Roasting a Whole Turkey for Thanksgiving is a classic American tradition that many families participate in every year. Not just for the holidays, roasted turkeys and chickens make a fabulous family dinner any time of the year. But roasting a whole, pasture-raised turkey the traditional way can take awhile. If you don’t have quite as much time to invest in your turkey dinner, or are just looking to change it up a little this year, then you may want to try Spatchcock.

Spatchcocking is the method of butterflying a whole turkey or whole chicken so that it can lay completely flat while cooking. This allows the meat to cook more evenly and much more quickly. To Spatchcock your Pasture-Raised Turkey our butcher will remove the backbone completely. Then he will spread the turkey out, skin side up, pressing down hard to crack the breast bone so the turkey can lay totally flat on the pan. You can do this yourself at home with a really good pair of poultry scissors and a little “oomph”, but it does take some strength especially for larger birds.

Give your Spatchcock Turkey a good seasoning rub down, or brine it overnight for a boost of flavor and texture. Roast it, grill it, fry it, smoke it… the choice is yours! For roasting, add a little water in the bottom tray of the roasting pan for added moisture, or dry-roast on a sheet pan with veggies. At 350 degrees, a 10-12 lb Spatchcock Turkey will take about 90 minutes to be roasted to carving perfection. For crispier skin, roast at 400 degrees for another 15 minutes or so, then let the turkey rest before carving it up.

There’s more than one way to cut a turkey… Let us do the work for you! Complimentary custom butchering is available with any order upon request. Contact us to order your Pasture-Raised Turkey and ask us to Spatchcock it! www.JohnHenrys.net