Martha Stewart's Go-To Turkey Cooking Method For Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving can be a tough holiday to tackle for most home cooks, but not for Emmy award-winning lifestyle guru Martha Stewart. She literally wrote the book(s) on how to host a great party — 77 to be exact — according to PBS. She not only talks the talk in her books, but she walks the walk and hosts events in her own home for the holidays. She has gained a lot of experience over the years, so she has a few go-to methods for preparing food for guests. She even has an entire section of her website dedicated to Thanksgiving hosting tips, ranging from recipe ideas to crafts that will keep younger family members entertained throughout the day.
Stewart estimates that she has cooked over a thousand turkeys throughout her lifetime, according to Food & Wine. Though the meal may seem repetitive, she states that "everyone loves it," so she's happy to keep cooking for a crowd. She has one specific preparation and cooking method that she favors over all others while she's making Thanksgiving dinner, and she's sharing it just in time for the holiday.
Her method cuts down on cook time
When Martha Stewart preps her Thanksgiving turkey, she has a hand in the whole process — including raising the birds, according to Food & Wine. She reportedly prefers her turkey to be as fresh as possible, and she prepares three different birds for her 17 guests. One of her favorite methods of preparing the meat is spatchcocking, which she does every year.
Spatchcocking is the removal of the turkey's backbone, according to Plays Well with Butter. This method allows the meat to lie flat while roasting, which can speed up the cooking process. The site recommends starting by snipping out the backbone, then cracking the chest bone before butterflying the entire turkey. Then, it can be seasoned with butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, or anything else you want to add some extra flavor.
Stewart says she typically cooks her spatchcock turkey for around an hour and a half while the stuffing cooks underneath it. For comparison, the TV host says her whole turkeys typically take three to four hours to completely roast. She also says spatchcock turkey is easier to carve, making mealtime quick and easy to enjoy. Martha Stewart's spatchcock turkey recipe can be found on Uber Eats this year, along with instructions for stuffing to pair with the bird, and cranberry sauce to top it all off.