This dry brine spatchcock turkey recipe will give you a juicy, delicious turkey. It’s an easy recipe that features simple spices and seasonings you probably already have at home, too. It’s so simple and so incredibly flavorful, you’ll never want to prepare a turkey any other way—especially if you combine this brine with this compound butter at the time of baking. Don’t feel like baking your turkey? That’s OK! You can also use this dry brine recipe to prepare your spatchcock turkey for grilling or smoking!
Spatchcocking, also known as butterflying, a turkey has become an increasingly popular preparation method in recent years. By removing the backbone and flattening the bird, a spatchcock turkey cooks much faster than a traditional roast turkey. But to ensure the meat stays moist and well-seasoned, brining is a key step. Here’s what you need to know about brining a spatchcock turkey.
Why Brining is Essential
Brining is the process of soaking meat in a saltwater solution, usually for several hours or overnight. This allows the turkey to absorb extra moisture and seasoning resulting in a more flavorful, tender and juicy finished product.
Without brining, turkey meat can easily dry out while cooking. The high temperature dries out the lean breast meat in particular. Brining helps the meat retain moisture and prevents this drying effect.
Additionally, brining provides the opportunity to infuse lots of flavor. Aromatics like brown sugar herbs spices, citrus and garlic can all be added to the brine. These seasonings get pulled into the turkey as it soaks, seasoning the meat throughout.
So brining is key for a spatchcock turkey to help it stay juicy and pack a flavor punch. Skipping this step would mean missing out on the full benefits of spatchcocking.
How Long to Brine a Spatchcock Turkey
Most experts recommend brining a spatchcock turkey for 12-24 hours. Shorter brining times don’t allow the turkey enough time to fully absorb the brine.
A full 24 hours of brining is ideal for maximum moisture retention and flavor in a spatchcock turkey. This extended brining time is possible because spatchcocking speeds up the cooking so much.
For a traditional roast turkey that cooks for 4+ hours, you only want to brine for 8-12 hours. The longer cook time could result in overly salty meat if brined for a full day. But with a spatchcock turkey that may cook for only 1-2 hours, you can comfortably brine for a full 24 hours without making the meat too salty.
How to Brine a Turkey
Brining a spatchcock turkey is very easy. Here are the basic steps:
-
Make a brine by combining water salt, brown sugar and your choice of aromatics like peppercorns, herbs, citrus garlic, onions, etc. The precise measurements aren’t strictly necessary. Just combine enough water and salt so the water tastes lightly salty, and flavor it boldly with whatever aromatics you like.
-
Place the turkey in a container large enough to hold it and the brine. A cooler, stockpot or clean bucket works well.
-
Pour the cooled brine over the turkey until it is fully submerged.
-
Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, flipping the turkey halfway through.
-
Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it and pat it dry. Discard the used brine.
And that’s it! After a day of brining, your spatchcock turkey will be perfectly seasoned and ready for roasting.
Spatchcocking the Turkey
Once your turkey has brined, it’s time to spatchcock it. This involves removing the backbone with kitchen shears and flattening out the bird. Here are the steps:
-
Place the turkey breast-side down on a cutting board. Using sharp kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it.
-
Flip the turkey over so the breast side is up. Press firmly on the breast to flatten the bird. This will crack the breastbone so the turkey can lie flat.
-
Tuck the wing tips under the breast and arrange the legs so the thighs and drumsticks lay as flat as possible against the pan.
-
Transfer the spatchcocked turkey to a rimmed baking sheet. The bird is now ready for seasoning and roasting.
Roast the Spatchcock Turkey
With the turkey brined and spatchcocked, roast it in a 425°F oven until the thickest part of the breast reads 165°F on a meat thermometer. Basting the turkey with melted butter or oil every 30 minutes will help achieve crispy skin.
The flatter shape of a spatchcock turkey means it will roast much faster than a whole turkey. A 12-15 lb spatchcock turkey only needs about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes in the oven.
Rest the turkey for 15-20 minutes before carving and serving. Then you’ll have a flavorful, juicy and tender spatchcock turkey meal the easy way!
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you brine a kosher turkey?
You can brine a kosher turkey, but it’s not strictly necessary. Kosher birds are already salted as part of the koshering process. So they don’t need the moisture retention benefits of brining quite as much. Still, brining a kosher turkey can add extra flavor if you wish. Just reduce the salt in the brine.
Can I brine a frozen turkey?
Yes, you can brine a frozen turkey! Just make sure it is completely thawed first. Figure about 24 hours of thawing time in the fridge per 5 pounds of turkey. Once thawed, brine as you normally would.
Do I rinse the turkey after brining?
Always rinse and pat dry a turkey after brining. This removes any excess salt and brine residue from the skin before cooking. Skipping this rinse can result in overly salty meat.
How long can a brined turkey sit in the fridge?
A brined turkey is safe in the fridge for 1-2 days. After brining, rinse the turkey and return it to the fridge until ready to cook. Cook within 48 hours for food safety.
Can I stuff a spatchcock turkey?
Because of the flattened shape, it’s tricky to stuff a spatchcock turkey. It’s best to cook stuffing or dressing separately to serve alongside the carved turkey.
Get the Most from Your Spatchcock Turkey
Brining is clearly a key step when spatchcocking a turkey. Allowing the bird to soak for a full day results in well-seasoned, tender and moist meat when roasted. With the backbone removed and the bird flattened, a spatchcock turkey cooks remarkably fast. Brining and spatchcocking together deliver a flavorful holiday-worthy turkey with minimal effort.
Why I love to dry brine turkey:
If your turkey isn’t brined, it’ll be dry. The end.
I said what I said, and the only question remaining now is to dry brine or to wet brine? Decisions, decisions!
While they’re both great ways to tenderize and pack tons of flavor into meat, dry brine and wet brine work very differently.
So for today, we’ll focus on dry brining a turkey.
I’m just a huge fan of dry brining turkey. It makes the bird so much more flavorful than wet brining because your seasonings are right there in direct contact with the meat, and there’s nothing to “dilute” it.
And if your bird is spatchcocked, it’s all the better because you’ll have even more surface area to spread your dry brine on. You can reach the whole back of the breast a lot better, ensuring it’s properly seasoned, AND you can lift a whole lot more skin to spread dry brine beneath so it’s directly on the flesh.
Plus, dry brining is far easier and more manageable, too, because you don’t have to make three times the amount of space in the fridge to store a huge and heavy bucket full of liquid that can potentially spill. (Believe me, I’ve seen it happen, and… it’s not the prettiest). So, if you’re new to brining or cooking a turkey, this is the method I recommend.
All in all, dry brining, if done correctly and for the correct amount of time, yields a very juicy and moist turkey.
So, let’s just get to it!
How to dry brine a turkey
TIP: Before you get started on this dry brine spatchcock turkey recipe, make sure you have space in your refrigerator. Since this dry brine turkey recipe takes 1-3 days to brine, you’ll need to keep it in the fridge that long.
In a small bowl, measure in the kosher salt, smoked paprika, ground achiote pepper, dried thyme, dried oregano, onion powder and garlic powder. Whisk to combine, and set aside.
Once you’ve spatchcocked your turkey, lift the skin with your hand and use a boning knife to pierce the flesh under the skin on both sides of the bird (as shown in the above and in the video).
This will help the flavors penetrate in the thick parts of the meat.
Use your hands to spread the dry rub mixture all over the turkey.
You want to rub it on the skin itself, as well as gently slide your fingers beneath the skin to spread the mixture evenly across the meat, too.
This will ensure that everything gets that wonderful flavor, and the flavor can soak into both the skin and the meat itself.