Dry Brined Spatchco*ck Turkey Recipe | The Feedfeed (2024)

FAQs

Should you dry brine or Spatchco*ck first? ›

If bringing you should spatchco*ck the bird first, as it will expose more of the meat, make rinsing the brine quicker, not to mention it will be much easier to accommodate a flat turkey in a container or brining bag than the whole Tom.

For turkeys smaller than 16 pounds, estimate 1 pound per serving (this accounts for bone weight). For larger birds, a bit less is fine; they have a higher meat-to-bone ratio. But if your goal is to have ample leftovers, aim for 1½ pounds per person whatever the turkey's size. For 8 people, buy a 12-pound turkey.

Pat It Dry

Use paper towels and get the skin "as dry as possible" before doing anything else. And if you're wondering, no—you don't need to rinse the bird, whether it's been dry-brined or wet-brined, before adding more seasoning and roasting.

While properly brining a turkey won't make it too salty, it does add salt to the meat. If you then add a salty rub or injection marinade you can end up with a turkey too salty to eat. For this reason, if you are brining your bird, make sure you rinse it thoroughly after it comes out of the brine.

You can add seasonings/rubs at the same time or after you dry brine.

The smaller the bird, the higher that percentage may be. For smaller gatherings, Jessie recommends scaling up to 2 pounds per person to maximize leftovers (more on that later). “For four to six people, 11 to 13 pounds is a good range,” Jessie says. (Most of our recipes call for a 12-to-14-pound bird.)

To buy the right size turkey for your party, simply tally up the turkey-eating guests. Add a few pounds on for bones and you've got your turkey weight. For example, 8 hungry people will require at least 12 pounds, but you might want to skew to a 14-pound turkey to be safe.

While opinions differ, in general, most will tell you that you should plan to serve between 1 and 1.5 pounds of bone-in turkey per person, whether that's a whole turkey or just the bone-in breast.

That extra moisture helps ensure that the meat doesn't go dry during cooking. The salt in the brine will also flavor and tenderize the meat so that it takes less time to cook. For the tastiest turkey with crispy skin, go with dry brining.

What to do after dry brining turkey? ›

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).

A spatchco*cked whole turkey will cook more quickly than a standard turkey. While the spatchco*ck turkey cooking time will depend on the size and oven temperature, 6 minutes per pound is a good rule of thumb. Depending on the size of the turkey, cook times are estimated between 60-90 minutes.

Two days before serving, rinse turkey and pat dry. Rub all over with kosher salt, slipping salt under skin where possible and rubbing some into cavities. Use about 1 tablespoon per 4 pounds of bird.

A dry brine imparts a richer, more intense flavor directly into the meat because of the close contact between the dry-rub mixture and the turkey meat. A wet brine adds more moisture to your turkey.

I recommend brining your chicken before you spatchco*ck it. Coat your chicken in garlic and herb butter, then bake it breast side up until golden brown and cooked through. Use a probe thermometer to make sure you've reached the correct internal temperature. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes, then carve and serve.

Place the chicken, breast side up, on a baking sheet and rub the chicken all over with the dry brine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours. Rinse the chicken thoroughly with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

A simple method to ensure the chicken cooks evenly is to flatten it. Before brining, place one chicken breast at a time in a sealable clear bag and beat it with a meat mallet/tenderizer (over a cutting board) until the chicken breast is about 1/2 inch thick all around.

Once seasoned, you'll want to place your steak in the refrigerator uncovered on a baking rack for at least one hour and up to two days to allow the salt to work its magic. A baking rack or similar is necessary to allow airflow on both sides of the steak.