Fastest Roast Turkey

Great success, thanks! Two issues 1) Skin was perfectly crisp until I let the bird rest by "tenting" with foil. But, the steam created by the foil tent made the skin less crispy. Why tent? And, 2) When breaking down the bird, tell people the back-bone has two knobs of meat that should definitely NOT go into the stock pot, rather saved... for the cook. Scoop out and reserve for the next day (when everybody is gone), poach in some clarified butter and open up that good bottle of wine.

19lbs in 1hr 15min + resting. I cook the bird breast down. 425* for 30 min, 350* for 30 min, turn it breast up for 15 min. Internal temp 165* in the thigh. Let it rest at least 30 min (more is better) while anything else cooks. Nearly no juice on the carving board (it's all in the meat) Brown all over. I just salt & pepper & rosemary or thyme. No basting. No pre-butchering. Easy to carve. A Norman Rockwell looking turkey.

This is a fabulous way to make a turkey, We cooked two 13-pounders instead of one 25-pounder. They were moist and cooked through in an hour and a half.

Growing tired of deep fried turkey and dreading the traditional roasting methods, when I found this, I thought I would give it a try. It was PERFECT. I will never roast another turkey any other way but this way. I actually took a variety of spices, salt, and pepper, mixed them with olive oil and rubbed each piece down. Also used the traditional celery and onion pieces along with carrots, lemon, and apple in the roaster for a different twist. Again, thanks.

I spatchcock the turkey and then cut in half. I do not separate the legs from the breasts. One goes in the oven and the other on the grill. Great way to do it for Thanksgiving. Fast .

One addendum--break the bird down the day before and let it sit (loosely covered if need be) in the fridge--dries the skin out and helps it get even crispier.

The easiest & best tasting turkey I ever made thanks to this recipe! To make it even easier, I had the butcher do the spatchcocking and they were happy to oblige. I highly recommend this method to all with small kitchens and no counter space to spare for carving a large bird. Thank you to the NYT for all your Thanksgiving help.

Made this for TG, came out great! Just one thing - as indicated, a primary reason to cook turkey this way is to make room in the oven. After I turned the oven down for the second phase of roasting, I popped a couple of dishes in to heat up. However the roasting time was extended significantly. I should have guessed that, but I didn't. next time I will adjust the cooking time to accomodate more in the oven.

For those living "at altitude" (I'm @ 5430), roasting times can be tricky. Here's what I did: 1) separated dark & white meat onto two roasting trays 2) poured chicken stock under dark parts, placed breast in turkey roaster bag 3) started dark at 425 for 10 minutes before adding breast for another 25 4) turned down to 325 for another 40 minutes. First time I ever had meat that was properly cooked, thus avoiding our traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Argument.

Tenting does soften that crispy skin. I merely put a sheet of alum foil on top and did not "tent" it and it came out better. I also rested it only 15 mins, as they are in pieces they dont need to rest as long as a whole bird. In any case I prefer turkey less than hot so ....

You can also cook the spatchcocked turkey on a rack in your roasting pan with cut up root veggies and onions in a small amount of cider beneath rack. Will take only about 15 minutes longer to cook! Fabulous!

I have made a few turkeys (and chickens) this way, and they were perfect: crispy skin, juicy meat-omg. A 12 pound turkey is the MAX to fit on a half sheet pan. I dry brined each for 2 days uncovered and did not separate the legs and wings. Take the time to find a bird that was raised humanely, don't skimp- it's a special occasion. It actually looks pretty cool when serving as opposed to the traditional whole bird. Great technique!

We made this today for a Thanksgiving lunch for three (a covid Thanksgiving). We only had two legs, and we added a bit of broth at the bottom of the pan because I was afraid there was not going to be enough juice to baste. It turned out perfect. It was easy, fast, and delicious. A keeper.