Spatchcock turkey cooking time by weight
A spatchcocked turkey has the backbone cut out and lies flat, so it roasts in a hot oven in roughly an hour and a half instead of three to four hours. For the person with one oven that is the gain: the turkey is out of the way by mid-afternoon and the sides get the oven. The tables below put clock times on it for a 5 PM dinner.
Cooking time by weight
Well Seasoned Studio's spatchcock guide roasts for 30 minutes at 425 °F, then at 375 °F for the rest, and lists totals for four sizes. The third column is when the bird goes in with the long end of that range and a 30 minute rest. The last column is the same for a whole, unstuffed bird at 325 °F, using the long end of the USDA times from the turkey roasting time chart (10 and 12 lb fall in its 8 to 12 lb row).
| Weight | Roast, minutes | Spatchcocked goes in | Whole bird goes in | Time saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 lb | 58 to 66 | 3:24 PM | 1:30 PM | 1 h 54 min |
| 12 lb | 70 to 80 | 3:10 PM | 1:30 PM | 1 h 40 min |
| 14 lb | 82 to 94 | 2:56 PM | 12:45 PM | 2 h 11 min |
| 16 lb | 94 to 108 | 2:42 PM | 12:15 PM | 2 h 27 min |
Other cooks use other schedules. Food Network Kitchen's recipe for a 12 to 14 lb bird roasts at 425 °F for 45 minutes, rotates the pan, and roasts 45 more minutes. That is about 90 minutes, which matches the 14 lb row above. Treat every number as a starting point, because your oven and your bird will differ.
When it is done
- USDA's safe minimum for a turkey is 165 °F, measured with a food thermometer in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast (see the USDA FSIS guide).
- Both recipes pull the breast below 165 °F: Well Seasoned Studio at 155 to 160 °F (thigh at 175 °F), Food Network at 160 °F in the breast and thighs. Well Seasoned says the breast climbs to 165 °F during the rest. If you want to follow USDA exactly, keep roasting until it reaches 165 °F.
- Rest: Well Seasoned lists 15 to 30 minutes, Food Network at least 30. The plan uses 30, and holds the bird covered up to an hour (that wait is the planner's assumption).
- Start checking the temperature at the short end of the range. A flat bird cooks fast.
What it frees up in a one-oven dinner
Menu: a 12 lb spatchcocked turkey (1 h 20 min at 425 °F), then stuffing in a dish, sweet potato casserole and dinner rolls at 350 °F. One oven, dinner at 5 PM. The turkey roasts from 2:40 PM to 4:00 PM and rests covered. At 4:00 PM the oven drops to 350 °F, and the three sides go in one after another.
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 2:25 PM | Preheat the oven to 425 °F |
| 2:40 PM | Put Spatchcocked turkey, 12 lb in the oven (425 °F, 1 h 20 min) |
| 4:00 PM | Take Spatchcocked turkey, 12 lb out (1 h before serving) |
| 4:00 PM | Set the oven to 350 °F and let it get there |
| 4:15 PM | Put Stuffing (in a dish) in the oven (350 °F, 45 min) |
| 4:30 PM | Put Sweet potato casserole in the oven (350 °F, 30 min) |
| 4:45 PM | Put Dinner rolls in the oven (350 °F, 15 min) |
| 5:00 PM | Take Stuffing (in a dish) out |
| 5:00 PM | Take Sweet potato casserole out |
| 5:00 PM | Take Dinner rolls out |
| 5:00 PM | Serve |
It only works because the turkey can wait. If you carve 30 minutes after it comes out, the oven is still busy, and 2 of the 3 sides come out 2 h 5 min before dinner, more than they can wait. Either let the bird sit covered for the full hour, or give the sides the oven first and bake the turkey later. A whole bird at 325 °F holds the oven much longer; see Thanksgiving dinner with one oven. Open this menu in the planner to change the weight, the dinner time or the dishes.
Practical notes
- The pan: a flat bird needs a rimmed sheet pan or a large roasting pan. Check that it fits in your oven before the day.
- The oven change: 425 °F down to 350 °F takes about 15 minutes in the plan. The roast and the sides do not overlap, so they cannot share a rack.
- Stuffing: spatchcocking leaves no cavity, so the stuffing bakes in a dish. USDA suggests that anyway, and its center has to reach 165 °F too. The side dish chart has times for the dishes.
- Keeping it warm: for holding the bird until dinner, see how to keep a turkey warm before serving.