“ You are just like Bacon. You make everything better”
Bored of the repetitive turkey for thanksgiving? Want something different? Or do you want something better? There is only one thing to make any food item better just add bacon. So here I bring for you Bacon-Wrapped Spatchcocked Turkey made in just 80 minutes. Just look at the photo of the bird and say you aren’t drooling right now. Believe me, it tastes even better than it looks. Bacon comes off like a cherry on a cake. If a 14pound turkey is cooked as per the following instructions this dish can serve 12 people.
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 handful of mixed fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano)
- 3 pounds of thick cut bacon, divided
- 8 T butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 12 to 14 pound turkey, spatchcocked
- Fresh ground pepper
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 3
- 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped into 3 inch pieces (white and light green parts only)
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 apples, unpeeled and cut into 8 slices
- ¾ - 1 cup of chicken or turkey stock
Directions
- 1Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put the garlic in a food processor and whirl to finely chop. Add herbs and pulse to chop. Add ½ pound of bacon and butter and pulse until you have a smooth bacon herb butter.
- 2Prepare turkey by running your hands between the skin and the flesh to separate the skin from the flesh. Separate the skin for as much of the turkey as possible, including the breasts and the drumsticks. Rub the bacon, herb butter all over the turkey and in between the skin and the flesh, giving the turkey a good bacon-butter massage. Lay three strips of bacon between the breast and the skin. Season with pepper.
- 3Spread the vegetables and the apples over a large sheet pan and lay the turkey skin-side up on the pan. Starting with the neck-side of the turkey, begin weaving a turkey jacket by laying one long strip horizontally across the width of the turkey and then weaving a strip vertically. Alternate between horizontal and vertical strips, until the body of the turkey is covered in a woven jacket. Then continue weaving the jacket to include both drumsticks and the wings. Trim any excess lengths of bacon.
- 4Pour the stock into the bottom of the pan. Carefully put the pan in the oven and roast for about 80 minutes, frequently checking to see the bacon is not over cooking. If the bacon starts to become too dark, remove from the oven and cover with a sheet of foil and return it to the oven to continue roasting. The turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes before slicing. the internal temperature will rise to 160 to 165 degrees while the turkey rests. Always use a thermometer to safely and consistently determine when your turkey is done.
