Spatchcock Turkey with Cider Maple Glaze and Smoked Maine Sea Salt.
Your poultry roasting life will change forever when you learn to spatchcock a turkey (or chicken, for that matter.) It might sound rather, er, personal, but spatchcocking is a relatively simple method of flattening out a football-shaped bird to aid in quick, even cooking and rich, crisp skin. All you need is a pair of good poultry shears, a clean, dry bird free of innards laid on a solid workspace.
Here’s how to do it.
Position the bird breast-side down on your workspace.
With your shears, cut through the ribs and along one side of the backbone from stem to stern. Repeat on the other side.
Remove the back bone (and the wish bone, too, for easier carving later) and flip the bird over opening it up on your workspace.
Place both hands on the bird’s breast and give a good THUMP cracking open the bird so it will lay mostly flat. If you want, detatch the wings and roast them along side the flattened bird for easier serving.
Now prepare the roasting pan.
A rich turkey, prepared with a little herb butter under the skin and covered with glaze can be a smoky affair in a hot over. To keep the alarms quiet (and add some flavor,) I like to line my sheet pan with foil then scatter raw carrots, onion and celery sliced the long way beneath a rack.
I make about 4T worth of herb butter, with sage or thyme (or both) and rub it gently under the breast skin of the turkey. After being generously salted and peppered on both sides, the bird goes on the rack, breast up ready to roast. You’ll want your oven hot (450º F) with glaze and silicon brush ready to go. Once the bird is in the oven, plan to glaze it every 10 or 15 minutes to build up a savory, crackling finish.
For a 12-14 pound bird, you’ll cut your usual cooking time in half. Plan around 80 minutes with a generous 20 minutes or so of rest before carving to allow the juices to reabsorb into the flesh. An instant read thermometer ought to read about 150º which is plenty for a moist yet properly cooked turkey.
To serve, slice the breast and dark meat and arrange on a platter with turkey wings akimbo. Sprinkle smoked, flaked salt over the meat, garnish with seasonal things like maple leaves and fresh herbs or fruit (I like Maine Sea Salt from Machias, Maine in Maple flavor for this recipe.)
Cider Maple Glaze
Making glaze couldn’t be easier and there’s really no wrong way to do it. For this preparation, I minced up about a tablespoon of fresh sage and combined it in a sturdy sauce pot on the top of the stove with about two cups of fresh apple cider and a cup of maple syrup. (I like B grade syrup better than the delicate light amber grade A for its stronger flavor and richer color.) Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to slow bubble. Let the glaze boil down to about half its original volume or until the mix has a thickened, syrupy consistency. Should take about 20 minutes. Watch it carefully, however, and give it a stir once in a while so that it doesn’t boil over or burn.
