Dry Brine Spatchcock Turkey With Herb Butter

Why You’ll Love This Spatchcock Turkey Recipe

A spatchcocked turkey that is dry brined and finished with herb butter is my absolute favorite way to cook a turkey. It’s the best!

• Results in a turkey with crispy skin and juicy, flavorful meat.
• Takes just 90 minutes (or less) to cook!
• A super delicious way to cook your Thanksgiving, Christmas or holiday turkey!

In This Post

We are going to be covering a lot here! I’ve made it easy to skip directly to a specific section by providing links to the main topics below.

• Equipment Needed
• What is Spatchcock Turkey & Benefits
• How To Spatchcock a Turkey
• How To Dry Brine a Turkey
• Step-by-Step Roast Spatchcock Turkey
• How To Carve
• What To Serve With It
• Ways To Use Leftovers
• Recipe Card

Equipment Needed

To make this roast spatchcock turkey recipe, you will need the following equipment:

• Baking Sheet: A regular rimmed, uncoated baking sheet (half-sheet sized)
• Wire Rack: An oven proof, stainless steel wire rack that is designed to fit inside your baking sheet. Make sure the rack you use is not coated and oven safe to high temperatures. This wire rack is perfect for the job. You can also buy it as a baking sheet and rack set if you need both.
• Poultry Shears: A sharp pair of poultry shears are required if you are spatchcocking the turkey yourself.
• Digital Meat Thermometer: A digital meat thermometer is the best way to ensure a perfectly cooked turkey.

What Is Spatchcock Turkey?

So you might be wondering what the term “spatchcock” even means (it is a funny little word). To “spatchcock” a turkey simply means to remove the backbone which results in a flattened turkey. So a spatchcocked turkey is just a whole turkey that has had its backbone removed. The turkey is then opened up and laid out flat before roasting. A spatchcock turkey is sometimes also called a butterflied turkey.

Benefits Of Spatchcocking Your Turkey

So why would you spatchcock a turkey? Here are 5 amazing reasons!

• Cooks Faster: Spatchcocking your turkey speeds up the cooking process – takes about half the time of the traditional method. The flatter surface cooks more evenly and can handle higher heat.
• Crispier Skin: All of the skin faces upwards and is evenly exposed to the heat resulting in more golden, crispy skin. It’s so good!
• Evenly Cooked, Juicy Meat: Since the turkey is flat, it cooks much more evenly. Both the breast and leg meat can be done at the same time resulting in juicier meat.
• Takes Up Less Oven Space: A flat turkey naturally takes up less space in the oven.
• Make Ahead Gravy: You can use the removed backbone to make this delicious Make Ahead Turkey Gravy recipe. The backbone and neck can be used to make a flavorful broth which allows you to make an amazing gravy in advance (just add in some turkey drippings before serving).

How To Spatchcock A Turkey

Ask the butcher to do it!!! This is my method of choice since it is obviously the easiest. Just make sure to tell the butcher to give you the backbone they cut out so that you can use it for broth or gravy.

If having a butcher do it for you isn’t an option, here are the steps to spatchcock a turkey yourself:

• Remove the neck and giblets from inside the turkey.
• Using a sharp pair of poultry shears, cut out the backbone of the turkey. Place the turkey breast-side down and cut along both sides of the backbone to remove. Hold onto it for your turkey gravy.
• Cut a small incision on the cartilage that is between the two breast bone. Optional: You can also remove the whole wishbone to make carving easier later.
• Flip the turkey over so that it is breast-side up and using both hands, firmly press down on the breast bone to flatten out the turkey (you will hear it crack). Trim off any excess fat or skin you might see near the neck and cavity areas.

You can also watch the process in this great short video I found: Click here to watch!

What size turkey is best for spatchcocking?

A 12-14 pound turkey is ideal since anything larger is difficult to fit on a baking sheet once flattened out. If you need more turkey than this, just roast two 12-14 pound birds. Or you can cut a large turkey in half down the middle and put each half on separate baking sheets (due to the larger breast size, you will probably need to decrease the cooking temperature and increase the time though).

How To Dry Brine A Turkey

To dry brine a 12-14 pound turkey, combine 3 tablespoons kosher salt with 1 tablespoon baking powder and sprinkle it all over the outside and underside of the turkey. You may have extra salt mixture. You want to sprinkle on an even layer all over the turkey but it doesn’t need to be a really thick layer. Discard any extra you might have.

Set a wire rack on top of a baking sheet and place the turkey on top, skin-side up. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1-3 days. For really crispy skin, remove the plastic wrap and leave uncovered in the fridge for the last 12-24 hours.

Note: Make sure to use a natural turkey for this recipe. Dry brining is not suitable for a pre-seasoned or self basting bird. I like to order a local turkey from the butcher shop since it also provides the added bonus of having them spatchcock it for me. If you are in the US, ButcherBox is another option for sourcing a quality turkey.

