Poultry Spatchcock

[Kaytay2]

Can you spatchcock a turkey before putting it in a wet brine or should you leave it whole?

 

[MidwestSmoker]

I don't see any reason why not.

I spatchcock my turkeys and dry brine them and it works very well. I have not not wet brined a spatchcocked turkey so cannot speak from experience.

However, I wet brined a whole turkey once and the challenge is finding a large enough cooler for it and ensuring that it stayed cold overnight. If spatchcocking allows you to place the turkey in a smaller container that fits in your fridge then that will be the primary reason to do it.

 

[RayClem]

For Thanksgiving, I brined my turkey for 24 hours and then cooked it on the Traeger. It was one of the best turkeys I have ever eaten, I plan to do that again next year.

The turkey should cook a little faster if you spatchcock it before cooking. I doubt it will make any difference whether you do that before of after the brining.

For years I have always carved the turkey breast into slices lengthwise. This year, I removed the entire breast from the cooked turkey and then sliced it across the grain. It made a big difference in the texture. I have been doing it the wrong way for decades as that I the way I was taught to do it when I was a young man.

 

[traeger860]

Can you spatchcock a turkey before putting it in a wet brine or should you leave it whole?

I spatched my thanksgiving bird before I brined it because it wouldn’t fit in my brine container whole. Came out just fine.

 

[Trae Bar IV]

Brining is the way to go and super easy. Also, you can purchase a "brine bucket" there specifically for brining all types of meats. You should be able to find one on Amazon.

 

[RayClem]

Brining is the way to go and super easy. Also, you can purchase a "brine bucket" there specifically for brining all types of meats. You should be able to find one on Amazon.

I brined mine in an old Coleman ice chest that is no longer used for picnicking. I added about 20 pounds of ice to the chest along with the brine to insure my bird stayed cold during the brining process.

 

[Kaytay2]

I spatched my thanksgiving bird before I brined it because it wouldn’t fit in my brine container whole. Came out just fine.

Thanks

 

[Keeperovdeflame]

Get a square food safe bin and take one shelf out of your garage fridge. The one I use held fish originally so you can repurpose a bin or
buy a food safe bin on amazon. For the last 5 or 6 years I have spatchcocked a turkey and then brined it over night Wednesday for Thursdays Turkey day. If you use a bin that can fit in your fridge, you take the hassle and worry out of keeping your turkey and bine
at a food safe temp during the brine. I use an apple cider / water mixture to cover the bird with a half cup of salt and 3/4 cup of dissolved honey. I throw in some Simon and Garfunkel herbs along with some orange slices. Family loves the results. Nice moist and flavorful bird. Also put some rosemary springs around your turkey when your probe hits 150 dgs. The rosemary will smolder and smoke making a really nice finishing perfume.

 

[RayClem]

Get a square food safe bin and take one shelf out of your garage fridge. The one I use held fish originally so you can repurpose a bin or
buy a food safe bin on amazon. For the last 5 or 6 years I have spatchcocked a turkey and then brined it over night Wednesday for Thursdays Turkey day. If you use a bin that can fit in your fridge, you take the hassle and worry out of keeping your turkey and bine
at a food safe temp during the brine. I use an apple cider / water mixture to cover the bird with a half cup of salt and 3/4 cup of dissolved honey. I throw in some Simon and Garfunkel herbs along with some orange slices. Family loves the results. Nice moist and flavorful bird. Also put some rosemary springs around your turkey when your probe hits 150 dgs. The rosemary will smolder and smoke making a really nice finishing perfume.
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I brined my turkey at Thanksgiving. I did not have room in the refrigerator, so I put my turkey in an old Coleman cooler added the brine along with sufficient ice to keep temperatures safe.

I had to think twice about your "Simon and Garfunkel herbs" reference. Since I was a teenager during the 1960s when the duo was most active, I am familiar with most of their music. Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme is a great piece of music as well as a great combination of herbs for poultry and other proteins. It can also be called Scarborough Fair herb blend.