Star chefs share their turkey hacks for Thanksgiving

A spatchcock turkey doesn’t look traditional on the dinner table, but it can add tons of flavor – and be a major time saver.

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“I spatchcock my turkey, which means you take out the spine,” Morgan told Insider. “When you spit up your turkey, it allows the bird to lie down flat and it allows you to cook the turkey at a lower temperature. I like to go slowly and slowly.

Morgan will save the spine for his stock, then – after brining his turkey – he will put the bird in a large roasting pan and place a tightly woven cloth in it for the first two to four hours.

“I will create a broth and add some aromatics with which I brush the turkey,” he added. “Then I remove the cloth and turn the oven on so that the skin is really crispy at the end. I found it to work very well.

Andrew Zimmerman, the executive chef of Sepia in Chicago, is also a big believer in spatchcocking his turkey.

“I’m not going to have a whole turkey to present to people, but I’m going to have a delicious turkey to present to people,” he told Insider.

Zimmerman also removes the thighs and thighs, which he treats with salt, sugar, rosemary, thyme, and garlic before slowly cooking them in duck fat.

“This hack is going to look like a lot of work, but it pays dividends in the end,” he said. “And you can do it a day or two in advance.”

Zimmerman brines and roasts the turkey breast separately, and warms his thighs and legs in the oven – placing them skin side down on the roasting pan to “brown the skin”.

“Now you have delicious, perfectly cooked thighs and thighs and perfectly cooked turkey breast,” he says. “How much easier could Thanksgiving be?”