Published November 1, 2001.
To cook a turkey in two hours without filling the kitchen with smoke and drying out the breast meat, we developed a butterflied turkey recipe, which gave us crisp skin and evenly cooked meat. For smoke prevention, we roasted our butterflied turkey set over the stuffing—which absorbs the drippings—in a broiler pan. A high oven temperature of 450 degrees got the job done in 90 minutes.
If you prefer not to brine your turkey, we recommend a kosher bird. The dressing can be made with cornbread, challah, or Italian bread, but note that they are not used in equal amounts. If you don’t own a broiler pan top or if yours does not span the roasting pan, try a sturdy wire rack that rests comfortably on top of a 12 by 16-inch disposable roasting pan. Cover the rack with a large sheet of heavy-duty foil, fold excess foil under, spray it with nonstick cooking spray, and, with a paring knife, cut slits in the foil for fat drainage.
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