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Main Dishes

Dry Brined Spatchcock Turkey

This dry brined spatchcock turkey will be your Thanksgiving centerpiece! Say goodbye to dry and flavorless turkey from here on out.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients

Dry Brine

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt*
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
  • 2 teaspoons ground marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Turkey

  • 12-14 lb fresh or heritage turkey spatchcocked (see above)
  • Dry Brine recipe above
  • 4 oz 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 large carrots chopped
  • 4 celery ribs chopped
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 1 bunch fresh sage
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Gravy

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • Turkey Drippings
  • 3 cups turkey stock see above for instructions, warmed
  • Kosher Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Whisk the dry brine ingredients together in a small bowl.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place the turkey, breast side up, on the sheet. Using your fingers, separate the skin from the meat of the turkey. Rub the bird all over with the dry brine, including under the skin and on the underside of the bird. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 24 hours, but 2-3 days yields the best results.
  • Preheat an oven to 400 F. In a large roasting pan or a large rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, mix the onions, carrots, and celery together. Top with the bay leaves, sage, thyme, and rosemary. Remove the dry brined turkey from the fridge and place it on top of the veggies. Smear the softened butter all over the skin and under it, evenly coating the turkey.
  • Roast until a probe thermometer registers 165 F at the thickest part of the thigh and 155 F at the thickest part of the breast, about 70-80 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board and lightly tent with foil. Rest 20-30 minutes before slicing.
  • Pour the turkey drippings from the pan into a heat-safe container, pressing on the veggies to extract as much as possible. Set aside for the gravy.
  • To make the gravy: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in all the turkey drippings. Whisk in the warm turkey stock until totally smooth with no lumps. Bring to a simmer and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes, until desired thickness. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

You can increase the size of the turkey to 14-16 lbs. Increase the salt in the brine to 3 tablespoons and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
If you're using a finer salt than kosher salt, reduce the amount by half.

Nutrition

Serving: 4ozCalories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 28gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 1000mgSugar: 2g