Gone are the days of cooking a whole stuffed turkey for hours. You will never cook a turkey the old-fashioned way after you try our Jerk Spatchcock Turkey Recipe. This turkey is loaded with flavor, cooks faster, and is super juicier.
What is Spatchcock?
“Spatchcocking” is a culinary technique in which a complete poultry, usually a chicken or turkey, is prepared for cooking by removing the backbone and flattening it out. This method is cutting along one or both sides of the backbone using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, then pressing down firmly to flatten the bird.
Spatchcocking promotes even cooking by exposing more surface area of the bird to heat, resulting in faster and more consistent cooking. It also enhances the juiciness and tenderness of the meat. Furthermore, spatchcocking can shorten cooking time, making it a popular method for roasting fowl, particularly larger birds such as turkey.
You will want to save and share this recipe with your friends and family for the next Thanksgiving dinner or special occasion. I am convinced that they will convert to spatchcocking turkeys.
Disclosure:
This site contains affiliate links. When you buy through any of these links, we will receive a commission. This is at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Food Explora and allowing the blog site to continue to bring you valuable content.
How To Make Jerk Spatchcock Turkey:
An Irresistable Recipe.
Here are all the ingredients you will need.
Below are some amazon ingredient links for your shopping convenience.
A Thanksgiving Jerk Flavored Turkey
Add Your Heading Text Here
How To Make A Jamaican Inspired Jerk Spatchcock Turkey Recipe.
Equipment
- Oven
- Large Roasting Pan
- Mixiing Bowls
- Food Thermometer
- Turkey Baster
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Foil Paper Sheet
Ingredients
- 11.5 lbs. Whole Turkey
- ½ cup Jerk Seasoning
- 4 tbsp. Complete Seasoning
- 3 tbsp. Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1 cups Orange Juice, Freshly Squeezed
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1½ cups Piere White Wine
- 2 tsp. Pimento Seeds
- 1 tsp. Cloves
- 2 tsp. Dried Rosemary
Instructions
Prepare The Turkey
- This recipe calls for an 11.5 lbs turkey. However, the cooking time with be determined by the size and weight of the bird.
- Remove the turkey neck, liver, and heart from the cavity and place them in a basin. Trim the excess turkey, skin, fat, and bottom, or "batty" as Jamaicans call it, and discard. Wash the turkey with cold running water.
- Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, carefully cut down each side of the turkey's backbone.
- Remove the backbone of the turkey and store it in the freezer to make stock later. Flip the bird over and use your palm to apply pressure to the center of the breast until it flattens. You may use both hands to apply more pressure. You will probably hear a crackling of a few bones breaking, but that is fine. The flatter you spatchcock it, the faster it will cook.
- Soak the spatchcocked turkey in cold vinegar water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the water and place the turkey on a cutting board or clean surface.
Season The Spatchcock Turkey
- Season both sides of the turkey with the jerk seasoning. Be sure to get some under the skin. Adding the wet Jerk seasoning first will help the powdered seasoning adhere to the surface of the bird much more easily.
- In a small bowl combine the complete seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper. Mix them well together. Evenly drizzle the powder mixture on both sides of the turkey. Massage the seasoning into the turkey with your fingertips.
- Allow the seasoned turkey to marinate in a large bowl overnight in the refrigerator. You may make your homemade jerk seasoning for your turkey by following our JERK SEASONING RECIPE. I like WALKERWOOD JERK SEASONING, you may purchase the mild or hot ones on Amazon Fresh HERE.
Let's Cook The Spatchcock Turkey
- Preheat oven to 425 °F.
- Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes to help bring its temperature close to room temperature.
- In a ROASTING PAN, lay the turkey flat at the base of the pan with the skin side up.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the white wine, orange juice, dried rosemary leaves, pimento seeds, and cloves. Mix these ingredients well together.
- Pour the wine mixture onto the base of the turkey pan, allowing the spatchcocked turkey to bask and soak up the flavors.
- Cover the turkey pan with foil paper or an aluminum sheet. Make sure it is properly sealed. This mixture not only adds flavor but also generates steam, allowing the turkey to cook more quickly.
- Place the covered turkey in a preheated oven and cook for 1 to 1½ hours. Use a TURKEY BASTER to coat the bird with the liquid gold at the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the turkey from the oven. Insert the food thermometer into the thickest portion of the bird. A temperature of 165 ℉ or higher indicates that the turkey is done. Most turkeys, like this one, come with an inserted pop-up timer. When it pops out, it is an indication that the turkey is fully done.
- Remove the foil paper from the turkey pan, return it to the oven, and brown for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve. This turkey can feed 8-10 people.
Video
What To Do With Your Leftover Jerk Spatchcock Turkey?
There are so many recipes or dishes you may incorporate your leftover Jerk Spatchcock Turkey. Here are a few of my favorites.
Freeze Turkey: You may store turkey in a zip locker in the freezer for up to 6 months and in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Turkey Sandwiches: Layer sliced Jerk turkey with your preferred toppings such as: lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese, and your favorite sauce, between two slices of your favorite bread or in a wrap.
Turkey Salad: Turn your salad into a protein-packed meal. Mix leftover turkey with greens like spinach or arugula, then top with almonds, fruits, cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing.
