A spatchcock turkey – you could also call it a butterflied turkey – is a very simply, a whole turkey with the backbone removed and the bird flattened for cooking.
OK … so why would you do this to a turkey?
In addition to amazing your friends and family, there are several other advantages to spatchcocking a turkey (or a chicken, for that matter!)
Have you ever ended up with a turkey breast that is dry by the time the thighs and legs are at 165°F? By flattening the turkey with the legs out to the sides, the thighs and drumsticks are more exposed, which means that they cook faster. This allows the dark meat to reach a higher temperature than light meat, so the turkey cooks evenly and the white and dark meat finish together.
Also, all the turkey’s skin is exposed to the full heat of the EGG at the same time. With none of the skin underexposed, you end up with juicy meat and crispy skin for the whole bird.
Because it is flattened, a spatchcocked bird doesn’t use as much vertical space in the EGG. That leaves room for adding an EGGspander 2-tiered rack, so you can cook several sides above the turkey. And here’s a tip: once you take the turkey and sides off the EGG, use that residual heat to cook you holiday desserts!
