If you have never heard of it before, ‘spatchcock’ just sounds intimidating. Is it a person, place, or thing? Some terrorizing Halloween thing?
Buahahahaha!
No. It’s just something I have never attempted to do before: splitting open poultry to lie flat for grilling or baking.
And now … I’m going to do it for the first time on this year’s Thanksgiving turkey!
Thanks to the inspiration from Chef Josh Gale and his Crispy Edges emails to me, I have been emboldened to do turkey like a pro this year!
Chef Josh convinced me that baking a whole turkey dooms the breast meat to be dried out – that by opening the bird to lie flat allows all areas to cook more evenly by being equidistant from the heat source. To top it off, spatchcocking dramatically shortens cooking time!
But could I spatchcock a turkey? After watching this video, I ordered my heavy duty kitchen shears to do the job.
It’s going to be fun following a new way of handling turkey baking this year. While I have not had horrible problems with dry breast meat using the old method, I wanted to take out the cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for the-best approach during the big reveal … I mean, you never know …
Next week, I will share the results.
In the meantime, I highly recommend a (paid) subscription to Chef Josh’s Crispy Edges. He is full of easy prep ideas and recipes that ramp down the stress factors and ramp up flavor, making for a relaxed cook and host!
Always happy to share something good!
What will you be sharing with others in this season of Thanksgiving? I especially enjoy the tradition of going around the table sharing with others what each person is thankful for.
Gratitude creates happier hearts and minds, rebalancing the hormones that circulate in our bodies.
Do you practice gratitude? Regular entries into a simple gratitude journal or slips of paper in a blessings jar can make a big difference in how we feel about and react to the circumstances of our lives.
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all – whenever you celebrate it – and please know Sheree and I are grateful for all of you!
In health –
Deidre