Easy Turkey Soup: Combine diced turkey, carrots, pumpkin, scallion, pimento seeds, fresh thyme, and dumplings in a delicious broth made from Jamaican Cock Noodle Soup Mix. Check the soup recipes on my blog for some inspiration.
Stir-fry or Stewed Turkey: This is probably my favorite way to use leftover turkey. Stir-fry or stew leftover turkey with vegetables and your favorite sauce (sweet and sour) for a quick and easy lunch or dinner idea. Serve with rice or noodles for a satisfying complete meal.
Turkey Pizza: Homemade pizzas are always a hit. I enjoy I adding shreds of turkey meat to naan bread, slices of French bread, or soft tacos. Top also with onions, pineapple, pizza sauce, sweet peppers, tri-cheese, and bake into a delicious snack or breakfast idea.
You Will Also Love These Recipes
Wow, you really convincing me to try out this recipe. Looks so delicious and is a quicker way to cook turkey than the traditional way. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you found my turkey recipe helpful, Anthuwin.
Love all the ingredients and the cooking process! Gotta make this!
Thank you, Laurie.
So aromatic and love the cutting technique! i bet it’s delicious, going to try this soon!
MARIE-PIERRE, this is the best turkey I have cooked. The flavor seeped to the bone. Hope you get to make my spatchcocked turkey this year.
I love jerking erryting. Always love your content. You give me inspiration as a Bahamian blogger to keep going . Thank you
Thanks for visiting Norisha. Glad you find value in by blog recipes. I like your tuna and grits recipe. Can’s wait to try it.
This looks delicious! My husband generally cuts a large bird down when grilling, but I’ve never seen the spatchcock method. Makes sense for faster, even cooking!
Hope you and your husband gets to try my spatchcock turkey this years Thanksgiving.
This seems a good dish to try out at home. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you John.
You make this look very easy! Will be looking at some more high Protein recipes on your site!
Thank you, Luxurytraveldocs
First of all, I didn’t know you could jerk turkey so that’s a new one for me. Thanks for sharing this recipe! It looks delicious.
Appreciate you visiting, Kimberly
Yum!! I love the idea of using jerk seasoning. Something I would’ve never thought of. Thanks for the great recipe, I’m looking forward to trying!
Thank you, Andrea.
This is such an interesting recipe! I have never heard of spatchcocking before. It sounds so cool! I can’t wait to try this delicious recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Kelly.
Tried it with chicken and it came out great. The video is super helpful
Thank you, Vaishali.
I love Spatchcock turkey, and your jerk seasoning blend, mixed with orange juice and other fresh flavors, sounds absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe ASAP. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Jenna. All best with you Spatchcock turkey or chicken.
Yummy! I love the idea of using jerk seasoning on Turkey . Something I would never thought of doing. It really looks delicious and tasty too. I hope that you enjoy it!
Thank you. I enjoyed it a lot and I am sure you will love it this upcoming Thanksgiving.
Looks delicious!
Thank you, Pradnya
I have a turkey breast in the freezer that I’m going to try your recipe on. Looks amazing!
Sound good for me, Laurie. Save my Spatchcock turkey recipe for this year’s Thanksgiving Dinner.
I have never had turkey before. I know… I know. But adding lemon juice to chicken would be amazing, so I can imagine this to be a wonderful recipe. Love your food. :-)
Thank you, Carolyn.
Chicken, spicy is my jam! This looks super delicious!
Thank You, Lauren.
Your step by step instructions with photos are really good! My daughter & I made a spatchcock turkey one year and it was challenging to prepare, but tasted so good once the meal was done!
Try my Jerk version. One you go Jerk spatchcock, you never go back.
Thank you very much. I appreciate you stopping by, Kathy.
Wow, using a Turkey! This sounds juicy and delicious!
Spatchcock turkey is surprisingly very tender and juicy.
What an amazingly delicious Jerk Spatchcock Turkey Recipe! I always love the addition of fresh herbs in a recipe, and mixed with the jerk seasoning, it is the perfect combo. Thank you for sharing, Kevin!
Jerk is the new perk, Jenna. Jerk seasoning makes every thing taste great.
This will be my go-to recipe the next time I get a half turkey.
Most def Adam. Once you go spatchcock, you never go back.
Totally making this for T-day this year!
Your legs are going to thank you, Laurie. Thanks for dropping by.
This is so delicious! Thanx for sharing!
Thank you Amy.
I think cooking chicken this way saves so much time, this looks delicious!
I totally agree with you, Kelly. This spatchcock method is even more true for Turkey that usually takes many hours to cook whole.
I made jerk chicken before, and it tasted wonderful. I know this would taste good too. Thanks for sharing.
Lanae, thank you for dropping by. You will love this Jerk Spatchcock turkey even more this coming Thanksgiving.
The photo alone made my mouth water.
You actually gave me an idea for the festive season, as I’m sure this recipe would be appreciated by many. I’ll have to roll up my sleeves and give it a try. Thanks for sharing!
Ginger, its may seem daunting, but the flavors of black cake is worth the try. here is my easier black cake recipe that you will also appreciate: https://www.food-explora.com/easy-cake-mix-version-of-jamaican-rum-fruit-cake/
This is a good Turkey recipe. It’s easier to prepare. Thank you for sharing.
Appreciate you visiting, Fadima.