Recipe: Serious Eats’ J. Kenji López-Alt Spatchcocks His Turkey

Spatchcock a what? You may not know what the term means, but spatchcocking—or butterflying—results in faster, more even cooking without drying out your turkey. Just try it! (Photos by J. Kenji López-Alt Traditionalists may be taken aback by the very notion of anything less than a beautifully stuffed turkey as the crowning centerpiece of their elaborate Thanksgiving dinner tables. But to brine or not to brine? Wet or dry brine? Free-range or Butterball? Deep-fried or oven-roasted? These are the questions that plague American households every year around this time.

Roasted, Butterflied Turkey

Yield: Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
1 whole turkey (12–14lbs), butterflied—backbone, neck and giblets reserved (see Kenji’s video below)
3 large onions, roughly chopped (about 6 cups)
3 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
4 stalks celery, roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
6 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken or turkey stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
12 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
2 tbsps vegetable oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Tools
Kitchen shears
Instant-read thermometer
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan with aluminum foil. Scatter two-thirds of the onions, carrots, celery and thyme sprigs across the bottom of the pan. Place a wire rack or slotted broiler rack on top of the vegetables.
Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Loosen the turkey skin from the breasts (see page 586). Rub the turkey all over and under the skin with 1-tablespoon of oil. Season liberally all over with salt and black pepper (go easy on the salt if the bird was dry-brined). Tuck the wing tips under the bird. Place the turkey on the rack, arranging so that it doesn’t overhang the edges, and press down on the breastbone to flatten the breasts slightly.
Roast, rotating the pan occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 150°F, and the thighs register at least 165°F, about 80 minutes. If the vegetables start to burn or smoke, add 1-cup of water to the roasting pan.
While the turkey roasts, make the gravy: Roughly chop the neck, backbone and giblets. Heat the remaining 1-tablespoon of oil in a 3-quart saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add the chopped turkey parts and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining onions, carrots, celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften and brown in spots, another 5 minutes or so. Add the stock, the remaining thyme, the bay leaves and bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer into a 2-quart liquid measuring cup or a bowl; discard the solids. Skim off any fat from the surface of the stock.
Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, add the stock in a thin, steady stream until it is all incorporated. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced to about 4 cups, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover and keep warm.
When the turkey is cooked, remove from the oven and transfer the rack to a rimmed baking sheet. Tent the turkey with aluminum foil and allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before carving.
Carefully pour any collected juices from the roasting pan through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup or a bowl. Skim off the fat and discard. Whisk the juices into the gravy.
Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.