Spatchcocking a turkey involves cutting out the backbone so that the bird can be laid flat for roasting. Yes, it’s that simple! After this minor surgery, the white and dark meat, freed from the spheroid geometry of a whole bird, will both cook to perfection without manipulation or the need for a special setup. That’s because the legs and thighs, previously tucked beneath the breast, now lie alongside it, outstretched in a single plane. In this arrangement, the leg quarters cook at nearly the same rate as the breast since they receive heat from all sides. Also, because all of the skin is face up, every inch of it will be directly exposed to the heat of the oven and transformed into a bronzed, crackling treat.
There’s one more advantage, and it’s a big one:
