- Difficulty: Simple
- Serves: 8 to 10 people
- Nutritional Info Per Serving (based on 10 servings): Calories 698, Total Fat 39g, Saturated Fat 17g, Carbohydrates 6g, Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 5g, Protein 77g, Cholesterol 304mg, Sodium 541mg
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes (includes time for resting)
- Hands-on Time: 35 minutes
I enjoy spatchcocking turkey (or chicken) because you get the deeply roasted flavor of a whole bird while cutting the cook time dramatically. When blending the marinade, make sure it's completely smooth so vegetable bits won't clog the flavor injector.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and brought to room temperature
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 4 generous pinches Cajun seasoning, plus more for dusting the skin
- 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 5 pinches kosher salt
- One turkey (1012 pounds), be sure to thaw if frozen
- 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
Special equipment: flavor injector
- Preheat your oven to 425F (218C).
- Add the melted butter, wine, celery, bell pepper, onion, Cajun spice blend, brown sugar, hot sauce, and salt to a food processor or blender. Blend on high until completely smooth. Pour into a saucepan and keep on low heat to stay warm.
- Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and set aside for stock or discard them. Place the turkey breast-side down on a cutting board. Using a knife or kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone from tail to neck and remove the backbone fully (reserve for stock if desired).
- Flip the turkey breast-side up and press firmly on the breast with the heel of your hand until you hear a crack so the bird lays flat for even cooking. Tuck the wing tips under the back to prevent burning. Transfer the turkey to a wire rack set in a roasting pan.
- Use a flavor injector to draw up and inject the buttery marinade into the turkey at several angles, using as much of the mixture as possible. Pour any remaining marinade over the top of the bird and sprinkle additional Cajun seasoning if you want extra heat. Roast on the center rack for 30 minutes undisturbed.
- After 30 minutes, baste the turkey with pan drippings and reduce the oven temperature to 350F (177C). Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until a meat thermometer reads 165F (74C) in the thickest part of the breast and thigh (avoid touching bone), about 45 minutes to 1 hour more. If the pan becomes dry, add chicken broth to the roasting pan. Let the turkey rest after cooking, then slice and serve with the pan juices.
