Traditionalists swear by oven-roasted turkey. In fact, according to the National Turkey Federation, 74% of Americans will cook their turkey this way. Edge dwellers will likely fire up the propane and deep fry it – an awesome method indeed. But if a massive pot filled with gallons of gurgling 400-degree oil conjures the deep, husky voice of Dennis Haysbert - the All-State Insurance pitchman – then why not meet in the middle and grill the bird?
Grilling – especially with hardwood charcoal instead of gas - yields a smoky flavored bird with moist, juicy meat and beautiful crisp mahogany skin. It also frees up essential oven real estate for all your side dishes, and keeps most of the turkey mess outdoors. The only potential drawback with grilling is that stuffing the bird is out because it won’t reach a high enough temperature for it be safe to consume, and you won’t be left with pan juices for a homespun gravy unless you place the bird in a foil pan on the grill. Both pretty minor concerns given the potential rewards.
If you go with the grill, keep the following things in mind. Outdoor cooking times depend on many factors – the size of the bird, the temperature of the fire, indirect vs. direct cooking and even the outside air temperature. Obviously, if it’s freezing outside, the turkey will take longer to cook. Much of this can be handily addressed by using a good quality probe thermometer. The internal temperature of the cooked turkey should be 160 to 165 degrees in the breast and 175 to 180 degrees in the thigh. Make sure you have ample charcoal, wood chips or propane to finish the turkey because a dead fire will result in you trying to finish the bird in the (likely) packed oven, throwing a serious monkey wrench into the meal plan.
Thaw the turkey out completely and make sure it is thoroughly dried. If you feel like brining it to impart extra flavor and added moisture, by all means, go for it. You can dry brine it, go with a basic wet brine or try this crazy good maple-bourbon brine out. Brush a thin coating of vegetable oil onto the grill rack to prevent sticking and refrain from tying up the legs as you would if you were oven roasting. The turkey cooks better and more evenly when hot air circulates all around and inside the cavity of the bird.
It really doesn’t take much to grill up a perfect Thanksgiving turkey. Here’s a super simple, 4-ingredient grilled turkey recipe and a slightly more involved Apple-Sage Glazed Grilled Turkey with Grilled Apples from Bobby Flay that’s well worth the extra time and effort. Count on about 2 to 3 hours of indirect cooking time for an 8-lb. turkey and roughly 3 to 4 hours for a 12 to 16-lb. bird. Change it up this Thanksgiving and fire up your grill. I promise a grilled turkey makes a heck of a centerpiece. Dave Smith
Previous
