Spatchcock or Butterfly Turkey with Crispy Skin and Juicy Meat! This Butterflied Turkey is just Salt & Pepper, dry-aged for 2 days, then cooked in under 2 hours and left to cool. Stripped off the bone and laid out in a Holiday Turkey presentation tray, soaking up the natural juices from the Turkey Drippings.Use the Bones and Trimmings to make a Wonderful Natural Turkey Gravy. Prepare this recipe the day before to free up time and stove space for cooking all the other sides on the day of your perfect Holiday Turkey Dinner. Reheat the Turkey Tray with the sides that need to be served hot. The meat stays juicy and flavorful, from the natural juices or drippings.
Servings: 1 Turkey
Equipment
- 1 Large Flat Sheet Pan Optionally with Rack for better air flow during
- 1 Stock Pot for the Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 14 lb Turkey - Completely thawed, optionally air dried
- 1/4 C Butter
Salt & Pepper
- 1 Tbl Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
Instructions
- With completely thawed Turkey;Option 1 (Spatchcock): Remove the Backbone from the Turkey and press down on the Breast to break the Breastbone and flatten out.Option 2 (Butterfly): Slice & chop through the Breast, open and flip to flatten out.Trim away any excess fat and save this for when making the stock. Along with the Turkey neck.
- Transfer the Turkey to a shallow pan, fitted with a rack and season the Turkey, Cook or refrigerate the Turkey overnight before cooking.
- Set your Turkey out on the counter for about 30 minutes, while preheating the oven to 375 F with the rack in middle position. Add 2 C of water to the pan to prevent any drippings from burning off. More if needed during cooking to prevent burning. Place the Turkey in, with the Legs facing the back of the oven. Cook until the thickest part of the breast reaches 157 F. About 7–10 minutes per lb, check the internal temp of the breast when about 30 minutes of cook time remain. Then remove from the oven to let rest for 30 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.About halfway through, baste with melted Butter and again when checking the internal temp.
- Break the Turkey down into Leg, Wing, and Breast meat thinly sliced and place back into the pan with the natural juices. Season the meat if needed and serve, or cover with tin foil and refrigerate to reheat in the oven later. Save the Bones & Trimmings to make Natural Turkey Gravy. Just toss everything into a pot while breaking the Turkey down.
Notes
Prepare the Butterfly Turkey the day before so that you can also make the Turkey stock the day before. The next day, the Turkey can be reheated, and Turkey Gravy made, along with any other hot sides. All cold sides can be made the day before as well.
Refrigerator Thawing Turkey
Thaw Frozen Turkey in the fridge in original packaging, breast side up, on a tray. Allow a full 24 hours for every 4-5 lbs of Turkey. A 12 lb Turkey will take about 3 days to thaw.Cold Water Thawing Turkey
Place Turkey in original packaging, breast side down, in the sink and completely cover with water. If the Turkey can not be completely covered, turn it over every 30 minutes. Change the water every 30 minutes. It takes about 30 minutes per 1 lb of Turkey. A 12 lb Turkey will take about 6 hours to thaw.Turkey Cook Times
The cook time will depend on a few variables, such as the size of your Butterflied or Spatchcock Turkey, starting internal temp before going into the oven, the oven temperature and how well it circulates heat. Below is a general guideline you can use. Best result are obtained through the use of a thermometer. Place Seasoned Turkey on a rack on top of a baking sheet or shallow pan for air flow, presentation side up. Cook or season and refrigerate for 1–3 days before cooking. Let the Turkey come to temp for about 30 minutes or so, and place the Turkey into the oven with the Legs facing the back of the oven (it's a bit hotter back there than the front).-
- 325 F — About 12–15 minutes per lb.
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- 350 F - 10–12 minutes per lb.
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- 375 F - 7–10 minutes per lb.
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- Check the internal temperature when about 30 minutes of cook time remain. Insert the thermometer into the thicket part of the breast and away from any bones.