Spatchco*ck Turkey Recipe (How To) - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

How long will a spatchco*ck turkey take to cook? ›

While the spatchco*ck turkey cooking time will depend on the size and oven temperature, 6 minutes per pound is a good rule of thumb. Depending on the size of the turkey, cook times are estimated between 60-90 minutes.

Spatchco*ck Ahead Of Time

To save yourself some roasting time, you can spatchco*ck your turkey the day before. Just set it onto a baking sheet and leave it in the fridge uncovered overnight. Rub it with a little salt for a dry brine and allow the cold air to dry up the skin. This results in the ultimate crispy skin.

Cut the turkey into two parts: Using the kitchen or poultry shears, cut through the backbone right above the legs to separate the turkey into 2 parts. Pat the inside dry with paper towels. Flip the two parts over: Flip the two parts over, now you have a whole bone-in turkey breast and whole bone-in legs.

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).

Spatchco*cked turkey roasting temp

Once your bird is well flattened, it's time to roast. Cook your bird at 425°F (218°C) until it reaches an internal temperature on your ChefAlarm^® of 155°F (68°C). (If that seems low, read our article on chicken internal temps—the same concepts apply to turkey as they do to chicken.

Do You Rinse a Turkey After Brining? You should always rinse the turkey after wet or dry brining. Once rinsed, you can let the turkey air dry, uncovered, in the refrigerator for several hours, or pat it dry with a paper towel.

While properly brining a turkey won't make it too salty, it does add salt to the meat. If you then add a salty rub or injection marinade you can end up with a turkey too salty to eat. For this reason, if you are brining your bird, make sure you rinse it thoroughly after it comes out of the brine.

In a wet brine, the salt water is absorbed by the turkey, which plumps the meat and keeps it moist. When salt is applied directly to the bird in a dry brine, it draws moisture out of the meat and the salt mixed with the turkey's juices is reabsorbed into the meat with time.

The whole purpose of poultry shears is to cut through and between bones, and a good pair will make spatchco*cking easier than using a chef's knife or cleaver.

What is the difference between leaping frog and spatchco*cking? ›

What Makes The Leaping Frog Method Different. For the leaping frog method of spatchco*cking a bird, the backbone remains intact. Instead of cutting down the middle, you cut through the sides, through the ribs, then flip the breast up. Below is a short video explaining what I mean.

Not only does spatchco*cking produce a roast chicken in at least 15 minutes less than the time required to prepare an intact bird, but it also results in a more perfectly cooked dish.

In my pellet smoker, the hottest area is directly over the burner so I positioned the turkey with the breast facing the opposite side of the smoker. How long does it take to smoke a turkey? Cooking at 325 degrees F, it will take around 10 minutes per pound.

10. Calculate turkey cooking time and temperature. The simplest way to figure out turkey roasting times is to calculate 13 minutes per pound at 350°F for an unstuffed turkey (that's about 3 hours for a 12- to 14-lb. turkey), or 15 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey.