Spachcocked Turkey Recipe

How to Butterfly a Turkey: A Complete Guide | Recipe Iseasy Kitchen

Discover this straightforward technique with our comprehensive step-by-step walkthrough to transform your holiday turkey into a succulent masterpiece.

Level: Intermediate
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving
Serving Size 1 of 10 servings
Calories 834
Total Fat 38 g
Saturated Fat 13 g
Carbohydrates 8 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugar 3 g
Protein 109 g
Cholesterol 385 mg
Sodium 1329 mg
Total: 1 day 4 hr 30 min (includes brining and resting time)
Active: 1 hr 30 min

Holiday turkey preparation offers countless variations, yet every method shares one goal: succulent, delicious meat with a golden, crispy exterior. Imagine wowing your guests with a bird that's perfectly cooked every timelet's make it happen!

Butterflying, or spatchcocking, your turkey is a game-changer for faster, even cooking. Remove the backbone, press the bird flat, and enjoy uniform results just like with chicken. Dive into this guide and elevate your roast.

Is Butterflying a Turkey Superior?

Butterflying takes extra prep, but the payoff is irresistiblehere's why it will inspire your best turkey yet.

Reduced cooking time: No more hungry guests waiting forever. Butterflying slashes roasting time by nearly half compared to traditional methods.

Taste and texture advantages: Say goodbye to dry breast meat while thighs lag behind. This method ensures even heat exposure for juicy, consistently cooked perfection and gorgeous browning.

Simplified carving: Skip the messy struggle at the table. A flat bird lets your knife glide smoothly, maximizing every tender bite on the plate.

How to Butterfly a Turkey Like an Expert

Pat the turkey dry: For that irresistible crispy skin, blot the bird thoroughly with paper towels to absorb all moisture.

Cut along one edge of the backbone: Place breast down, spine up. Use sharp shears or a boning knife to slice along one side from the tail, cutting through cartilage and bone with confidence.

Cut along the other edge and remove it: Repeat on the opposite side, then pull out the backbonesave it for flavorful gravy!

Press the bird down: Flip breast up, then firmly press with palms until the breastbone cracks and the turkey lies perfectly flat.

Season generously: Rub with about 1/4 cup salt and black pepper all over. Try our seasoned salt mix for bold flavorloosen skin over breast and thighs to tuck it underneath for extra juiciness.

How to Enhance the Flavor of a Butterflied Turkey

Dry brine and air-chill uncovered: Salt draws out moisture for crisp skin while tenderizingrefrigerate 24-48 hours for melt-in-your-mouth results.

Slather herb-infused butter: This aromatic blend bastes as it melts, infusing every bite with customized herbaceous magic.

Roast over veggies on a rack: Drippings flavor crispy vegetables below, which steam the bird moist and become gravy gold afterward.

What is the Ideal Turkey for Butterflying?

Opt for a 12- to 14-pound heritage or naturally raised turkey for peak flavoravoid pre-basted ones. Fully thaw if frozen for seamless prep.

How to Carve a Butterflied Turkey

Rest until cool, then transfer to a board. Remove legs and thighs, slice meat onto a platter. Cut breast into portions, add wings, and save the frame for stock. Savor those sneaky bites too!

Butterflied Turkey

Level: Intermediate
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving
Serving Size 1 of 10 servings
Calories 834
Total Fat 38 g
Saturated Fat 13 g
Carbohydrates 8 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugar 3 g
Protein 109 g
Cholesterol 385 mg
Sodium 1329 mg
Total: 1 day 4 hr 30 min (includes brining and resting time)
Active: 1 hr 30 min

Dry Brine:

3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt
One 12- to 14-pound fresh or heritage turkey (thawed if frozen)

Herb-Infused Butter:

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Turkey:

4 celery stalks, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
1 bunch fresh sage
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Instructions:

To make the salt cure: Combine the salt, brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne, granulated garlic, granulated onion and paprika in a mixing vessel. Reserve.
Position the turkey breast-side up on a large work surface; position a dry kitchen cloth beneath the work surface to help stabilize the turkey if necessary. Extract the neck and organ meats from the turkey and set aside for your sauce. Thoroughly dry the turkey with paper towels.
Flip the turkey to place it breast-side down with the backbone exposed. Beginning at the tail, use heavy-duty sharp poultry scissors or a sharp boning knife to cut down each side of the spine toward you. Extract and set aside the backbone, which may be used for making stock. Cut away any extra grease or exterior. Open up the turkey and position it breast-side up with the inside facing downward.
Draw the upper legs outward and using your palms apply force downward on the chest until you feel the breastbone split and the turkey becomes flat.
Gently loosen the exterior from the chest and upper legs. Thoroughly apply the salt mixture beneath the exterior and on both surfaces of the bird. Tuck the wing tips in back of the chest to avoid charring during preparation. Position the turkey exterior-side up on a support within a sheet pan (depending on measurement either vertical or horizontal). Refrigerate uncovered for no less than 24 hours and no more than 48 hours.
To prepare the herb-infused butter: Put the butter in a mixing vessel and incorporate the parsley, sage, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Reserve. The herb-infused butter can be kept in an airtight vessel in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Remove the herb-infused butter from refrigeration and warm before use.
To prepare the turkey: Position an oven shelf in the middle and warm to 425 degrees F.
Allow the turkey to warm to ambient temperature, approximately 60 minutes.
Layer the herb-infused butter underneath the exterior of the upper legs and chest. Extract the support with the turkey from the sheet pan and reserve.
Distribute an even coating of the celery, carrots, onions, bay leaves, sage, thyme and rosemary on the sheet pan. Arrange the support with the turkey above the sheet pan with the produce and plants.
Prepare for 45 minutes, then shift the sheet pan halfway around. Keep preparing until the exterior becomes rich golden and a temperature indicator inside the deepest section of the chest and upper legs indicates 160 degrees F, 45 minutes further.
Let the turkey settle for no less than 30 minutes; the residual warmth will elevate and the inside measurement will read above 165 degrees F. Arrange on a work surface for carving. The produce and pan liquid may be conserved for making sauce.