Name: Spatchcock Turkey
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 130 min
Ingredients: 8-15 lb Turkey (thawed); 4-6 tbs coarse salt; 1 cup butter (softened); 3 tbs garlic (minced); 2 tbs rosemary (fresh, or 2 tsp dried); 2 tbs thyme (fresh, or 2 tsp dried); 1 tsp sage (fresh, or 1/3 tsp dried); 1 tsp sage (fresh, or 1/3 tsp dried); 1 tsp pepper; 1/4 cup Olive oil; 2 Lemons; 2 Carrots; 1 Onion

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Spatchcock Turkey is a delicious way to evenly cook your turkey. Learn all the ways to easily cut, prep, and bake your turkey!

close up of spatchcock turkey — This turkey is so delicious!

There is always a new way to cook turkey, bake, smoke, fry, whole, quartered, halved, and now spatchcock. If you’ve never tried to spatchcock a turkey then have no fear, I will walk you through all the steps so it comes out great!

Make sure to check out my other delicious Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes like homemade stuffing, cream cheese green bean casserole, and fluffy sweet potato biscuits!

spatchcock turkey on platter horizontal imge — I love adding lemons and herbs to the platter!

What is spatchcocking a turkey?

Spatchcocking a turkey is cutting the turkey in a way so it lays flat and cooks more evenly and often times quicker than traditional methods. Primarily to achieve this you remove the spine from the bird.

What you need to spatchcock a turkey:

Sharp Knife or Sharp Kitchen Scissors - I used these scissors they are amazing! (amazon affiliate link)

Cutting Board - I like to use an extra large cutting board (18"x12") that I can throw in the dishwasher (amazon affiliate link)

Thermometers: Instant Read Thermometer for spot checking and I recommend a Thermometer like this that you can stick in and monitor the temperature as it cooks. (Thermoworks Affiliate links)

Other Items Used: Turkey Baster, Roasting Pan, Cooling Rack

Ingredients: Turkey, Butter, Salt, Garlic, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Oregano, Pepper, Oil

herb butter ingredients — You only need a few ingredients for the herb butter.

How big a turkey should you buy?

Plan for 1-1 ½ lbs. per person. Even though this may seem high this takes into account all the bones.

I recommend for 4 people a 6lb turkey, 8 people a 12 lb turkey, and 12 people an 18lb turkey. If you have a lot of people, you might consider cooking several small or medium sized turkeys so they cook faster.

cut up turkey on platter — It practically falls apart!

How long to thaw turkey?

Allow 1-1 ½ days per 4 lbs of turkey to thaw. So, if your turkey is 10 lbs, thaw for 2 ½ -3 days, and a 12 lb turkey 3-4 days.

According to the CDC a turkey thawed in the refrigerator can remain refrigerated for 1-2 days before cooking. For more info from the CDC on thawing and handling turkeys read more here.

slice of turkey with gravy on it — This turkey is so moist and delicious!

How to spatchcock a turkey?

Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey.

removing neck from turkey — Remove the neck.

removing giblets — Giblets need to be removed too.

Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears (this is my preferred tool -amazon affiliate link) cut along the spine of the turkey from tail to neck.

removing leg trusses — Get rid of the leg truss and plastic thermometer.

Remove spine and discard or freeze for make stock in the future.
Open the bird and locate the nob of bone/cartilage that is the where the breastbone meets in the middle.

pointing to nob on breastbone — Find this knob.

Using a knife, slice through this nob. It will be very easy to cut through. Alternatively, you can flip the bird over and press on this spot with your hands until you hear it break.

opening bird up after cutting nob — Carefully use a knife to slice through it.

Once cut through, flip the bird and lay out flat. Pat dry, then rub with salt.
Place on a wire rack in a baking sheet and refrigerate overnight.

Save this for later!

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Don't worry, I promise not to spam you!

How to cook spatchcock turkey?

Preheat oven and get your roasting pan ready. Fill the bottom with cut celery, carrots, lemon, and onion.
Carefully separate the skin from the muscle.

separating skin from muscle — Separate the skin with your hand.

rubbing turkey with herb butter — Coat with butter.

Mix up the herb butter and spread over the turkey and place some in-between he skin and muscle, then drizzle with olive oil.

drizzling turkey with oil — Drizzle with oil.

turkey in pan with veggies — Place in roasting pan.

Place turkey in the roasting pan, tucking the wings under, then bake.
Baste the turkey in its own juices every 20-30 minutes until done.
If you want to smoke your spatchcocked turkey learn how here! (coming soon!)

basting turkey with juices — Don't forget to baste!

How many hours per pound for a spatchcock turkey?

The rule of thumb is 6 minutes per pound on average. This will change though based on the size of the turkey and the temperature it is cooked at.

Where to place the thermometer?

Place your thermometer probe in the breast horizontal, near the neck cavity, parallel to where the spine was and not touching any bone. It should be ½-1 inch from the internal cavity. You can ready more about this here.

Alternatively you can place the probe in the thigh, making sure it doesn't touch any bone. I like to spot check with a second thermometer so I can test different areas.

thermometer interface used for cooking turkey — I love the interface on the Smoke Thermometer.

adding thermometer probe to turkey — Thigh or Breast- you pick where to add the thermometer.

What temperature is turkey done?

You want to pull your turkey when the breast hits 160°F and then allow it to sit for 30 minutes. The carryover cooking will bring it to 165°F. You can read more about the perfect turkey cooking temperatures here.

How to season turkey?

If you don’t want to use an herb butter then I highly recommend my chicken rub here, you may need to double the recipe though.

close up of golden skin of drumstick — Just look at that golden skin!

How to get a moist turkey?

I love dry brining turkey to keep it moist. By adding salt then refrigerating for 20 minutes to overnight, the turkey retains much more moisture.

Is it necessary to brine a turkey before smoking?

No but I recommend it. It really does help keep the moisture in the bird.

piece of turkey on fork — Every bite is delicious!

If you have leftover turkey, make sure to use it in my tasty leftover turkey recipes: Turkey Enchiladas, Turkey Cranberry Sandwich, Open Faced Hot Turkey Sandwich, and Turkey Tacos!

spatchcock turkey pinterest pin — Don't forget to pin this recipe!

Watch how to make this recipe!

Want more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.