Thanksgiving? BBQ the Turkey! Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday! Cooking, eating, drinking and yakking with family and friends all day - what could be better? The only gifts you need to think about are what you bring to the table! What’s really fun is having a bunch of folks over and everyone brings a favorite dish to add to the feast.
Wanna be a hero? Cook the turkey on the grill! Forget the weather! (As long as I can get a fire going and hold a Martini in hand, I’m good - even in snow!) Yes, you can do it! And, it’ll be great! So, here we go:
This technique is based on my chicken recipe, just on a larger scale. Depending on the size of your group, you’ll want a bird typically in the 12 to 18 pound range. The folks behind the meat counter at any store can give you guidance on size. I’ve cooked a 25-pounder on my 22-inch Weber, so don’t worry about the size of the bird as long as you’ve got a grill with a good-sized domed lid to handle it.
Timing: Remember that word? If you’re planning to eat around 4 or 5 PM, you’ll need to start the process by around 9 or 10 that morning. You want to allow plenty of time for it to cook. Keep in mind - an average chicken is done in about 1 ½ hours. A typical turkey is done in about 3-4. That 25-pounder I did took nearly 5, so allow enough time! WHen the wings and drumsticks start to fall away from the body, that's a pretty good indication it's done. If you've got a kitchen thermometer, you're looking for 165 degrees, when pushed into the center of the breast. Once it's done, remove from the grill and let stand for about 20 minutes before carving.
Fresh or Frozen? If you bought a frozen turkey, you’ll need to follow package directions for thawing it properly and thoroughly. Picking it up on Monday or Tuesday prior, might be a good idea. If you ordered a fresh one, pick it up Tuesday or Wednesday and keep it in the fridge.
Thanksgiving Morning: Again, basic prep is the same as mentioned earlier for chicken: Take the thawed bird out of the fridge, rinse and dry it thoroughly, then place it on a roasting rack. Remove the neck, liver and gizzards from the cavity and set ‘em aside. (More on them later…) Next, chop up 2 or 3 cloves from a fresh bulb of garlic. Make the pieces tiny little nuggets, about 1/4 the size of your pinkie finger nail. Now, take a small kitchen knife and carefully jab a hole about ½ inch into the skin and twist the blade just enough to allow you to slide a garlic nugget into the hole. Make sure it stays under the skin! Repeat the process until you’ve dotted the entire bird - legs and all - with those little garlic chunks. Everywhere! Don‘t forget the sides and toward the bottom! Toss any garlic chunks you’ve got left into the cavity. You can also chop up a mixture of onions and celery (about a fist-full) and toss that into the cavity as well. Don’t pack it, though! Too much will lengthen the cooking time - a lot!
Okay, final step: Pull out that jar of mayonnaise and smear a very light coating all over the skin. Not too much! Just enough to protect it from drying out. The mayo coating helps seal the juices in the bird, keeping it tender and moist. Trust me on this - it works! I learned this from a restaurateur buddy of mine, who uses it with chicken. Okay, once you’re done, place the bird back in the fridge.
Now, it’s time to get the grill ready. Because of the turkey’s size, it’ll need to be situated in the center of the upper grill rack, rather than off to the side. So, if you’re using a charcoal grill, start with a large pile of coals. Once they’re all lit, divide them into two smaller fires on opposite sides of the grill. If you got the little clip-on coal fences for the lower coal rack, they’ll help keep the coals piled up the sides. If not, just stack the coals as evenly as possible under the slots below the handles in the upper grill to allow adding more charcoal as you need to. Place a foil drip pan between the two piles of coals to catch the drippings, if desired. (The pan will also help keep the coals in place.) As mentioned before, try some wood smoker chips (supermarket or backyard store). Soak a fistful in a big bowl of water for about ½ hour and add them to the coals when ready to start cooking. (Jack Daniel’s makes theirs out of whiskey barrels - really great aroma!).
Once the fire is ready (plenty of coals in each pile), place the lid on the grill to preheat the interior. When nice and hot, you’re ready to start.
Note: For a gas grill that has three separate burner zones, try lighting just the two side ones and place the bird between them. If you’ve got just two sections see if leaving one section off and placing the bird there will still give you enough heat to cook.
Important! This first operation is to brown and seal the skin. Place the turkey on the grill and cover it with the lid. If the lid has no vents, then crack it to the side a bit to allow air to circulate. Keep an eye on it to prevent any flare-ups! If you do get a flare up, close the lid to slow it down.
The initial browning process should take about ½ hour or so. Once the skin is golden brown, wrap aluminum foil around the bird (base, too) like a tent, to protect it from the direct heat, and just let it cook. It’ll take about 2 ½ to 3 more hours for it to fully cook. Be sure to check the coal piles regularly and add more fresh coals as necessary! You need to keep the interior plenty hot! After about the first 45 minutes to an hour, you’ll want to baste it about every half hour or so. Use either the juices from the drip pan or make a basting “cocktail” of equal parts butter and white wine, and drizzle it all over with a baster or dab it on with a basting brush.
Something extra to go with it: Take a medium to large onion, any kind you like, section it with a knife not quite to the bottom to keep it together, semi-wrap it in foil, sprinkle seasoned salt and pepper, drizzle some olive oil and white wine on it, then wrap it up and place it on the grill (not over direct heat) during the last hour of cooking. When it comes out, it’s soft, sweet and tender!
More good stuff: You can also do yams, sweet potatoes or plain ‘ole spuds, just by wrapping them up in foil and tossing on the grill. Again, don’t leave them over direct heat. Just turn them every so often when you check the bird.
Neck, liver and gizzards: Remember them? Try sautéing ‘em in a skillet over medium heat with some olive oil, fresh chopped garlic, and a dash of seasoned salt. Chop them up when done and use them in the stuffing. That is, if you can keep your guests from snatching them first!
Stuffing: If no one else is supplying it, you can make your own with a store-bought mix. Follow the directions on the package. When it’s done, you can add the goodies (finely chopped) from above.
Carving: Once the bird is done and you've let it stand for about 20 minutes, pull a drumstick off and then cut a horizontal slice into the breast down low, about even with the wing. The start cutting thin vertical slices, stopping at that horizontal cut. Once you've done all that, tear it apart in any way you see fit!
A bird done this way usually disappears in short order, so be forewarned: You may want to get a slightly larger one, so you’ll have plenty of leftovers to enjoy.
Bon Appetit! Hope you enjoy this site! More later!
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