🍗 Spatchcocked Turkey

Ingredients

• 11 lb Whole turkey, thawed, neck and giblets removed
• 3 tbsp Olive oil, or melted butter
• 1 tbsp Kosher salt, or 1½ teaspoons table salt
• 1 tsp Ground black pepper
• 1 tsp Dried thyme, or poultry seasoning

• For the pan

• 2 Yellow onion, thickly sliced
• 2 Carrots, in chunks
• 3 stalk Celery, in chunks

Nutrition

Steps

You’ll need: heavy poultry shears or a sharp chef’s knife, large rimmed baking sheet (or roasting pan) with a wire rack, food thermometer, carving board.

1. Thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator (about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 lb) or in cold water (about 30 minutes per lb, changing the water every 30 minutes, then cook it right away). See the thawing planner on the Thanksgiving page.
2. Take the neck and the bag of giblets out of both ends of the bird; save them for stock. Don’t rinse the turkey: washing raw poultry spreads germs around the sink (USDA). Pat it dry with paper towels and wash your hands.
3. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle. Set the turkey breast side down on a cutting board. With the shears, cut along both sides of the backbone from tail to neck and lift it out. Save it with the neck for stock.
4. Turn the bird over, open it like a book, and press hard on the breastbone with both hands until it cracks and the turkey lies flat. Tuck the wing tips behind the breast.
5. Spread the vegetables on the baking sheet and set the rack over them. Lay the turkey on the rack, skin side up, legs turned slightly in. Pat dry, rub with the oil, and sprinkle with the salt, pepper and thyme.
6. Roast about 70 to 90 minutes for an 11- to 12-lb turkey; a flat bird cooks much faster than a whole one, so start checking at 1 hour. Add a cup of water to the pan if the vegetables start to scorch.
7. Check the temperature with a food thermometer in three places, not touching bone: the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh and the innermost part of the wing. Every spot must read at least 165°F (USDA).
8. Let the turkey rest 20 minutes before carving, so the juices settle (USDA). Tent it loosely with foil; it stays hot for 40 minutes or more. Spoon the pan juices and soft vegetables off for gravy.

🌡 Safe temperaturesTurkey 165°F. Check the thickest part with a food thermometer (USDA). More on food safety.