Reclaim your holiday oven space by making spatchcocked turkey on the grill!
Free up some valuable oven space and cook your holiday turkey outdoors this year on your grill! By spatchcocking (butterflying your turkey) you’ll see that it cooks much more evenly and quickly than when roasted whole in the oven, with the added advantage of crispy skin and smoky flavor from the grill. Once you’ve had this spatchcocked turkey, oven-roasted turkey will be a thing of the past! This recipe is naturally low-carb and friendly to both paleo and keto diets.
Lemon Sage Spatchcocked Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 large bunch fresh sage
- juice of 2 lemons
- sea salt, large pinch, large pinch
- fresh ground pepper, large pinch
- 1 organic young turkey, spatchcocked with backbone removed (save yourself the trouble and have your butcher do this!)
Instructions
- If brining, brine overnight and then pat dry. (See notes below for a fantastic all-purpose brine recipe.)
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, herbs, salt, pepper, and lemon juice with an immersion blender.
- Next, lay the turkey out on a big cutting board or plate and spread it out. Slide your fingers under the skin and separate it from the meat for placement of butter. Slather butter underneath the breast, legs, etc- anywhere you can get butter underneath the skin- this is what is going to keep it moist (this is the least fun part but the results are worth it!).
- Heat your grill to 350 degrees, creating a direct and indirect zone. Grill the turkey on the indirect side, flipping halfway through, until an internal read thermometer reads a 160 degrees internal temp in the breast. This will take approximately 2 hours or more depending on the size of your turkey.
- Next, finish the turkey on the direct side to achieve grill marks and crisp the skin, flipping halfway through, until an internal temp thermometer reads 170 degrees; this will be another 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of your bird.
- Remove the turkey from the grill and tent under foil for 10 minutes to let the juices re-absorb. Serve with your favorite sides and prepare to be amazed at the juicy results!
All-Purpose Brine Recipe
This versatile brine recipe can be used on pork, chicken and even fish. You can customize and make your own. Brining is recommended for cuts of meat that benefit from extra moisture, lean cuts that can dry out easily. This is enough brine for a pork shoulder, pork loin, or a whole chicken or turkey.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
- 10 cups water
- ¾ cup sea salt
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves Orange rind (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a pot and let simmer for 5 minutes, just long enough to let the salt and sugar dissolve.
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Hi, I tried making the turkey last weekend. It was great. thank you for the recipe <3