Roasted Spatchcock Glazed Turkey a tender and juicy Thanksgiving turkey that cooks quicker than a whole turkey. Made with a sweet and savory bourbon brown sugar glaze, this one is a total keeper!
Course dinner, Entree, Main, Main Course, Main dish
112-14 poundspatchcocked whole turkey, neck and gizzards removed (you can use these and the backbone to make stock)
2Tablespoonsolive oil
2largeonions, cut into chunks
4-6whole clovesgarlic, peeled and smashed
4-5sprigsfresh thyme
½cupbourbon
1 ½cupswater
1large pinchKosher salt
1 large pinchground black pepper
Cooking spray
Glaze ingredients
⅔cuplight brown sugar
¼cupwater
½cupbourbon
¼cup soy sauce
1teaspoon garlic powder
2Tablespoonssalted butter
Instructions
Prepare roasting pan
Remove turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking to bring to room temperature.
Drizzle oil onto the bottom of the pan. Place onions, garlic, thyme sprigs, water and bourbon into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle a large pinch of salt and pepper onto the vegetables.
Place rack into the pan and spray with cooking spray.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Make the compound butter and prepare turkey
Combine all compound butter ingredients in the food processor and pulse to combine, scraping down the sides as you go. Store until
Use your hands to go under the turkey skin and gently separate the skin from the meat over the breasts and legs.
Rub ¾ of the compound butter under the skin onto the breast and leg meat. Rub remaining compound butter onto the outside of the turkey on both sides.
Place the turkey into the prepared roasting pan onto the rack, breast-side up. Gently tuck the wing tips under the turkey breasts so they don't burn.
Place an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast making sure you don't touch the bone (if you have a duel thermometer, stick the other into the thickest part of the thigh, being careful not to touch the bone).
Roast, checking the bird every 30 minutes to make sure the skin doesn't burn- if it's getting too dark, cover that part with foil until it's time to glaze. If the water in the pan if getting too low, add an additional cup, but only if needed.
Make the glaze
Once you've put the turkey into the oven, place all glaze ingredients EXCEPT for the butter into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Once boiling reduce heat slightly to medium (so it continues to boil without boiling over) and continue boiling for 10 minutes, whisking periodically
Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter until melted. Set aside, it will thicken slightly as it sits.
Once the turkey breast temperature reaches 130 degrees, take a brush and glaze all over the turkey skin every 8-10 minutes until the turkey breast reaches an internal temperature of 161 degrees.Rem
Remove turkey from oven and place onto a large cutting board. Rest for 25-20 minutes.
While the turkey rests strain turkey drippings to add to your gravy (this is optional but highly encouraged).
Once rested, carve turkey and serve immediately.
Notes
Make sure you rest your turkey for 1 hour prior to roasting to bring it closer to room temperature for even cooking.
Don't worry about serving bourbon to those who are too young to drink. The alcohol burns off as it cooks. If you don't want to use bourbon, you can always substitute with turkey or chicken broth.
The cooking time for the turkey will vary based on the exact size of the bird and your oven. Mine took around 90 minutes, but go by temperature not time.
Where to insert the thermometer probe- for this recipe we'll insert it into the thickest part of the breast, making sure not to hit the bone. Typically, people insert the probe into the thickest part of the thigh when making a whole bird because when you leave a turkey whole, the breast cooks quicker. But because the bird is spatchcocked and lays flat for this recipe, it cooks more evenly and the breast is the thickest part overall.
Check the turkey periodically while it's in the oven to make sure it's not browning too quickly. If some spots are browning too quickly, cover those spots with foil until it comes time to glaze.
To make a turkey gravy- make a roux by melting 5 Tablespoons butter and whisking in 5 Tablespoons of flour. Whisk together and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 quart of turkey broth along with pan drippings and cook over medium heat until thick.
Don't skip the 30 minutes of resting time before carving- this allows the juices to redistribute within the turkey, resulting in nice, juicy meat.
Don't throw out the bones and carcass, you can add them to a pot and cover with water- add vegetables and the herbs of your choice and after an hour you'll have a great broth for making turkey soup.