Lower oven temperature: You can roast a spatchcocked turkey at a high temp like 450°F. A whole turkey needs a lower temp of 325°F to ensure even cooking.
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Versatile cooking methods: While roasting is common, a spatchcock turkey can also be grilled or smoked easily.
Potential Drawbacks of Spatchcocking
However, spatchcocking a turkey does come with a few disadvantages:
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More hands-on time: Removing the backbone is an extra 10-15 minutes of prep work before roasting. You’ll also need a sturdy pair of kitchen shears or poultry shears.
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Turkey shape: For those who prioritize a picture-perfect whole golden turkey presentation, spatchcocking removes that norm.
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Less drippings: With the flattened bird, you may get less pan drippings for making gravy. However, you can place aromatic veggies under the turkey to bolster the drippings.
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Smaller turkey size: Turkeys larger than 16 lbs are difficult to effectively spatchcock. Stick with a 12-14 lb turkey for the best results.
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Can dry out: Without the insulated shape of a whole turkey, the flattened bird is more prone to overcooking if not watched carefully. Use an instant read thermometer.
Should You Spatchcock Your Turkey?
Whether spatchcocking is right for your holiday meal depends on your priorities and experience level:
For beginner cooks: Spatchcocking is an easy gateway into roasting your first turkey. With a faster cook time and more even results, you’re nearly guaranteed success on your first try.
If you want crispy skin: Flattening the bird helps deliver ultra crispy, well-browned turkey skin covering the breast, back, thighs, and legs simultaneously.
For faster cooking: With just 1-1.5 hours in the oven, spatchcocking is great for a small family meal or anytime you want to speed up roasting.
If using alternative cooking methods: The flattened shape works perfectly for grilling, smoking, or cooking over a fire.
When appearance matters: If presenting a whole unaltered turkey is important for your table, stick to the traditional roasting method.
For gravy: You may get more abundant drippings from a whole turkey. Add mirepoix veggies under a spatchcock turkey to boost drippings.
If cooking a big bird: Turkeys over 16 lbs are difficult to spatchcock effectively. Stick to a smaller 12-14 lb bird.
How to Spatchcock a Turkey
If you decide to spatchcock your holiday turkey, here is a step-by-step guide:
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Remove the turkey from packaging and discard the giblets. Pat the outside dry.
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Place breast side down on a cutting board. Using sharp kitchen shears, cut down one side of the backbone.
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Repeat on the other side to completely remove the backbone. Reserve for making stock if desired.
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Flip the turkey over breast side up. Press firmly with your hands on the breast to flatten the bird.
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Tuck the wing tips under the bird. Place on a rimmed baking sheet breast side up.
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Season generously with salt, pepper, herbs, oil, and seasoning rub.
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Roast at 450°F for 60-90 minutes until the thighs reach 165°F. Let rest before carving.
With this simple technique, your turkey will cook beautifully golden brown, juicy, and flavorful. While spatchcocking does require some extra hands-on time up front, the benefits of even cooking and crispy skin make it a worthwhile endeavor for your next holiday meal.
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.