Juiciest Spatchcocked Turkey

Step 1

Line a large rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Very coarsely chop the vegetables and scatter them over the pan. Set aside.

Step 2

Place the turkey on a large cutting board, breast side down. Pat the turkey dry with some paper towels to make it easier to handle. Use a large pair of sharp poultry shears to cut the backbone out of the tukery. Start at the tail and cut up one side of the back bone, then proceed to the other side. Some bones may be a little tougher to cut through, so you may have to use both hands on the shears. You can also use a chef knife for this, but I find the shears much safer and easier. (You can discard the backbone or use it to make stock for gravy.)Then flip the turkey over and place both hands firmly in the center of the breast and press down with considerable force to flatten the turkey. the flatter the better. It may take a few tries and you'll probably hear some bones breaking. You can also now remove the excess skin around the neck and tail if you like. Place the turkey on top of the vegetables.

Step 3

In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, poultry seasoning, pepper, and salt together. Dry the turkey again with a few paper towels then liberally brush the entire turkey (including the inside) with the mixture. You can even rub some under the skin of the breasts for even more flavor. Then tuck the wings tips under the turkey to keep them from burning.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 450°F and allow the turkey to rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes while it preheats. Cook the turkey for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes (rotating the pan about halfway through cooking) or until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F (the breast should read about 155°F) when tested with a meat thermometer. The residual heat with continue to cook the bird once it's out of the oven, so the temp will rise more even after being taken out. If you find the turkey starting to burn, you can alwasy reduce the heat a bit or cover the darkest part of it with aluminum foil to keep it from getting too brown. Each turkey and oven is a little different so you may need to make some minor adjustments as it's cooking to make sure it's cooked completely without drying out.

Step 5

Allow the turkey to rest for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute then carve as normal.