Spatchcocked Roast Turkey
Cut out the backbone, press the bird flat and roast it hot: a 12 to 14 lb turkey is done in about 80 minutes, with crisp skin all over and breast and legs finishing together.
A whole turkey has a problem built in: the breast, which dries out first, sits on top in the hottest air, while the thighs, which need more heat, hide underneath. J. Kenji López-Alt, author of "The Food Lab" and longtime Serious Eats columnist, made the case for cutting out the backbone and laying the bird flat, which exposes the legs, cooks the whole bird more evenly and much faster, and gives crisper skin (his recipe as reprinted by The Sporkful, 2016:). His butterflied turkey roasts at 450°F in about 80 minutes; USDA's timetable for a whole 12 to 14 lb bird at 325°F is 3 to 3 3/4 hours (see Food safety baseline). America's Test Kitchen has since published its own spatchcocked turkey roasted on a bed of stuffing (ATK, 2023:).
🇺🇸 This one is American
Cut out the backbone, press the bird flat and roast it hot: a 12 to 14 lb turkey is done in about 80 minutes, with crisp skin all over and breast and legs finishing together.
🇲🇽 The original
In Mexico, where the turkey was first domesticated, the classic is turkey pieces braised in mole poblano, a dark sauce of dried chiles, spices, nuts and a little chocolate. See the Mole Poblano with Turkey (Mole Poblano de Guajolote) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Flat means even
With the backbone gone, the thighs lie at the hot edges of the pan instead of under the bird, so legs and breast finish at about the same time.
High heat for a short time
At 450°F the skin renders and crisps in the 80 minutes the meat needs, and the vegetables underneath catch the drippings and keep them from burning.
Step by step
- Step 1
Move a rack to the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Scatter the vegetables and thyme over the foil-lined pan and set the wire rack on top.
- Step 2
Set the turkey breast side down. With the shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it (save it for gravy). Flip the bird over, open it out and press down hard on the breastbone with the heels of your hands until it cracks and the turkey lies flat.
- Step 3
Pat the turkey dry, rub it all over with the oil and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Tuck the wingtips behind the breast and lay the turkey skin side up on the rack, legs out, edges not overlapping.
- Step 4
Roast about 80 minutes, rotating the pan once or twice, starting to check at 60 minutes, until a thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh and wing.
- Step 5
Move the rack with the turkey to a clean sheet pan, tent it loosely with foil and rest 20 minutes.
- Step 6
Strain the juices from the pan through a fine sieve, skim off the fat and stir them into your gravy. Carve and serve.
Spatchcocked Roast Turkey
Serves 12 · one 12 to 14 lb turkey · 2 hr 5 min total
Turkey
- 1 turkey (12 to 14 lb), thawed, neck and giblets removed
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Rack bed
- 2 onions, 2 carrots and 3 celery ribs, roughly chopped
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
Method
- Move a rack to the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Scatter the vegetables and thyme over the foil-lined pan and set the wire rack on top.
- Set the turkey breast side down. With the shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it (save it for gravy). Flip the bird over, open it out and press down hard on the breastbone with the heels of your hands until it cracks and the turkey lies flat.
- Pat the turkey dry, rub it all over with the oil and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Tuck the wingtips behind the breast and lay the turkey skin side up on the rack, legs out, edges not overlapping.
- Roast about 80 minutes, rotating the pan once or twice, starting to check at 60 minutes, until a thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh and wing.
- Move the rack with the turkey to a clean sheet pan, tent it loosely with foil and rest 20 minutes.
- Strain the juices from the pan through a fine sieve, skim off the fat and stir them into your gravy. Carve and serve.
Adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt's "Crisp-Skinned Butterflied Roast Turkey with Gravy" (Serious Eats), as published by The Sporkful, November 17, 2016. We could not open the Serious Eats page itself. Kenji pulls the breast at 150°F and the thighs at 165°F or more; we take both to USDA FSIS's 165°F. He says to season "liberally"; 1 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tsp pepper are ours. His gravy (made from the backbone, neck and giblets with 1 1/2 quarts broth, 3 tbsp butter and 4 tbsp flour) is not repeated here; use it or our Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy recipe. The Sporkful. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Equipment: heavy kitchen shears, a large rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan lined with foil, a wire rack that fits it, an instant-read thermometer.
