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Grilled Spatchcock Turkey with Maple Butter and Apple Cider Brine
Grilling the Thanksgiving turkey is a Long family tradition. It makes a flavorful, smoky addition to the holiday menu.
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Season
Fall, Winter
Key Ingredient
Turkey
Diet
Dairy-free, Gluten-free
Prep Time
15
minutes
minutes
Cook Time
2
hours
hours
Brining Time
8
hours
hours
Total Time
10
hours
hours
15
minutes
minutes
Servings
8
servings
Calories
902
kcal
Author
Charity Beth Long
Ingredients
Apple Cider Brine
2
cups
apple cider brine mix
4
cups
apple cider
10
cups
cold water
Maple Butter
1.5
cups
butter
1/2
cup
maple syrup
(preferably dark or extra dark)
1
orange
2
teaspoons
cinnamon
2
teaspoons
ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
Turkey
1
-12 lb
turkey
Garnish ideas: sage, rosemary, fresh bay leaves, kale, grapes, oranges, pomegranates, apples
Instructions
Apple cider brine
Place brine mix and apple cider in an extra large soup pot.
Bring mixture to a boil, cooking until salt has dissolved.
Turn off heat and add cold water.
Let brine cool to room temperature and then add spatchcock turkey. (See above post for instructions on how to spatchcock a turkey)
Refrigerate overnight, up to 12 hours.
Maple Butter
Bring all of the maple butter ingredients to room temperature.
Juice and zest the orange.
In the bowl of a mixer, soften the butter.
Slowly add the remaining ingredients to the butter, mixing thoroughly with each addition.
Cover your mixer with a clean tea towel and turn up to high. Be patient, the butter will eventually whip to a fluffy consistency.
Season butter with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide butter into two portions: one to serve on the table and one for basting the turkey.
Grilling the turkey
Preheat grill to 300-350F using indirect heat (see above post for more details).
Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
Melt a portion of the maple butter and baste the turkey with it.
Place turkey on the grill, breast side up and tuck the wings under the breast.
Cover the grill and let cook for 30 minutes.
At the 30 minute mark, start basting the turkey every 15 minutes until it is almost done (about 140-145F).
When the turkey reaches 160F, remove from the grill, cover and let rest 15 minutes before carving.
While the turkey rests. line the platter with greens.
After you've carved the turkey, place fruit around the turkey and serve.
Notes
To make the maple butter by hand, it's easier to melt the butter and let it reharden in the fridge, but it won't have the light, fluffy consistency.
See in process photos and more tips within the blog post.
Nutrition
Calories:
902
kcal
|
Carbohydrates:
29
g
|
Protein:
104
g
|
Fat:
38
g
|
Saturated Fat:
14
g
|
Cholesterol:
378
mg
|
Sodium:
649
mg
|
Potassium:
1282
mg
|
Sugar:
25
g
|
Vitamin A:
660
IU
|
Vitamin C:
9.7
mg
|
Calcium:
99
mg
|
Iron:
4.4
mg