Juicy Dry Brined Spatchcock Turkey

close up of served turkey parts and slices of turkey breasts on a platter

4.87 from 59 votes

Juicy Dry Brined Spatchcock Turkey

This spatchcock turkey recipe is the perfect way to cook a juicy, tender, flavorful turkey in a fraction of the time it usually takes to cook a turkey -- only an hour and a half! I also show how to spatchcock the turkey as well as dry brine it so it's amazingly juicy and full of flavor inside and out with fantastically crisp skin. Absolute holiday perfection!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 30

Brining Time8

Total Time9 50

Course: Holidays

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 113kcal

Author: Eden Westbrook

Equipment

Ingredients

1 13 lb-16 lb whole turkey, giblet bag and neck removed

Citrus Dry Brine

2 large oranges finely zested
3 lemons finely zested
2 limes finely zested
⅓ cup kosher salt
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

Herb Butter

8 tablespoon clarified butter or ghee
3 stems of fresh thyme leaves off the stem and finely chopped
2 stems of fresh rosemary leaves off the stem and finely chopped
4 sage leaves finely chopped

Instructions

Spatchcock the Turkey

OPTIONAL: Using a sharp paring knife, locate the wishbone in the neck area of the turkey. Gently cut around the wishbone, cutting it from the neck.
1 13 lb-16 lb whole turkey, giblet bag and neck removed
Flip the turkey onto its breasts, so the backbone is facing up. Using sharp poultry shears, start at the butt end and cut up each side of the spine until its completely removed. Save the spine as well for turkey stock.
Flip the turkey breast side up, then use the heel of your palm to crack the breastbone and make the turkey lay flat. Flip the thighs and legs onto the top of the bird.

Make the Citrus Dry Brine

In a small bowl, mix the orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest, kosher salt, pepper, and light brown sugar together well.
2 large oranges, 3 lemons, 2 limes, ⅓ cup kosher salt, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
Dry the skin of the turkey well with a paper towel, then generously rub the dry brine mixture over all the skin and the flesh on the underside. Place the turkey on a wire cooling rack on top of a large baking sheet and let brine uncovered in the fridge overnight, about 8-10 hours at least.

Make the Clarified Herb Butter

Melt the clarified butter in a saucepan over low heat or in a microwave with the chopped herbs. Set aside
8 tablespoon clarified butter or ghee, 3 stems of fresh thyme leaves, 2 stems of fresh rosemary leaves, 4 sage leaves

Roast the Turkey

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Pull the turkey out of the fridge 30 minutes to 1 hour before roasting, this helps get the chill off the as the cold will result in tougher meat.
Blot the skin of the turkey gently with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture on the skin. Take a pastry or silicone brush and liberally brush the herb butter all over the skin.
Roast the turkey on the wire rack on the baking sheet in your preheated oven. Keep an eye on the turkey breasts, put aluminum foil over the turkey breasts if they're becoming too browned too quickly.
Roast the turkey for 90-110 minutes, or until a meat thermometer put into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
1 13 lb-16 lb whole turkey, giblet bag and neck removed
Remove from the oven and let rest and cool for 40 minutes before serving.

Notes

Pro Tips for the Best Turkey

Need some visuals on carving your spatchcock turkey? Check out this video on carving a spatchcocked turkey from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt for help.

If you're using a frozen turkey - let it thaw for 24 hours per every four pounds. So if Thanksgiving is on Thursday, you need to pull the turkey out of the freezer by Saturday at the latest for a 16 pound bird!
Keep the 'unwanted parts' for gravy - Keep the neck, giblets, and spine for amazing turkey neck gravy or giblet gravy!
Do not use a larger turkey for this recipe - 16 pounds is as large as I would go; the larger the bird, the harder it is to control the timing and the cooking temperature. And that's just my rule for turkey in general!
In fact, if you're feeding more than 12 people, I say go for two smaller birds. you can cook both in the oven at the same time and you will be able to control them easier than one gigantic bird.
Remove that red 'thermometer' in the breast - Those 'pop up' thermometers found in common commercial turkeys are meant to pop up at 185 degrees! An entire twenty degrees higher than what it needs to be, no wonder turkey ends up so dry and flavorless all the time!
Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh until it reads an internal temperature 165 degrees F. Bonus points for using an instant-read thermometer.
Don't want to fuss with clarified butter? Vegetable oil or another high-smoke-point oil like grapeseed, avocado, or peanut oil works well.

Nutrition