Spatchcocked, Primal Turkey?

1/4 of a Turkey :) — as with all pictures, click to enlarge

Note: Here is the first post I mention spatchcocking … in that post I was cooking a chicken.

I could easily spatchcock a chicken in less than a minute, it is SO easy, quick and simple.  I have done it numerous times now and really … there is no reason to ever buy ‘chicken parts’…. unless there is a sale price.

Click on the pictures, they really do look much better at original size. :)

So … I got to thinking, “How could I cook a turkey that would be unique and ‘primal’?

I thought about grilling …  it may not be common but it’s certainly not unique.

Then it hit me… what if I grill a spatchcocked TURKEY!! …  who knows, it may be a common practice but I’d never heard of it so that’s what I decided to do.

I mean… what’s more PRIMAL than cooking a turkey on an open flame??? Am I right???  :)

Here is a link to the video I watched regarding spatchcocking a chicken, the author does a great job of demonstrating the technique.  I would not cut off the skin and fat as the author does.

 

Spatchcocking a Turkey


1) This Spatchcocking video is not a ‘how to video’, it really only shows half the process.  I did remove the turkey’s spine and eventually the keel or chest plate… but I ran into difficulties while removing the chest plate. The video only has the spine removal.

** Had I done this inside, on a counter top or chopping block… it would have been much better.

To be honest… the part of the video excluded here… would probably be comical… but I was getting aggravated at the time and cut off the recorder. :)

 

 

2) Next video is the Turkey on the grill, freshly placed on the grill.

 

Pictures of the Spatchcocked Turkey

 

 

 

The pictures above and below are 1/2 a turkey.   As you can tell from the scale below, this was not a large turkey, 12.5 lbs.

 

Summary:

1) Preparation:  While the spatchcocking did not go as smoothly as I would like … it was not that big of an issue.  The next time it will go MUCH smoother…. I’ll bring a hammer with me for the spine removal and a paring knife for the breast plate.  :)

The Turkey cooked for about an hour with a 15 minute cool down and all meat was done… perfectly.

2) Taste: WOW … the grilled turkey’s flavor was second only to Cajun Fried Turkey.

Next time I will massage a butter and Tony Chachere’s mixture and inject it as well … and that will only enhance the flavor.   I expect it to be equal to a Cajun Fried Turkey at that point. :)

… grilled turkey SKIN!!! … so good… WOW!! :)

3) Moisture:   The dark meat was MOST EXCELLENT! … however the breast meat was fine for me, but some may find it too dry.

I do believe the massaging and injecting of butter and Tony Chachere’s will add even more moisture next time. :)

I did brush Extra Virgin Olive Oil (any good fat will do including coconut oil) on the turkey several times to make sure it stayed moist.
I will definitely do this again … it was a great experience.  Since it was a beautiful, sunny and warm day … and I did 183 weighted squats while waiting for the bird to cook. :  #BonusAction :)