by hardlikearmour
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hardlikearmour's Notes:
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1 pound
shallots
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1/2 cup
duck fat (or unsalted butter)
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3 tablespoons
water (or 2 tablespoons if using butter)
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1/2 teaspoon
Diamond kosher salt
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3
large oranges
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2 tablespoons
thyme leaves, minced
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1 tablespoon
stone ground or dijon mustard
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4 teaspoons
ground coriander
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2 teaspoons
ground cumin
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1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
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1
12 to 14 pound turkey
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4
tablespoons Diamond Kosher salt
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2
tablespoons honey
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1
medium onion
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handful
thyme sprigs
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1 to 2 tablespoon
olive or canola oil
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Remove skins from shallots. Dice the shallots by hand, or in two batches in your food processor. Heat the duck fat (or butter) in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Once melted add the shallots and toss to coat. Add the water and salt, and toss again. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook stirring occasionally until the shallots are softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the cover and cook until most of the water has cooked off, about 3 to 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then transfer to a tightly sealed container and refrigerate until you are ready to cook your turkey.
Ask the hotline about this step!While the shallots are cooking or cooling, butterfly your turkey. Using a sharp kitchen or poultry shears cut along each side of the backbone starting at the neck. You will hit a point where you cannot cut any further at the pelvic area. Use your cleaver to chop and hack through the pelvic bones, being exceedingly careful not to cut yourself. (See video link in Cook's notes above.) Once the backbone has been removed from the turkey, turn the turkey over and push down on the breast to break the keel bone. I had to wrap the turkey in plastic wrap and bash it with my cast iron skillet a couple of times to make it happen. (Phew! The hardest part is now over.)
Ask the hotline about this step!With the turkey breast side up, gently separate the skin from the breast meat using your fingers or the end of a wooden spoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the skin over the legs. Be careful not to tear the skin. Flip the turkey over again, and make your salt paste.
Ask the hotline about this step!In a small bowl combine the kosher salt and honey, mixing together into a homogenous paste. Rub about 1 tablespoon of the paste under the skin over each breast, massaging out any clumps and trying to get an even coating. Rub about 2 teaspoons of the paste under the skin over each leg, again massaging out the clumps and aiming for even dispersal. Rub the remaining paste on what would've been the cavity of a whole turkey. Wrap the turkey in plastic, and place on a platter, then refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours to let the brine work its magic.
Ask the hotline about this step!About 3 1/2 hours before meal time, remove the turkey from the refrigerator. Unwrap it, and pat it dry with paper towels or a clean tea towel. Transfer the turkey to a cooling rack (set over a pan to catch any juices,) and set aside. Preheat your oven to 425º F with a rack in the lower middle position.
Ask the hotline about this step!Remove your shallot confit from the refrigerator when you pull the turkey out. Transfer it to a medium sized bowl.
Ask the hotline about this step!Zest the oranges, and add zest (about a heaping tablespoon) to the confit. Set the oranges aside, you will be using them shortly. Add the mustard, minced thyme, coriander, cumin, and pepper to the confit. Stir to combine. (Note: the duck fat is soft enough at refrigerator temperature to mix into a smooth paste. Butter will need to warm up a bit to mix well.)
Ask the hotline about this step!With the turkey breast side up, insert about 1/4 of the seasoned shallot confit under the skin of each breast, attempting to cover the entire surface of the meat evenly. Flip the bird over and work about 1/3 of the remaining paste under the skin of each leg. Rub remaining paste onto what would've been the cavity of a whole bird.
Ask the hotline about this step!Slice the ends off each orange, then slice the oranges into thirds. Remove the skins from the onion, slice the ends off, then cut 2 slices from the onion about the thickness of the orange slices you have. Separate each onion slice into 2 or 3 groups of rings. Arrange the orange and onion slices on a rimmed baking sheet; you are creating a "rack" for the turkey to rest on to keep it elevated from the pan. Scatter thyme sprigs over the orange and onion slices.
Ask the hotline about this step!Place the turkey breast side up over the orange and onion slices. Tie the drum sticks together so the legs rest on the narrow portion of the breast, this helps to protect the breast from cooking too quickly. Tuck the wings under the breasts. The turkey should essentially be in a single thickness layer. Rub the skin with the oil. Set aside until about 2 1/2 hours prior to mealtime.
Ask the hotline about this step!Place turkey in oven, and set timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes lower the oven heat to 325º F. Cook the turkey until the breast meat registers 165º F on an instant read thermometer, about 75 to 115 minutes. Rotate the pan from front to back at about the halfway point.
