How to Cook a Perfect Roast Turkey, Every Time

We’ve been turning out roast turkey recipes at Food & Wine for over 45 years, and we’ve recommended plenty of new tricks: slathering it with mayonnaise, pushing cured lard underneath the skin, and even skipping the oven altogether. But in all our years of testing, we’ve found the three techniques below to be the most effective for an evenly cooked, perfectly seasoned, and crisp-skinned turkey. 

Best of all, simple techniques like spatchcocking and dry-brining can be used beyond Turkey Day. Master these skills to cook a foolproof Thanksgiving bird, and a better roast chicken throughout the year.   

Spatchcock for success

Think of spatchcocking as turning a 3D turkey into a 2D one. It involves butterflying the bird so that it’s splayed out and lies flat.

Why spatchcock?

First, it cooks the bird much more quickly — in less than an hour and a half. Because all the meat is on the same plane and equally exposed to the heat, it all cooks more evenly — no more breast meat overcooking as the thighs struggle to get done. And with all the skin on top of the bird, the entirety of it becomes wonderfully crisp. Finally, a spatchcocked bird takes up less vertical space, so you can accommodate more dishes on the other oven rack. 

How to do it

Turn the bird upside down so the backbone is facing up. Using heavy-duty poultry shears, cut along either side of the backbone to remove it. Turn the turkey over, breast side up, and press down firmly on the center of the breastbone until it cracks and the bird lies flat. 

Dry-brine it ahead

Dry brining means salting and seasoning the turkey and then allowing it to rest.

Why dry-brine?

It’s easier and less messy than wet brining, but it achieves the same result — juicy, well-seasoned meat. It also yields crispier skin.

How to do it

Combine salt and seasonings, and rub under and over turkey skin. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 hours. Plan on 3/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt per pound. (Diamond Crystal kosher salt because it has a consistent, small flake size that is easy to sprinkle and dissolves quickly.)

Roast it right

Let it sit

Make sure to let the turkey rest at room temperature for an hour before roasting. You don’t want it going into the oven fridge-cold. 

Test the fit

Before you turn the oven on, test-fit the roasting pan (with the turkey on it) to see exactly where you need to arrange the oven racks. 

Take its temp

Preferably, use a digital probe (leave-in) thermometer so you don’t have to open the oven to check the turkey’s temperature. Insert it in the meaty part of the thigh, making sure the tip doesn’t hit bone and doesn’t go all the way through.

Let it rest

Let the bird sit for 30 minutes to allow the juices to settle before carving.