A spatchcocked roasted turkey is not only juicy and flavorful, but it also cooks in less time.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Dry-Brining Time: 1 dayday
Total Time 1 dayday2 hourshours
Servings 10
Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by J. Kenji López-Alt
Equipment
Rimmed Baking Sheet
Immersion Blender or Blender
Wire Cooling Rack
Meat Thermometer
Large saucepan
Medium Saucepan
Ingredients
Turkey for Dry Brine:
8-10lbwhole turkeybackbone removed, neck, giblets, and backbone reserved for the gravy.
6tbspkosher coarse saltI used Morton's
For Roasting:
2celery ribschopped
1large onionchopped
1large carrotor 2 small
Herb Mayonnaise:
1 ½cupsgood mayonnaise
1cuploosely packed fresh parsleystems reserved
½cupsage leavesstems reserved
2tbspfresh thyme or oregano leavesstems reserved
2green onionschopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepperto taste
For the Gravy:
2tspvegetable oil
2celery ribschopped
1large oniondiced
1large carrotchopped
2clovesof garlicsmashed
Reserved backboneneck, and giblets from the turkey, roughly chopped
11/2quartschicken stock or turkey stock
Reserved stems from herb mayonnaise
2bay leaves
4tbspbutter
1tbspsoy sauce
Instructions
Spatchcock the turkey by following the step-by-step instructions in link up above.
Dry brine the turkey by patting the spatchcocked bird down with paper towels on both sides until it's nice and dry.
Carefully loosen the skin from the breast of the turkey going through the neck, until you can slide your hand between the skin and the breast meat. Season each turkey breast with 1 teaspoon of the kosher coarse salt, spreading it over the entire breast. Sprinkle the remaining salt evenly over every surface of the turkey. Place the turkey skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
Make the herb mayonnaise while the turkey is dry-brining by placing the mayonnaise, parsley, sage, thyme, green onions, lemon zest, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper in a tall container. Blend with an immersion blender until relatively smooth and pale green. Seal with a lid and refrigerate until needed.
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to roasting to let it rest while the oven preheats.
Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle then preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Scatter the roasting veggies--chopped celery, onion, and carrots on a rimmed baking sheet then place a wire rack directly on top of the veggies. Place the dry-brined turkey on top of the wire rack, skin side down.
Prepare the turkey by slathering 1/2 cup of the herb mayonnaise mixture with your hands over the exposed side of the turkey, making sure to lightly coat every surface.
Flip the turkey over, skin side up, spread the legs out to the sides and tuck the wing tips under the breast. With your hands, spread a couple of tablespoons of the herb mayo between the skin and meat of the breast. Slather the rest of the turkey generously with the herb mayonnaise, getting it into every nook and cranny.
Roast the turkey by placing it into the oven to roast until the breast meat registers 150 degrees on a meat thermometer at the deepest point of the breast next to the breastbone, and the thigh bone registers at least 165 degrees at the center joint between the drumstick and thigh or thigh and hip), 80 to 90 minutes, rotating halfway through cooking. Side Note: If any skin starts to darken too much, tent the turkey loosely with foil.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
Make the gravy while the turkey roasts by heating the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the celery, onion, carrot, garlic, chopped turkey parts, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.
Add the stock, herb stems, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until reduced by about half, or until the turkey is done roasting.
Strain the stock mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, once the turkey has finished roasting and is resting. Tilt and strain and collected liquids from the baking sheet the turkey roasted on to the same bowl, discarding the veggies from the baking sheet. Skim off and discard most of the excess fat from the liquid.
Finish the gravy by heating the flour and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk until the mixture is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Ladle the stock mixture into the saucepan, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Once the stock is added, bring the gravy to a simmer until the desired consistency. Stir in the soy sauce and season to taste with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.