- For more seasoned meat, salt the turkey 1 to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it uncovered, as in our Dry-Brined Turkey recipe (Kenji suggests the same).
- A 13 lb flattened turkey is wide. Measure your largest pan and oven before you start; it may hang slightly over a half-sheet pan.
- The backbone, neck and giblets make the best gravy base (our Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy recipe).
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Turkey breast is safe at 150°F. Disputed: Kenji pulls the breast at 150°F, relying on the time meat spends at temperature; USDA FSIS's safe minimum for all turkey is 165°F (UGA Extension:). We use 165°F.
- Spatchcocking cuts the roasting time in half. Documented by comparison: about 80 minutes at 450°F for a flat 12 to 14 lb bird (Kenji) vs 3 to 3 3/4 hours for a whole bird of that size at 325°F (USDA timetable).
Every other turkey
Mole Poblano with Turkey (Mole Poblano de Guajolote)
Poached turkey under Puebla's dark, glossy mole: three dried chiles, charred vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, spices and a little Mexican chocolate, simmered for two hours.
Yucatecan Turkey in Black Chile Broth (Pavo en Relleno Negro)
Yucatán's jet-black turkey stew: turkey simmered in a broth darkened with recado negro, a paste of chiles toasted until nearly burnt, served with slices of "but," a pork and beef roll with whole egg yolks in the middle.
British Christmas Roast Turkey with Pigs in Blankets
Britain's Christmas bird, the Delia Smith way: buttered, covered in streaky bacon, roasted inside a loose foil tent, then unwrapped for a hot finish, with chipolata sausages wrapped in more bacon on the side.
Portuguese Christmas Roast Turkey with Oven Rice (Peru Assado no Forno)
Maria de Lourdes Modesto's Christmas turkey: soaked overnight in salted water with lemon, stuffed with bread, eggs and cured ham, roasted without a drop of basting, and served with oven rice that soaks up the drippings.
Puerto Rican Pavochón (Turkey Seasoned Like Pernil)
A Thanksgiving turkey with the flavor of a Puerto Rican pork roast: garlic, oregano, olive oil and adobo spread under the skin, butter tucked in, two days in the fridge, then basted with dark beer.
Classic Roast Thanksgiving Turkey
The plain American centerpiece: a buttered, salted and peppered turkey roasted breast side down first, flipped, and finished breast side up until the thermometer reads 165°F. No basting, no fuss.
Dry-Brined Turkey (the Judy Bird)
The Los Angeles Times' famous no-bucket brine: a few tablespoons of salt rubbed on three days ahead, the bird kept in a bag in the refrigerator, then dried uncovered so the skin roasts crisp.
Cajun Deep-Fried Turkey
Louisiana's outdoor turkey: injected overnight with butter, onion and garlic juice, hot sauce and beer, then lowered into a big pot of peanut oil at 350°F and fried in about 3 to 4 minutes a pound. Outdoors only, with a fire extinguisher.
Smoked Turkey with Vinegar Pepper Mop (Rodney Scott Style)
A Carolina pitmaster's holiday bird: spatchcocked, rubbed with a sweet-hot barbecue seasoning, smoked low over wood on a kettle grill and mopped with tangy pepper vinegar.
Roast Turkey Breast with Lemon and Thyme
For a small table: a bone-in turkey breast with garlic, thyme and lemon butter spread under the skin, roasted hot and then gently, ready in about 1 1/2 hours.
Turkey Giblet Pan Gravy
Real gravy from the bird: a giblet broth made while the turkey roasts, a nutty brown roux, and the roasting pan deglazed with white wine so every browned bit ends up in the sauce.
Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini (30 Minutes)
The day-after dinner named for an opera star: spaghetti tossed with leftover turkey, peas, browned mushrooms and a quick sherry, cream and Parmesan sauce, all on the stove in about 30 minutes.
Kentucky Hot Brown, Inspired by The Brown Hotel
Inspired by, not official: Louisville's open-faced roast turkey sandwich, smothered in Pecorino Romano Mornay sauce, broiled until bubbling and topped with crossed strips of bacon.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.