holiday flavors

Photos and recipe courtesy of Grill Girl Robyn Lindars

Free up some valuable oven space and cook your holiday turkey outdoors this year on your grill. By spatchcocking, i.e. butterflying your turkey, you’ll see it cooks much more evenly and quickly than when roasted whole in the oven, with the added advantage of crispy skin and a smoky flavor from the grill. Once you’ve done your turkey this way, oven roasted turkey will be a thing of the past! This recipe is naturally low carb, paleo and keto diet friendly.

Lemon Herb Butter Spatchcocked Turkey

1 stick butter, softened

1 large bunch rosemary, tarragon and thyme leaves removed o the stems juice of 2 lemons sea salt, large pinch fresh ground pepper, large pinch

1 organic young turkey, spatchcocked with back bone removed (Save yourself the trouble and have your butcher do this!)

If brining, brine overnight, and then pat dry. › In a small mixing bowl, combine butter, herbs, salt, pepper and lemon juice with an immersion blender. › Lay the turkey out on a big cutting board or plate, and spread it out. › Slide your fingers under the skin, and separate it from the meat to place the butter. › Slather butter underneath the breast, legs, etc.— anywhere you can get butter underneath the skin. This is what is going to keep it moist—the not-so-fun part but the results are worth it!. › Heat your grill to 350°F, creating a direct and indirect zone. › Grill the turkey on the indirect side, flipping halfway through, until an internal thermometer reads 160°F internal temperature in the breast. This will take approximately 2 hours or more depending on the size of your turkey. › Finish the turkey on the direct side to achieve grill marks and crisp the skin, flipping halfway through, until an internal temperature thermometer reads 170°F. This will take another 1020 minutes, depending on the size of your bird. › Remove the turkey from the grill and tent under foil for 10 minutes to let the juices re-absorb. › Serve with your favorite sides, and prepare to be amazed at the juicy results!

Robyn Lindars, a.k.a. Grill Girl, has been writing about healthy grilling and smoking since 2008 when she started her awardwinning blog GrillGirl.com. Robyn regularly competes on a competition barbecue team alongside her dad in Memphis at the World Championship BBQ Cooking Competition, aka The Superbowl of Swine, and has been instrumental in exposing women to the world of grilling by regularly teaching womenfocused grilling classes. Robyn has competed on Chopped Grillmasters, was featured as the new face of grilling on the Cooking Channel’s Foodography and has cooked pizza on live television alongside Carson Daly on the Today show. Robyn has developed recipes for brands such as Kingsford Charcoal, Walmart, Smithfield, Stubb’s BBQ Sauce, Green Mountain Grills and many more. Robyn lives in South Florida with her husband, son and two dogs. She owns 12 grills and counting.