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A spatchcock turkey on a piece of parchment paper.

How to Spatchock a Turkey

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  • Author: Erin Jensen
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 turkey 1x
  • Category: How-To
  • Method: Counter Top
  • Cuisine: American

Description

How To Spatchcock A Turkey – a simple, step-by-step tutorial that will teach you how to confidently spatchcock your own turkey!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 fresh turkey (ensure fully thawed)
  • cutting board (cover with plastic wrap or parchment)
  • kitchen shears

Instructions

  1. Prep the turkey by removing any gizzards that are stuffed inside the cavity. Remove the hock handle, if it is there. 
  2. Flip turkey over so that it is breast side down.
  3. The backbone will now be running right down the middle of the turkey. Take a pair of sharp kitchen shears and cut along one side of the backbone.
  4. Then cut along the other side of the backbone.
  5. Remove the backbone (feel free to freeze it and use it the next time you make homemade turkey broth OR you can put it in the bottom of your pan while cooking your turkey).
  6. Next, cut into the cartilage at the top of the breastbone so that when you flip the turkey over it will lay flat.
  7. Alternatively, you can carefully flip the turkey over and press down in the middle, towards the top of the breastbone and the breastbone will simply crack, allowing you to lay the turkey flat.
  8. Now you are ready to cook your spatchcock turkey however you want! We love this Juicy Spatchcock Turkey recipe or this Roasted Spatchcock Turkey!

Notes

  • Good Cooking Shears: Sharp cooking shears are a great tool to have in your kitchen.  Here is a link to a high quality option
  • What if I don’t have shears: I have actually used a solid pair of scissors successfully! Although I wouldn’t recommend it and if your scissors aren’t strong enough they may break (so do so at your own risk).  I have never tried using a knife, but I am sure you could also use that (carefully).