Have you Spatchcocked a turkey or chicken?

[Imzadi]

It's a process of breaking & removing the backbone of the turkey and flattening it out. Supposedly it cooks faster and there's more room in the oven to put all the side dishes in.

Does it really work? Does the turkey stay moist & tender? What does one do with the stuffing that was supposed to go inside the bird? Do you just place it underneath, on each side? Or should it be baked separately now?

Here is a photo of a spatchcocked turkey and how much flatter it is:

Directions for anyone who wants to try it:

https://www.marthastewart.com/275445/how-to-spatchcock-a-turkey

 

[DLgal]

I have cooked spatchcocked chicken, but I have never actually done it myself. Trader Joe's sells a whole spatchcocked marinated chicken and it DOES cook super fast, with amazing crispy skin and yes, it stays juicy.

Stuffing should never go in the bird anyway. We bake it in a separate pan.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

My DH has done that a couple of years now, but then instead of baking it, he grills it.
It turns out absolutely delicious, and it frees the oven up completely for all the sides.
That is one thing I will miss, having given up meat in early 2018.

 

[amberpi]

I've never cooked that way, although it makes sense. The word "spatchcocked" 100% brings out my inner 12 year old boy though.

 

[stitch'sgirl]

Yes! I always spatchcock my turkeys! One tool you must have is a good pair of poultry shears. I cooked one over the weekend at home (12 lbs, 1 hour 10 minutes) and one at work today for a homeless shelter. The one I did today was 18 lbs and I didn't time how long it took but it was quick. I let the ladies at work taste it and they couldn't believe how juicy and yummy it was! I brined it last night in a ratio of 1/4 cup brown sugar :1 cup kosher salt :1 gallon of water.

Today I dried it with paper towels and rubbed ghee (clarified butter) on it and threw it in a 450 degree oven. Cooked fast and most importantly, evenly. An abundance of crispy skin and seasoned perfectly!! And while the turkey is in the oven, you can throw the backbone in the stockpot and get a jump on that for your gravy.

Try it!! You will never go back!! I promise!

 

[Imzadi]

That is one thing I will miss, having given up meat in early 2018

Are you going to have Tofurky instead?

 

[Imzadi]

The word "spatchcocked" 100% brings out my inner 12 year old boy though.

Notice I made sure to describe it in the first sentence. So people wouldn't be wondering. . .

 

[Imzadi]

Yes! I always spatchcock my turkeys! One tool you must have is a good pair of poultry shears. I cooked one over the weekend at home (12 lbs, 1 hour 10 minutes) and one at work today for a homeless shelter. The one I did today was 18 lbs and I didn't time how long it took but it was quick. I let the ladies at work taste it and they couldn't believe how juicy and yummy it was! I brined it last night in a ratio of 1/4 cup brown sugar :1 cup kosher salt :1 gallon of water.

Today I dried it with paper towels and rubbed ghee (clarified butter) on it and threw it in a 450 degree oven. Cooked fast and most importantly, evenly. An abundance of crispy skin and seasoned perfectly!! And while the turkey is in the oven, you can throw the backbone in the stockpot and get a jump on that for your gravy.

Try it!! You will never go back!! I promise!

Both those ways you prepared it sound great!

 

[tasha99]

I spatchcock chicken all the time and that's what we had for dinner tonight. It's how I get backbones for chicken broth. Usually, I cook in a hot oven, but occasionally I'll grill them that way, too. I like to put salt under the skin, let it cure a while, then put herbed butter under the skin. I have never done that with a turkey, though. The bigger the bird, the better your kitchen shears or knife needs to be.

Edited to add--when I met my husband, he was living in a Manhattan apartment with the smallest kitchen I've ever seen. We got a toaster oven, and I spatchcocked a chicken in it. He said he was stunned (I had to do most of the prep and the cooking in the living room).

 

[Dan Murphy]

My son the firefighter/chef has done it that way several times. Always delicious. Moist, full of flavor.

 

[amberpi]

Notice I made sure to describe it in the first sentence. So people wouldn't be wondering. . .

It's the words that could be innocous that you have to watch for, lol!

 

[Cheetie]

Do it all the time for chicken but call it butterflying to avoid the adolescent giggles from husband and sons.