What does brining do?

Brining improves a turkey’s ability to retain moisture. With dry brining, the salt first draws out the juices and then reabsorbs into the meat and starts breaking down tough muscle proteins, resulting in tender, juicy meat that is seasoned throughout.

Wet vs Dry Brining

There are 2 types of brining: wet and dry. Wet brining is done by placing the turkey in a big container of salted water whereas dry brining is just sprinkling the bird with a salt mixture. I like to dry brine since it is easier, less messy and results in crispy skin. There is no need to worry about water or turkey juices slopping around like there is with wet brining.

What kind of salt should you use?

Use kosher salt! The granules are larger and easier to distribute. Table salt is too fine and will make the turkey too salty.

Why is there baking powder in the dry brine?

Baking powder helps to make the skin crispy and who doesn’t love crispy skin!?! Adding some baking powder to the dry brine mixture (1 part baking powder to 3 parts kosher salt), raises the skin’s pH levels which allows the proteins to break down more efficiently. The result is crispier, more evenly browned skin.

Important! Make sure to use aluminum free baking powder since it has a neutral taste. DO NOT accidentally grab baking soda or your turkey will have a horrible metallic taste.

Do you rinse off the dry brine?

No – don’t rinse it off! The salt will be absorbed and rinsing the turkey will ruin your chances of the perfect crispy skin by undoing all the surface-drying achieved in the dry brine process.

How long do you dry brine a turkey?

Let turkey dry brine for 24 to 72 hours.

Step-By-Step Roast Spatchcock Turkey

Now that we have discussed how to spatchcock and dry brine in detail, let’s walk through the full process of making this delicious roast turkey recipe.

Spatchcock the turkey: Details on how to do this are discussed in detail above.

Create pockets under skin: Using your fingers, gently separate the skin of the turkey from the breast and thigh meat to create pockets. Go in through the bottom of the breast and work up along both breast halves and thighs. Be careful not to tear any holes or detach the skin from the turkey entirely.

Dry brine the turkey: The process is discussed in detail above. You basically just sprinkle on a mixture of kosher salt and baking powder and pop the turkey in the fridge. So EASY!!

Bring turkey to room temperature: Take turkey out of the fridge 1-2 hours before roasting and pat dry with a paper towel.

Make herb butter for turkey: Mix chopped sage, thyme and rosemary into some softened butter. Spoon some under the skin of the turkey breasts and thighs. Massage the remainder all over the turkey.

Roast: Place turkey on a wire baking rack fitted over a foil-lined baking sheet. Pour 2 cups of water into the bottom of the tray to prevent drippings from smoking (along with some chopped onions, carrot and celery for more flavorful drippings). Roast turkey at 450F (425F convection) until a thermometer reads 150F on the breast and at least 165F on the thickest part of the thigh (about 90 minutes or less). If the skin is perfectly browned before the meat is cooked, just cover loosely with foil.

Tip: Place foil on the oven rack below to catch any excess drippings. Sometimes as the turkey cooks a leg can splay out a bit over the edge of the baking sheet causing drippings to fall to the bottom of the oven which can smoke.

Rest: Allow the turkey to rest 20-30 minutes before carving.

Carve + Enjoy! Carve the turkey and enjoy! I like to serve mine with this Make Ahead Turkey Gravy and Cranberry Orange Sauce.

Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.

Spatchcock Turkey Cooking Time

How long does it take to cook spatchcock turkey? It generally takes about 90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes) for a 12-14 pound turkey but can also sometimes take less time especially if the turkey is on the smaller end of the size range.

My biggest tip is to always use a meat thermometer! It’s the best way to know when your turkey is cooked perfectly.

How To Carve A Spatchcock Turkey

I find carving a spatchcocked turkey to be a lot easier than a whole turkey. Watch this video to see how it is done.

• Remove the leg and thigh from each side by slicing through the joints.
• Remove the wings.
• Remove the breasts by starting at the breast bone and cutting the turkey breast away from the bone. Repeat on the other side. Then cut each breast into slices.
• Arrange everything on a platter.

What To Serve With It

Serve your turkey with this delicious Make Ahead Turkey Gravy and Cranberry Orange Sauce as well as your favorite holiday side dishes. Here are a few ideas:

• Garlic Butter Green Beans
• Maple Roasted Delicata Squash
• Roasted Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad
• Winter Holiday Salad with Pomegranate Dressing
• Instant Pot Acorn Squash

Ways To Use Leftovers

Don’t toss that turkey carcass when you are done! Transform it into this delicious Turkey Bone Broth (stock) and then make this Easy Turkey Soup with the broth and leftover turkey.

Make sure to also go check out these Leftover Turkey Recipes for tons of amazing ideas to help you transform your turkey leftovers into something delicious!

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