It’s that time of year again here in the United States, when we sit around a large table, stuff our faces and argue politics and religions. Remember, the people you piss off at Thanksgiving are people you won’t need to buy Christmas gifts for in December. ? In anticipation of the big day, here are …
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Roasted Spatchcock Turkey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons Kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons dried sage
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 whole turkey (10-14 pounds)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Rimmed baking sheet, rack
In a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle, crush together pepper, salt, sage and rosemary and add to brown sugar. Set aside.
With a sharp knife or scissors, remove the backbone of the turkey, flip over and press down on the breast bone to break and flatten. I wasn’t quite strong enough, so I turned the bird over, scored the bone, flipped it back and tried again, this time it broke easily. I then trimmed off the wing tips. See my notes below on what to do with the back and wing tips.
Place the bird flat, breast side up, on the rack in the baking sheet. Make a paste with spices and olive oil. Rub with spice mix and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Roast for 15 minutes, and then reduced temperature to 375 degrees F. Cook an additional hour or until the temperature of the thickest part of the breast reaches 160 degrees. Remove from the oven, tent with foil and let rest for 15 minutes (during this time the bird temperature will reach 165 degrees and thighs should be 175 degrees).
Carve and serve.
NOTES: I took the back, wing tips, neck and giblets, covered them with water and simmered them for about an hour. I then used the broth for both the stuffing and gravy. I also cooked the stuffing in the oven, in a baking dish, uncovered, with the turkey after I have turned the oven down to 375. They finished up about the same time.
This is a great technique for wood grilling or smoking. I have grilled one on my wood pellet grill and it turned out great.
More Recipes: We have a bunch, a peck, a bushel, of Thanksgiving recipes, including my favorite Upside-Down Cranberry Cake (here), No-Boil Mashed Potatoes (here), and Non-Traditional Sides (here), click on this link for all the other recipes or search by name or ingredient in the search box at the bottom of the blog.
Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! – TaMara
Just an FYI (shameless plug) next year there will be another seasonal cookbook featuring holiday recipes. Summer to Fall Cookbook is still available with a lot of useful menus to get you through winter.
Now it’s your turn. What are your Thanksgiving plans? What food must absolutely be on the table for your Thanksgiving dinner? What is your least favorite? And of course, share some of your favorite, super-secret family recipes!