Food Ingredients Meat + Poultry Turkey This Roast Reveals How Long to Cook a Turkey for a Crowd Former F&W senior food editor Mary-Frances Heck shows us why spatchcocked turkey is the move. By Bridget Hallinan Bridget Hallinan As an Associate Food Editor, Bridget Hallinan primarily focuses on home cooking content for Food & Wine.com. She writes and edits recipe content, interviews chefs for helpful tips and tricks, and works on franchises such as our cookbook roundups and taste tests. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 26, 2023 Cooking a Thanksgiving dinner can be a pretty labor-intensive affair — especially if you're hosting a big crowd. Luckily, in this F&W Cooks video, former F&W senior food editor Mary-Frances Heck demonstrates a turkey recipe that only needs to roast for one hour. (Yes, you read that correctly.) It involves dry-brining the turkey with salt a few days beforehand, and then spatchcocking the turkey before roasting so that it cooks evenly and quickly. The latter may seem intimidating, but it's actually a pretty easy process, and Heck guides us through it step by step. Once the turkey's out of the oven, you'll be glad you did it — the result is some of the juiciest turkey you'll ever have, with incredibly crispy skin. Read on for all of Heck's tips. Defrost the turkey Heck says the turkey will typically come frozen, which means it needs to defrost slowly. For best results, she recommends getting started the weekend before Thanksgiving — buy a turkey no later than Saturday, and defrost it in the fridge so that it maintains the most moisture possible. Chefs Share Their 16 Secret Weapons for Thanksgiving Dinner Pat it dry and wear gloves Once the turkey has defrosted, Heck takes it out of the packaging and pats it dry with paper towels, making sure the cutting board is very, very dry as well. This prevents the meat from sliding around while you cut. She also recommends wearing gloves when handling raw poultry — wash your hands after you take them off. Remove the backbone Spatchcocking simply means removing the backbone from the turkey and flattening it so it roasts evenly. Heck grabs poultry shears and recommends starting by the tail — you find the backbone, which runs down the middle, and start cutting about an inch away from it on either side. Cut in a straight line away from your body and use your opposite hand to brace the turkey. Then, on the other side, use a knife and cut toward yourself. … and save it Once the spine is removed, Heck recommends throwing it in the freezer and saving it until you have enough bones for a stock. Flatten the turkey To complete the spatchcocking process, Heck takes the legs of the turkey and turns them inward. Then, she presses down on the breastbone with the palms of her hands to flatten it. You'll hear a cracking noise when this happens. Loosen the skin Next, Heck recommends reaching under the skin of the turkey (keep those gloves on) and loosening it so that you can get the seasoning under there. It may seem gross, but it will make the turkey delicious. Time to dry-brine Heck explains that dry-brining means sprinkling salt on the meat. For this recipe, you want to do it two days in advance — so on Tuesday, if you plan on serving the turkey on Thursday. She uses one teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat, seasoning under the skin, the breast, and all over the surface of the turkey, including the underside. As a last step, she tucks the wing tips behind the breast. How to Dry Brine a Turkey Refrigerate it Once the turkey is salted, place it on a sheet pan lined with a rack — and make sure the wing tips stay tucked. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 36 hours. This will allow the salt to dissolve and penetrate the meat, seasoning the turkey evenly and deliciously. The air in the fridge will also cause the skin to tighten up, ensuring it gets super crispy in the oven. Cook it You can unwrap the turkey the night before or the morning of. Then, slide pats of butter under the skin and smooth them out. This helps to baste the meat, keeping it juicy as the butter melts, and it makes the skin ultra crispy. Once that's all set, place the turkey in the oven, add broth to the pan underneath, and cook it for about one hour, until the breast registers about 150°F. Carve it The turkey should be golden brown and crispy when it's done cooking. To carve it, Heck first removes the legs, which get separated into drumsticks and thighs. She also takes her knife and cuts the turkey breast away from the breast bone — once it's removed, she carves it with cross-wise slices, breaking it into small, manageable pieces. How to Carve a Turkey The finishing touch Heck serves the carved turkey on a platter garnished with sliced citrus. As for the wine pairing? She recommends a Riesling. It's relatively low-alcohol, food-friendly, and amplifies the flavor of the turkey. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit