General knowledgeCookingHoliday
Our top pick is spatchcocking — it cooks faster and more evenly than an intact bird and exposes more skin for better browning. Here are ten methods, ranked for results, practicality and the equipment you have.
Ranked by WhosBest editors for a balance of results, practicality and the cooking setup you have at home. Food-safety guidance follows the USDA; recipe temperatures refer to the tested recipes named alongside them.
Best for: Best overall: crisp skin, speed and even cooking
How it works: Remove the backbone, turn the bird breast-side up and press it flat, then roast it on a rack over a rimmed sheet pan — Serious Eats uses a 450°F oven. You give up the upright, whole-bird presentation, but gain more even exposure to heat and much easier carving.
Best for: The traditional holiday centerpiece
How it works: Roast breast-side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, with the oven at 325°F or higher. You get the familiar presentation and pan drippings for gravy — but the bird needs checking in several places to confirm doneness.
Best for: Deep, wood-smoked flavor
How it works: Cook with indirect heat in a smoker, or on a grill set up for smoking. Spatchcocking works here too, helping the meat cook evenly. The trade-off is managing both the cooker's temperature and the bird's internal temperature for the whole cook.
Best for: Maximum control over white and dark meat
How it works: Separate the breast, legs and wings before roasting — or ask your butcher to — and take each piece out when it's ready instead of waiting for the whole bird. You lose the whole-bird reveal, but it solves the problem of cuts that need different cooking times.
Best for: Freeing up the oven for sides
How it works: Use a covered charcoal or gas grill with the turkey away from direct heat and a drip pan underneath. A spatchcocked bird works especially well, and a little apple or cherry wood adds gentle smoke. You'll need enough grill space and reliable temperature control.
Best for: Extra-crisp skin and fast cooking
How it works: Lower a completely thawed, unstuffed turkey into 350°F oil using a purpose-built outdoor setup; the USDA estimates 3–5 minutes per pound for an 8–12-pound bird. The results can be excellent, but hot oil makes this the most safety-demanding method on the list.
Best for: Tender dark meat and a rich sauce
How it works: Brown the pieces, add aromatics, wine and stock, then cook gently until tender, keeping the skin above the liquid so it can still brown. A great alternative to a whole bird if your guests prefer dark meat.
Best for: Precise texture and a planned cooking schedule
How it works: Seal turkey portions in bags, cook them in a temperature-controlled water bath, then brown the outside separately — breasts and legs can run on different schedules. It requires equipment and a tested time-and-temperature recipe, not just a low temperature.
Best for: A smaller meal with a browned exterior
How it works: Use a breast that fits comfortably in the basket rather than squeezing in a whole bird. One tested recipe for a 3-pound boneless breast starts at 390°F, then drops to 370°F, for roughly 50–60 minutes in total — confirm doneness with a thermometer.
Best for: Low-effort cooking without tying up the oven
How it works: Rub a thawed breast with seasoned butter and cook it in a suitably sized slow cooker; one tested recipe uses LOW for about 4–6 hours, until the center reaches 165°F. The slow cooker won't brown the skin on its own — broil briefly afterward if you want it crisp.
Spatchcocking is a preparation technique, not a heat source: you can roast, grill or smoke the flattened bird. Its advantage is geometry. The breast and legs sit more evenly exposed to the heat, and more of the skin faces outward instead of being tucked underneath — which reduces uneven cooking and improves crispness.
Worth the extra step: salt the turkey and rest it in the refrigerator overnight before cooking. Serious Eats pairs this dry-brining approach with butterflying to improve seasoning and moisture retention.
For a typical holiday dinner, spatchcocked oven roasting. For a classic table presentation, roast the bird whole. For a smaller gathering, an air-fryer turkey breast. Each strikes a different balance between even cooking, presentation and the equipment you need.
This guide is written and ranked by WhosBest editors, using the sources named in the article. Placements cannot be bought. Read our methodology.