🦃

Thanksgiving Spatchcock Turkey

Ingredients

Gear

  • Brine bag
  • Kitchen sheers
  • Large container that can fully submerge your turkey (stock pot, 5 gallon bucket. etc)
  • One durable, sharp ass knife

Brine

  • Brine bag
  • Brine solution (nothing fancy: go for the salt & herb mix)
  • 1 gallon of apple cider
  • Other aromatics (crushed garlic, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, fresh cut apples, oranges, or whatever you want)
  • Ice (5lb)

Turkey

  • Any sized bird
  • Mirepoix (carrots, onion, celery)
  • Unsalted butter
  • Thyme
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Salt & Pepper

Instructions

Thaw the Turkey (fridge)

The preferred method. Set it and forget it.

⏲️ Thaw Timing

Allow 1 day for each 4-5 pounds.

Steps

  1. Put the turkey with plastic wrapping still on into a large enough baking dish (must be at least 3” tall)
  2. Put the whole setup into your refrigerator
  3. Allow for 1 day of thawing for each 4-5 pounds of your turkey

Panic Thawing (water)

You done goofed and don’t have time to fridge thaw. All good, though. You can water thaw and brine your turkey at the same time.

⏲️ Thaw & Brine Timing

Here is how long you should brine and thaw your turkey. You can go up to 16 hours total.

Turkey Size
Time
12 pounds
8 hours
13 pounds
8 ½ hours
14 pounds
9 hours
15 pounds
9 ½ hours
16 pounds
10 hours
17 pounds
10 ½ hours
18 pounds
11 hours
19 pounds
11 ½ hours
20 pounds
12 hours
22 pounds
13 hours
25 pounds
14 ½ hours

Steps

Brine

  1. Heat the gallon of cider of the stove
  2. Add brine solution and aromatics once lightly boiling
  3. Take off the stove and let sit until room temp (couple hours)
  4. Once the turkey is thawed, put it into the brine bag
  5. Put the turkey and brine bag into the large container
  6. Pour the brine solution over the turkey until it is submerged
  7. Add 4-5lb of ice

Turkey