Ask the hotline about this step!Remove from the oven and allow turkey to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving and serving.
Ask the hotline about this step!I'm glad I could inspire you, and I love the idea of baking stuffing under the turkey! Will give that a go next year. Happy holidays!
I have missed so many recipes this is amazing, duck fat!! what a wonderful idea. Love this!!
Thank you, sdebrango! When I saw the herb duck fat compound butter on the food network last year I knew I had to use it. The duck fat really makes the breast meat taste richer than normal.
Oh HLA, this sounds so good and I am too lazy to make it. Found myself wanting to take a nap about Step 3. So I sent this onto friends who promised to make it for me. Thanks for sharing this!
Why do you think I only cook turkey once or twice a year? I hope your friends make it and you enjoy it!
This sounds just perfect! I love all the flavors and though I've never spatchcocked a turkey, it seems like a great idea. Wondering, AJ and HLA, what size pan I might need to use.
Thanks, hk! I used a rimmed cookie sheet, the size that a normal silpat fits into - I think 18ish by 11ish.
ack, i meant hardlikearmour
This sounds delicious,aargersi. I'm always looking for ways to make turkey taste better, since I feel a need to make it on Thanksgiving and don't really like it. I was thwarted by the add recipes feature but was going to add a butterflied turkey with an Asian "butter" slipped under the skin. Glad this is here, same technique, different flavors!
Also thought I might be going to the emergency room while trying to cut up the turkey!! Next time I think I will ask the butcher to do the butterflying.
Thank you & no worries! I like the idea of an asian flavor profile. I did a turkey several years back that had a 5-spice brine, and it was really yummy.
This sounds insanely good! I will be applying duck fat this year even if I don't butterfly - you are genius!!
I cannot take credit for the duck fat! I thought it was genius when I saw it on the food network last year, though I scaled back quite a bit on how much I used. It does add flavor, especially to the breast meat, and I know it'll be right up your alley. Here's the link to the food network recipe I got the idea from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/countdown-6-roasted-thanksgiving-turkey-my-way-recipe/index.html
Oh that confit sounds amazing! I'm with you on the splitting of the turkey - it's one of the few times a year where I bust out the intimidating cleaver and have at it. Rather like splitting a log - you just hope you hit it in the right spot. :) Love the citrus in there - yah Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Niknud! My turkey was small but strong ;) When I get a chance I want to find some other uses for the confit. I bet it would be great with a lot of things.
You had me at shallot-duck fat confit, hardlikearmour. I also love the idea of a honey and salt brine. With the oranges and spices I bet this is incredibly fragrant as it is cooking. YUM!
Thanks, gingerroot! The honey and salt dry brine worked really well. Last year I did a plain salt dry brine, and had to rinse out pockets of salt. With the honey-salt after 24 hours in the fridge the salt had completely disappeared, so no rinsing, and the meat was seasoned nicely.
Thanks, lapadia! Labor of love is just the polite way of saying pain in the rear!
I spatchcocked a turkey last year, for the first time, with the help of a lot of foodpickle input. It's the only way to go. We always take a long hike on Thanksgiving, typically driving at least an hour each way to the trailhead (Mt. Tam), so my T-Day preparations actually don't begin until about 2 or sometimes 3 (when I'm tired too). I doubt I'll roast a turkey any other way in the future. I didn't have that much trouble cutting my backbone out. If you get your turkey at a butcher shop, you can ask them to do it for you. Butchers seem to really like requests to do such things, at least in my experience. ;o)
I definitely found it trickier than a chicken! I was thrilled with the results in the end, so it was certainly worth it. I'm thinking I should go to the hardware store to buy some shears before T-Day rolls around!
Thank you, Bevi! The confit is really luscious; the shallots practically melt into mildly sweet allium goodness. I really like it with the duck fat, it's got a subtle gamy richness the butter lacks, but it's good both ways.
Carol is a gluten-free chef and food blogger currently cooking her way through the Alinea Cookbook.
This was the basis for the turkey I made for Thanksgiving this year -- I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but I did use a shallot duck fat confit under the skin and let me tell you, it was fabulous! The meat was tender and full of flavor. And the stuffing that I baked under the turkey was ridiculously tasty -- probably because of the extra duck fat. Plus you got a very flavorful, herby, saucy topping for the meat with all the shallot mixture that comes spilling out as you carve. Who needs gravy?