Spatchcocked Turkey

A no-fuss method that cuts down on cook time while freeing up oven space — juicy, golden-skinned, and holiday-table ready.

Spatchcocking your turkey is great. It cuts the cooking time by hours and makes it so much easier to fit other things in the oven at the same time as the turkey. There is no need to be scared — your butcher can easily spatchcock the bird for you. Just make sure you get the backbone to take home with you, you want to be able to use it to make stock later. Just stick it in the freezer until you need some stock.

Ingredients

• 1 turkey

• 6 garlic cloves

• 1 whole onion, quartered

• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

• 1 whole orange, quartered

• 3 thyme sprigs

• 2 rosemary sprigs

• Salt and pepper

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 3 tbsp butter

• ½ cup white wine

Instructions

1. Prep the Turkey (1–2 Days Before)
   Rinse the turkey under cold water and scrub with kosher salt to clean. Rinse again and pat completely dry. Place on a baking sheet and season generously with salt. Leave uncovered in the fridge until Thanksgiving Day.

2. Bring to Room Temperature
   On Thanksgiving Day, remove from the fridge 1.5 hours before roasting to let it come to room temperature.

3. Preheat and Assemble
   Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Place turkey breast-side up on a clean baking sheet and surround with garlic, onion, celery, orange, thyme, and rosemary. Pour white wine around the base. In a small pan, melt butter with olive oil and brush over the turkey. Season with pepper and more salt if needed.

4. Roast the Turkey
   Roast at 450°F for 20 minutes. Lower temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue roasting for about 1 hour, or until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.

5. Rest and Carve
   Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.
   
   Tip: Carving too soon will release the juices and dry out the meat.