Spatchcocking a Turkey

Caroline will tell you I am a HUGE creature of habit. That I really, really like my yearly traditions -- none moreso than the annual gathering of my college friends for our holiday party, which we were lucky to host this year.

In preparation for the get together, I researched "spatchcocking" a turkey which my friend Aaron told me was the tastiest way he's ever had turkey. Since he's tried cooking a turkey in every conceivable way (and I had yet to cook just one), I went with his advice.

In a video I watched, spatchcock gets its name from olde (like the "e" on the end there?!) English, which means to literally remove the...well the man parts. For a turkey from your grocery store, this means cutting out the backbone, breaking the wishbone, and laying the sucker flat to then cook.

I watched two videos to help get my head around this method:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpG-astKu5s
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ZoC4Tp8Ik

The videos are very simple, but I like to see how different people handle different cooking temperatures, time in the oven/on the grill, different seasonings, etc.

The bird after being brined, spatchcocked, and tented on the grill

I also decided to brine the turkey, which I've never really done before as well. Again turning to YouTube (https://youtu.be/KKr1rByVVCI?t=2m31s), I purchased a giant bucket from Lowe's and let the turkey sit in the brine & ice-water bath overnight.

Obviously prior to all of this, the turkey must be defrosted, so I let it sit in the fridge for about three days (one day per 4/5 lbs is what YouTube said...I know I must be stopped). 

The bird came out still a bit icey, which did make cutting out the spine more difficult than what I'd like, but after sharpening my kitchen knife it went more smoothly.

After the bird was defrosted, brined, spatchcocked, and seasoned, I put it on my gas grill at 300 degrees for about an hour and forty minutes. I then put two burners on the lowest heat possible, turning the other two burners off -- just to keep it warm.

Very happy to report that everyone loved the turkey, and it was a huge hit. The bottom of the bird was a little crispy, but it's mostly bone and parts you're not eating. The other 90% of (the edible parts) were SUPER delicious!

Empty plates = win

Hope this is helpful! It really wasn't hard, but definitely more preparation than anything. 

Merry Christmas!