# Spatchcocking **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634 "2014-11-25T23:03:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/1 "2014-11-25T23:03:19Z")
Sounds so dirty, doesn’t it? Basically, cut the backbone out of a turkey and bake it. 😉 Has anyone tried this? And is it worth the [effort](http://www.nytimes.com/video/dining/1194833563448/roast-turkey-in-45-minutes.html)? Mark Bittman introduced this several years ago Kenji Lopez at Serious Eats [here](http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/11/how-to-spatchcock-cook-turkey-thanksgiving-fast-easy-way-spatchcocked.html) ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/2 "2014-11-25T23:09:31Z")
We do this every year now. It makes a pretty fine bird. We use Alton Brown’s recipe. > **[Butterflied, Dry Brined Roasted Turkey with Roasted Root Vegetable Panzanella](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/butterflied-dry-brined-roasted-turkey-with-roasted-root-vegetable-panzanella-recipe-2125794)** > > Get Butterflied, Dry Brined Roasted Turkey with Roasted Root Vegetable Panzanella Recipe from Food Network ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/3 "2014-11-26T00:27:20Z")
I did it last year. I had a really hard time with the removal of the backbone. The various videos I looked at make it look so easy! I also was unable to break the breastbone by applying downward pressure. Nonetheless, the results were quite tasty. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/4 "2014-11-26T00:32:32Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I did it last year. I had a really hard time with the removal of the backbone. The various videos I looked at make it look so easy! I also was unable to break the breastbone by applying downward pressure. Nonetheless, the results were quite tasty. Our first year doing it was rough we felt like we were wrestling the damn thing–we tried using kitchen shears to cut the spine out and that did not go great–now we use a sturdy knife and just saw it out. (use the neck and the spine to make turkey stock for dressing) One year when I was away on trip during Thanksgiving, my wife did it by herself. For cracking the breastbone, just put the turkey on the ground and treat like you are doing CPR. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/5 "2014-11-26T00:43:07Z")
Never done it with a turkey, but do it all the time with chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/6 "2014-11-26T01:15:14Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > We do this every year now. > > It makes a pretty fine bird. > We use Alton Brown’s recipe. > [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/butterflied-dry-brined-roasted-turkey-with-roasted-root-vegetable-panzanella-recipe.html](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/butterflied-dry-brined-roasted-turkey-with-roasted-root-vegetable-panzanella-recipe.html) Yeah, Alton Brown showed the world how to butterfly poultry almost 10 years before Bittman did, but the latter seems to get all the credit out there in cyberspace. I think Bittman’s video from 2012 seems to have gone viral. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/7 "2014-11-26T01:18:00Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > For cracking the breastbone, just put the turkey on the ground and treat like you are doing CPR. My husband the retired paramedic is cooking the turkey this year, and wants to try spatchcocking. He greatly appreciates this tip. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/8 "2014-11-26T02:14:31Z")
Going to smoke the turkey for the first time this year and that was the technique recommended by the site I decided to go by. So I’ll get back to you with my opinion. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/9 "2014-11-26T03:04:40Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Yeah, Alton Brown showed the world how to butterfly poultry almost 10 years before Bittman did, but the latter seems to get all the credit out there in cyberspace. I think Bittman’s video from 2012 seems to have gone viral. BFYI, ittman did this in the NY Times in 2002[http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/20/dining/the-minimalist-turning-your-slow-lane-turkey-into-a-roadrunner.html?pagewanted=print](http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/20/dining/the-minimalist-turning-your-slow-lane-turkey-into-a-roadrunner.html?pagewanted=print). I really like Bittman’s stuff in general. My wife doesn’t want to try it but I have it on my list. We’re using Alton Brown’s traditional turkey recipe with brining. We are having a couple of Chinese families over for their first thanksgiving. Only trouble is we’ve only made our own thanksgiving turkey once before…Regardless it will be fun. Thanks for the replies. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/10 "2014-11-26T03:24:36Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > BFYI, ittman did this in the NY Times in 2002[http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/20/dining/the-minimalist-turning-your-slow-lane-turkey-into-a-roadrunner.html?pagewanted=print](http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/20/dining/the-minimalist-turning-your-slow-lane-turkey-into-a-roadrunner.html?pagewanted=print). I really like Bittman’s stuff in general. > > My wife doesn’t want to try it but I have it on my list. We’re using Alton Brown’s traditional turkey recipe with brining. > > We are having a couple of Chinese families over for their first thanksgiving. Only trouble is we’ve only made our own thanksgiving turkey once before…Regardless it will be fun. > > Thanks for the replies. Okay, I was wrong. Alton Brown only beat Bittman by 3 years. 😉 I thought he first did it in 2008. Have fun with the technique. I’ve only done it one time with a turkey, but I used to do chickens that way on the grill all the time. It makes for a good bird, with more crispy skin than the traditional method. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/11 "2014-11-26T12:41:32Z")
