Last year we had an 11 pound turkey for the family and I took his bones out and cooked him on a big cookie sheet.

This year I am doing a 20 pound bird for 4 adults and 3 kids and some sandwiches the next day.

I can't remember, but I think I rubbed it down with room temp butter, and then put my bird rub on it.

Bird Rub

1 part salt
1 part paprika
1 par onion powder
1/2 part black pepper

If you have never spatched a bird before. Here is the process.

1. lay it on it's back and split the rib cage in the center.

2. Carefully skin away the ribs, spine and other bones from the carcass, but do not make another hole in the bird.

Last year I cooked it for 3 hours at 150C with a fan. I flipped it and basted it regularly.

This year with a 20 pounder, I am not sure I will be able to flip it. But I will continue to baste. My plan is to cover it with aluminum foil instead of flipping it for the first 2-3 hours then pull the foil off the last hour.

Make sure your final flip leaves the bird skin up so you can get good quality eating skin.

Sounds pretty darned good, Seth. I keep meaning to try spatchcocked chicken on the grill.
Doing a Thanksgiving ham this year, though.

The flavor it brings out is really amazing.

I do the chicken thing. I use a heavy brick wrapped in foil placed on the topside of the bird. Cooking time is shorter and the skin is crispy. The breast of a turkey may be too thick for my way of doing. Still beats baking and basting all morning and getting a dried ole bird.

Brine that turkey overnight and that will take care of the dry issue. Loosening the skin over the breast and putting pats of butter in before baking does not hurt either. I have never heard of spatchcocked before, so I guess I will have to look it up!

It only takes about 15-20 minutes to do a big turkey.

I have never done a chicken.

This is the 1st year that I can remember when I don't have the kids + Grandkids coming over + you know what? I'm glad. I still love them of course but I'm getting tired of doing the feast. I think that the 2 of us will just do what I had planned as a casserole of ham + cheesy scalloped potatoes (I use heavy whipping cream in lieu of milk; it makes all the difference.)

My kids have been sick, and my parents are 80 and 71 and had plans to drive the 1000 miles down from Wyoming to New Mexico starting today.

So between the kids illness and the big storm that is in Utah headed there way, we got a Thanksgiving off from family. Love my parents but they are drama, so that was a Turkey day blessing.

We are thinking of going to Tucson for the weekend.

After a post a few years ago about the place in Texas that brines turkeys a week before smoking I have started to extend my brine time. Everyone seems to think the turkey is moister. This year they caught me by surprise. I wasn't going to do the turkey and then was told over the weekend it was up to me. Turkey should be thawed by the time I get home tonight. I'll start the brine and then smoke early Thursday morning.

Tom

I will be here in the Caprivi for Thanksgiving, so no turkey for me. Lord knows how far away the nearest turkey is!

In the past, I've used those "steam in " plastic bags + you just bake like normal but when it comes out it falls off the bone w/ no carving + is extremely moist. Easy too.

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This is the 1st year that I can remember when I don't have the kids + Grandkids coming over + you know what? I'm glad.

Wow, that's me this year as well! Feels nice not having to work like a slave getting ready, then working non-stop while everyone eats, sleeps and tears up the house!

I guess that's one of the few perks we get for dying of old age.

If you put the spatchcock turkey over a rack, then over a pan, air circulating around the turkey makes it cook so much quicker! If you have a convection oven, even quicker. Check the temp often or use a thermometer that can be read outside the oven. IIRC my 15 lb turkey took less than 2 hours. A brine was a good part of the flavor and texture. but nothing beats deep fried turkey.

This side of the pond we Spatch-Cock chicken by cutting down either side of the back bone and the flattening the the breast. So you end up with a flat or "Roadkill" chicken with the breast in the middle surrounded by the wings and legs.

But one dish I really want to do when I get a bit of time is a Dodine de Carnard. Michel Roux shows you how. You could do the same with a wild turkey or goos and lots of game meats inside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svarqrEML_U

quote:

Originally posted by Heym SR20:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svarqrEML_U

Thank you for sharing that, to me that is a beautiful piece of holiday food.