Spatchco*ck Turkey Recipe - Juicy Meat & Crispy Skin (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to crispy skin on turkey? ›

In fact, I use it literally every single time I cook skin-on chicken, turkey, duck, or goose. That trick is a sprinkling of baking powder, and it'll get you the crispiest, crackliest bites of fatty, salty skin imaginable, whether you're cooking just one thigh, a plate of wings, or an entire bird.

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.

Rub the skin with fat.

Once you've carefully dried off the skin, the next step you can take to guarantee perfectly crispy turkey skin is to rub it with a fat, like butter or oil. Oil will yield a crispier skin than butter because butter is at least 20 percent water, while oil contains no water.

We're talking 425 degrees for 30 minutes before turning it down to 325. “That will help you begin to immediately brown and crisp the skin,” Belle explains.

Don't butter your bird

Placing butter under the skin won't make the meat juicier, though it might help the skin brown faster. However, butter is about 17 percent water, and it will make your bird splotchy, says López-Alt. Instead, rub the skin with vegetable oil before you roast.

The most common complaint about spatchco*cking is that it “just doesn't look right”. Well, we've already established that we don't need to hold onto that piece of ill-gotten nostalgia. The only real drawback is the anatomical aspect of the process.

The Spatchco*ck

Remove the backbone and either discard or save for another use. Locate the breast bone and snip an inch or so in with the shears. Flip the turkey over so it is skin side up.

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Return turkey to oven, and roast, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion of thigh registers 160°F and skin is crispy and dark golden brown, about 2 hours.

Foil wrapping is the answer! This technique helps speed the cooking process and locks in the turkey's natural juices. It helps prevent turkeys from drying out without basting, especially those over 24 pounds.

Should you put water in turkey roasting pan? ›

Place roast, skin side up, on a flat roasting rack in 2-inch deep roasting pan. Do not add water to pan. Roast uncovered according to Cooking Schedule or until meat thermometer in center of breast roast reaches 170° F and in center of turkey roast reaches 175° F.

Impart rich flavor and add moisture to your Thanksgiving turkey by adding a layer of butter under the skin before roasting. Learn how to do this simple (but genius) technique for a delicious Thanksgiving turkey.

Place turkey upside down (back will be up, breast and legs will be pointing down) on the rack and roast until skin on back is deeply browned, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove turkey from the oven, protecting your hands with gloves or a folded kitchen towel, and turn turkey breast-side up.

The herb butter does double duty. Part of it is rubbed under the skin and over the meat of the bird for a major boost in flavor. The rest is melted and brushed over the skin to ensure that gorgeous golden brown exterior.