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Summary
It seems that this year, lots of food bloggers have been experimenting with spatchcocking, a “method of preparing the bird involves removing the backbone and sternum of the bird and flattening it out before cooking.” There are some excellent tutorials on exactly how to butcher your bird in this way, and I particularly like the boys of The Bitten Word’s version here. After looking at several recipes I cobbled together instructions from both The Bitten Word and Serious Eats to create the recipe that made Tom such a star on Christmas Eve. The most glorious part about spatchcocking? Our bird took only 90 minutes to cook. Beat that!
Servings
8 people, approximately
Prep Time
12 hours, 0 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the brine
- 1 handful sage
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 handful rosemary
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon roughly cracked black peppercorns
- 1 handful thyme
- 1 tray ice cubes
- 1 gallon water
For the herb butter
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cold
- 1 handful rosemary, chopped
- 1 handful thyme, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 handful sage, chopped
Turkey
- Olive oil
- 1 12-pound-ish turkey
Instructions
- For the brine: Combine all the ingredients, except the ice, in a pot and stir on medium heat until the salt and sugar combine. After the salt and sugar have dissolved, turn off the heat and add a tray of ice cubes to the mix to quickly cool down the brine. Prepare your turkey for brining by removing the gizzards (you can save that for the gravy) and place it in a brining bag, a clean plastic bag that will cover your turkey or a large container that will fit your turkey. Brine the turkey overnight, up to 24 hours.
- For the herb butter: Place the garlic and herbs in a shallow bowl with the cold butter on top. Using a fork, mash the butter into the herbs until evenly distributed. If prepared in advance, empty butter onto a piece of saran wrap. Using the wrap, shape the butter into a rough log shape and refrigerate until ready.
- For the turkey: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove turkey from brine, rise and pat dry. Using a small, sharp knife, make small incisions in each armpit, then gently use your fingers to loosen the skin from the meat to create a pocket running down to the legs. Don’t tear the skin, if possible. Make another incision at the hip, if necessary. Carefully insert the herb butter into your pockets. Press from the outside to smooth and evenly distribute.
- Transfer the turkey to a rimmed baking sheet, breast side up. Brush or rub turkey all over with olive oil. Roast, rotating sheet halfway through and basting twice, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let stand for 20 minutes before carving.