We usually grill it but I’ve also roasted it in a cast iron pan, starting it on the stovetop breast side down to brown and finishing it in the oven after turning.

 

[NYCgrrl]

It's a process of breaking & removing the backbone of the turkey and flattening it out. Supposedly it cooks faster and there's more room in the oven to put all the side dishes in.

Does it really work? Does the turkey stay moist & tender? What does one do with the stuffing that was supposed to go inside the bird? Do you just place it underneath, on each side? Or should it be baked separately now?

Here is a photo of a spatchcocked turkey and how much flatter it is:

Directions for anyone who wants to try it:

https://www.marthastewart.com/275445/how-to-spatchcock-a-turkey

Been spatchcocking poultry for many many years now. For grilling smaller birds like chicken or Cornish hens I prep the birds much like the picture shown above.

For turkeys I want a different presentation thus remove the wishbone (easier to cut the breast meat off w/o it) and don't break the keel/breastbone. I also cut the entire leg off so I can debone at least the thigh and sometimes the entire leg. Then I reshape the leg meat by stuffing it, and place the back removed breast atop a bed of bread stuffing. I also use a sheet pan to roast the meat but minus the rack so that the meat juices flavor the dressing so it tastes more like stuffing. I tend to loosen the breast skin from the meat to effect crispier skin, place a quarter stick of softened butter between each side of the breast meat and skin followed by a placement of whole green herb leaves or sprigs. Makes a nice pattern as well as seasoning the white breast more; can't stand dry, overcooked white meat as it's just wrong on so many levels.

This cooking method ensures the bird looks Norman Rockwell ish-ish while still being edible and easier to carve and serve.

Oh and if you don't have poultry shears (ask my children what happened to them...sheesh and nooooooo they never thought to buy me a new pair as they aged) to cut the back out, use a well honed meat cleaver instead. Chicken backs are easy to cut out with dollar store scissors but turkey bones are harder. Should you live in the Northeast you can just buy a hotel breast and separate legs at your local supermarket. You'll lose the turkey's oysters with this purchase but nothing else as the giblets and neck are included.

Should you buy a fresh bird at your local butcher have him/her do the cutting and be sure you retain the parts for making stock/gravy. Won't cost you more and a lot of the work is done for you.

Finally, a general tip: do not simmer/boil the turkey liver with the rest of the giblets. It will make your stock and/or gravy bitter. Go ahead and saute it then place it chopped into the giblet gravy. And don't cook the liver hard as a rock; a bit of give when you press it is a good thing.

 

[_19disnA]

Have never cut poultry in half like that, but seems the concept is sound since the bird will cook more evenly and probably in less time. I doubt it has anything to do with making it more moist or tender. Chicken and especially turkeys are large/round irregular shaped pieces of meat, so cooking evenly is easier this way although if you are big on slicing a whole bird at the dinner table, this probably isn't the best option.

 

[kenthanson]

Thats the only way to cook a bird imo. Do it all the time and love it, use a properly calibrated digital thermometer and pull the bird when the breasts are as close to 160 so they are still moist and dont dry out and the thighs are close to 180 so the collagen and fat break down so the dark meat is soft and silky smooth.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Have never cut poultry in half like that, but seems the concept is sound since the bird will cook more evenly and probably in less time. I doubt it has anything to do with making it more moist or tender. Chicken and especially turkeys are large/round irregular shaped pieces of meat, so cooking evenly is easier this way although if you are big on slicing a whole bird at the dinner table, this probably isn't the best option.

Since the spatchcocked bird is now a more regular mass with less highs and lows it will in fact cook more evenly and both the white and dark meat will be tender.

 

[L&Lfan]

I first heard the term in an old Nigella Lawson episode.

 

[AustinTink]

I roast all my chickens this way. Juicy inside and lots of crispy skin. My local grocer sells them already "split" or spatchcocked. I imagine the turkey would be wonderful done this way. Just put your dressing in a baking dish instead of in the bird.

 

[Micca]

When Batman's butler uses this method it's the "Alfred Spatchcock"

 

[Imzadi]

Do it all the time for chicken but call it butterflying to avoid the adolescent giggles from husband and sons.

I like that description much better.