Behold, spatchcock, the cooking technique Taste of Home says takes turkey cooking down to an hour-and-half from the three or four hours normally required. Here’s how it works: Basically, you remove ...

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the turkey breast-side down on a secure cutting board. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Find the backbone and, using kitchen shears, cut along one side of it.

Butterflying the turkey, which is cutting out the backbone so the bird will cook flat, was the missing piece I didn’t know I needed. By spatchcocking, I freed myself from hours of cooking and achieved ...