How to Spatchcock a Turkey

5 from 3 votes

Learn How to Spatchcock a Turkey for juicy meat, crispy skin, and faster cooking—perfect for saving time and space during holiday meals.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 30

Brine Time20

Total Time2 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 762kcal

Remove the neck, giblets, leg trusses, oven thermometer, pop-up, and anything else inside or attached to the turkey. You can save the neck and giblets to make broth or gravy.
8-15 lb Turkey
Locate the spine along the back of the turkey. Cut along the spine on both sides, then remove it. You can save this for making broth or throw it away.
Locate the nob or cartilage/bone that is at the top of the breast on the inside of the bird. Using a sharp knife, slice through this nob*- it should be pretty straightforward.
Flip the bird over and lay it out flat. Pat turkey with a paper towel to remove any excess water. Sprinkle turkey with salt. Make sure to get all sides.
4-6 tbs coarse salt
Place on a cooling rack or on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or overnight.
Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Combine butter, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, sage, and pepper in a small bowl.
1 cup butter, 3 tbs garlic, 2 tbs rosemary, 2 tbs thyme, 1 teaspoon sage, 1 teaspoon pepper
Gently separate the skin and place ½ of the butter between the skin and meat. Rub the remaining herb butter all over the turkey breast. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil.
¼ cup Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450°F with the oven rack positioned in the center.
Place turkey in roasting pan, breast side up. Tuck the wing tips behind the breast if possible. Place chopped carrots, onion, and lemons around the turkey. You can also add the neck and spine.
2 Lemons, 2 Carrots, 1 Onion
Roast turkey for 30 minutes at 450°F. Then remove from the oven and baste the turkey with the juices in the pan.
Return turkey to oven, lowering the temperature to 350°F. Bake for another hour, basting the turkey every 20 minutes. If the turkey is getting too dark, cover with foil.
Turkey is done when the internal temperature taken at the thickest part of the thigh is 165°F, read on an instant-read thermometer. I like to remove the turkey from the oven at 160°F, cover it with foil, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. The turkey will continue to rise in temperature to 165°F while retaining all the moisture.
While resting, you can make gravy. If you want to use the dripping from the pan (highly recommended), you can carefully move the turkey to a cutting board and cover with foil to rest, or use chicken broth. Then remove the large pieces of vegetables, neck, and spine, and use the juices in the gravy. Check out this recipe for how to make gravy without drippings!

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