News flash—when you're served roast turkey in a restaurant, chances are it wasn't carved from a whole bird. As Rachael and master butcher Ray Venezia explain, that's because chefs typically butcher raw turkeys into pieces and roast the white and dark meat separately. (Watch Ray demo in the video above.) Why? The main reason is that dark meat needs to be cooked until it reaches 165°F, while white meat starts to dry out around 145°F and above. Separating the two means you can cook each to perfection. There are other big benefits, too: the meat cooks more evenly and is easier to carve, and the skin gets crispier all over.
If you can't bear the thought of not having a presentation-worthy bird at Thanksgiving, a compromise is spatchcocking the turkey, which Rachael details here. You get a lot of the same benefits as cooking the turkey in pieces AND a beautiful, bronzed bird to bring to the holiday table. Win-win!
Cooking aside, you may have heard that turkeys might be harder to find this year. Ray weighs in on the turkey shortage rumors here and explains why filet mignon might be a great alternative.
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