Spatchcock is a method to cook turkey more quickly and more evenly, with more crispy skin to enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 whole turkey, fully thawed
• 1 stick of butter
• A few sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced
• 1 head of garlic, smashed and peeled
• 2 apples, quartered, core removed
• 2 or 3 sweet potatoes, sliced into 2” chunks (or other root veggies, carrot and potato are good here too!)

Helpful tools:

• Large knife you don’t care too much about
• Meat tenderizer (or rolling pin you don’t mind denting)
• Clean poultry or garden shears

Preparation

1. Remove the turkey backbone.

This WikiHow article has some helpful tips and illustrations: https://www.wikihow.life/Spatchcock-a-Turkey

We have found the easiest way to remove the backbone is to start at the back of the bird and use a knife you don’t care too much about to cut into the pelvis. It helps to have something to hit the back of the knife with to break through the bone. You can use a meat tenderizer or anything firm enough to transfer force through the knife without damaging the knife.

Garden / poultry shears can be helpful to cut through the ribs on either side of the backbone, or you can move to the neck and work back through the ribs.

Complete the cuts on both sides of the spine from neck to pelvis.

At this point you should be able to lift the back bone out.

Save it to cook down into bone broth or gravy!

2. Crack the breast bone and flatten the breast.

Pull carefully on the sides of the bird so you can open up the cavity (watch out for sharp edges on the rib bones). Place your knife at the vee to break the top of the breastbone from the inside.

The turn the turkey over and press down firmly on the center of the breast (like you’re giving CPR) to flatten the breast.

The goal is to lay the breast flat.

3. Butter!

Stuff butter under the skin, approximately 2 tablespoons per quarter. Season liberally all over with salt and pepper.

Chef tip: you can soften the butter and mix it with salt and pepper to help season below the skin.

4. Vegetable Trivet

Add the onion, garlic, apples, sweet potatoes and herbs to a large roasting or sheet pan and season with salt and pepper.

The veggies will roast under the bird and soak up the juices and add flavor.

5. Arrange the Turkey

Place the turkey on top, skin side up. Arrange the legs so they are not covering the breast.

(This 33lb turkey was a bit big for our pan. With a smaller turkey, you can turn the legs out so they lay flatter and do not cover the breast.)

6. Roast the Turkey

Roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Plan for about 90 minutes per 10lb of turkey and roast until the thigh meat is 165 degrees.

7. Serve!

Remove the turkey and let it rest before carving. Serve with roasted vegetables and drippings.

Note: you can add the drippings to an existing gravy, or pour into a sauce pan and make it into a quick gravy.