Big fan of using this method for cooking a bird of any size. I find it reduces the cooking time somewhat and provides a consistantly crispy skin. Also makes cutting up the bird much easier. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/12 "2014-11-26T13:55:15Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > We do this every year now. > > It makes a pretty fine bird. > We use Alton Brown’s recipe. > [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/butterflied-dry-brined-roasted-turkey-with-roasted-root-vegetable-panzanella-recipe.html](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/butterflied-dry-brined-roasted-turkey-with-roasted-root-vegetable-panzanella-recipe.html) I did this last year, best turkey I have ever eaten. That includes deep fried turkeys. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/13 "2014-11-26T14:56:28Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > BFYI, ittman did this in the NY Times in 2002[http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/20/dining/the-minimalist-turning-your-slow-lane-turkey-into-a-roadrunner.html?pagewanted=print](http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/20/dining/the-minimalist-turning-your-slow-lane-turkey-into-a-roadrunner.html?pagewanted=print). I really like Bittman’s stuff in general. > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Okay, I was wrong. Alton Brown only beat Bittman by 3 years. 😉 I thought he first did it in 2008. Spatchcocking goes back to at least the 18th century. Neither Alton nor Bittman wins this fight. That said, I like the technique, though I do think it’s a bit overrated. When it comes right down to it, if you’re going to spatchcock, you might as well just go all the way and cook a whole cut-up chicken/turkey. That way, you can pull the breasts off when they’re done and cook the dark meat a bit more. Spatchcocking is sort of this weird in-between thing between a whole bird and a cut-up bird. Whole birds win when it comes to ease: you just need to roast them. Cut-up birds are a pain to cut up, but you can cook each piece to the perfect temp. Spatchcocking involves the pain of cutting up the bird and the pain of not being able to cook the dark meat/white meat separately. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/14 "2014-11-26T15:37:58Z")
I spatchcocked the typical 14 lb bird, I took a heavy rolling pin to the breastbone. I did this in order to grill it evenly – putting legs and thighs flat, lowering the breast to the fire, that sort of thing. People who saw the bird couldn’t stop laughing – it looked to them as if I’d had raped the bird, what with the way its legs were splayed. I’m like – seriously – do you want it tenderized, or not. If you can think of a method that’s more thought, I’d like to hear it. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/15 "2014-11-26T17:48:35Z")
Big fan of it for chickens in all forms. Grill/oven/wood fired oven/smoked. Haven’t done it for a turkey, but it’s really just a bigger version of the same, and there is no reason it would work just as well. Season both sides, and all will be well, in half the time. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/16 "2014-11-26T17:51:42Z")
I’m not going to spatchcock the turkey. (Oh, how that _sounds!_😃 ) I must have stuffing. I stuff a turkey every year! (Oh, how that… Never mind.) But I do have a chicken in the freezer. I may attempt spatchcocking it when I get to cooking it… which will be quite a long time from now. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/17 "2014-11-26T17:57:39Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > Sounds so dirty, doesn’t it? > > Basically, cut the backbone out of a turkey and bake it. 😉 I read that as baking the backbone, and I couldn’t think of any way to make it palatable 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/18 "2014-11-26T18:08:26Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > Never done it with a turkey, but do it all the time with chicken. I first read this as “do it all the time with _children_.” That would be some tasty meal! ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/19 "2014-11-26T19:12:00Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Spatchcocking goes back to at least the 18th century. Neither Alton nor Bittman wins this fight. I’m talking about who introduced it to the modern day general public, and they both are certainly responsible for popularizing it. Nobody here is claiming either person invented the technique. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634/20 "2014-11-26T19:13:10Z")
I always have a good set of lopping shears handy for the ribs. It’s much quicker than trying to use the reciprocating saw. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spatchcocking/705634.md?page=2)