This spatchcocked turkey recipe with American BBQ Spice Rub is an easy way to make a gorgeous roast turkey with crispy skin and juicy meat. The flavour in incredible! I'll show you how to spatchcock a turkey, dry brine it for crispier skin and roast it at a gentler temperature so it stays wonderfully moist-no basting needed! Save this for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any special occasion!
About This Spatchcocked Turkey With BBQ Spice Rub
This spice rub turkey uses a simple but delicious American BBQ spice that turns a gorgeous dark brown in the oven but has the added hidden benefit as the turkey is cooked at a slightly lower temperature so that it remains juicy and moist. This means that you get that delicious burnished finish but without drying out the turkey or basting. We also spatchcock and flatten the turkey which means that it cooks in around half the time!
Some people find roasting turkey intimidating but really, a turkey is just a large chicken in how you treat it. And the spice rub is an aromatic mix of smoked and sweet paprika, brown sugar, garlic and onion powder and it forms the most gorgeous coloured "crust" on the turkey so it looks perfectly browned all over.
You don't need to cook turkey at a high temperature to achieve a uniform browned crust!
Why I Love Spatchcocking Turkey (and Chicken!)
Spatchcocking is the process where you cut out the backbone and lay the turkey or chicken flat. Think Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken.
This process allows the skin to crisp up all over. Usually with a whole roast chicken, the bottom isn't as crispy as the top but spatchcocked turkey's skin is entirely crispy.
It requires less time for roasting.
You can also season the underside of the turkey so that every inch is flavoursome!
Step 1 SPATCHCOCK- Place the turkey (3kg/6.6lb) breast-side down, with the parson's nose facing you, on a chopping board. You can feel or see the backbone on the turkey. Using a sharp pair of kitchen scissors, cut out the backbone by cutting down both sides through the ribs. Turn the turkey breast-side up and press firmly down on the breastbone to flatten it.
Step 2 DRY BRINE (OPTIONAL) - Lay the turkey out flat on a tray lined with three layers of paper towels and a rack. Press paper towels on the skin to remove any moisture and then lightly season with the extra salt (separate from the salt in the spice rub). Place uncovered in the fridge overnight.
Step 3 SPICE - Preheat oven to 150C/300F fan forced or 170C/340F conventional and have the rack ready in the centre of the oven. Place the sweet paprika (4 tablespoons), smoked paprika (2 tablespoons), Annatto powder (1 tablespoon), brown sugar (2 tablespoons), garlic powder (1 tablespoon), onion powder (1 tablespoon), black pepper (2 teaspoons), salt (2 teaspoons), cayenne pepper (1 teaspoon), ground cumin (1 teaspoon) and chilli powder (1/2 teaspoon) in a bowl or jar and mix together.
Step 4 BUTTER - Place turkey on a tray or chopping board. Using gloved hands, separate the skin from the breast and thigh. Insert softened butter (120g/4oz) into these crevices.
Step 5 SPICE RUB - On the dry turkey (no need to use oil or butter) rub in a generous amount of the spice rub on the underside and then flip over and repeat on the top.
Step 6 ROAST - Roast on a rack uncovered for 1 hour 30 minutes (I actually roasted it for 1 hour and 45 minutes just because I like the meat well cooked). But let the thermometer determine when it is finished rather than the time: the internal temperature should reach 75C/167F at the thickest part, without touching bone. Brush with the rendered fat at the bottom of the tray. Cover with foil and rest for 30 minutes before carving.
Substitution notes:
Try this recipe with a whole chicken if it's just the two of you!
Tips For Making A Spatchcocked Spice Rub Turkey
1- I first practised spatchcocking (removing the backbone) on a quail, then a chicken,then a turkey (smaller is easier!). It isn't hard as long as you have a pair of sharp kitchen scissors.
2 - This spice rub quantity is enough for up to a 5kg/11lb turkey.
3 - Annatto powder can be found at Filipino stores (under brand Mama Sita's), at spice shops or online at Amazon. If you can't find this, you can omit it.
4 - It is important to rest the turkey for 30 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before carving. If you carve it too early, the juices will spill out.
I think I found turkey intimidating because growing up we never had turkey and my only experience with turkey was through comedy movies where the turkey was often half frozen when they were carving into it or they hadn't thawed it in time and they were busy trying to thaw it in the sink while guests were about to arrive. Turkey meant panic to me!
And if you have the same qualms about turkey I promise that this recipe actually calms down any turkey anxiety borne from a childhood watching these movies. I think I actually subconsciously based it on all of those movies where the turkey had to cook all day long only to be raw inside!
Plus if you love to cook turkey and chicken a bit longer so that there's no chance of pink (like me!), this doesn't dry out at all. I remember every time I worked at the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre serving refugee clients lunch, everyone wanted the well cooked, burnished parts of the chicken, not the pale ones!
So tell me Dear Reader, do you have turkey anxiety? And do you prefer the more cooked pieces?
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