How to Barbeque Roast a Turkey
If you find yourself lacking an oven large enough to cook a turkey and you do not own a turkey fryer, consider barbecuing your turkey on a grill. The turkey still gets roasted, but when using your barbecue, you can also infuse the bird with a smoky flavor. Using your barbecue grill to roast your turkey frees up oven space for other dishes and it keeps your kitchen cooler. Once you barbecue your bird, you will never go back to the old oven roasted turkey method. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Turkey (thawed)
- Turkey seasoning (optional) (see Resources)
- Butcher's string
- Barbecue grill
- Charcoal and lighter (for charcoal grills)
- Grill thermometer
- Shallow aluminum drip pan
- Tongs
- Paper towel
- Vegetable oil
- Heavy-duty oven mitts
- Meat thermometer
Instructions
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1
Clean the turkey by removing the gizzards and neck from inside the cavity. Save them for gravy or discard them.
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2
Season the turkey with your choice of herbs and spices by rubbing them over the skin and into cavity of the bird. Truss the turkey by tying the legs together and the wings to the body.
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3
Set the aluminum drip pan just under the grill grates where the turkey will sit.
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4
Heat the grill to 350 degrees F with one of two or two of three burners. Fill half of the grill with charcoals on one side if not using gas. Light the coals and wait for them to burn down.
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5
Saturate a paper towel with vegetable oil. Hold it with the tongs and rub it along the grill grates to grease them and prevent the turkey from sticking.
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6
Use a grill thermometer to test for the correct temperature of the grill. Put the turkey on the barbecue grill when the temperature reaches 350 degrees F.
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7
Determine the total time to grill the turkey by multiplying the weight of the turkey in pounds by 12 minutes. For instance, a 10-pound turkey requires 120 minutes to cook (10 times 12).
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8
Set the turkey on the grill on its side over indirect heat. Close the lid of the barbecue and roast the turkey for one-third of the total cooking time. For example, the 10 pounds turkey, which needs 120 minutes to cook, would be roasted on its side for 40 minutes.
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9
Wearing heavy-duty oven mitts, flip the turkey over so it lays over indirect heat on its other side with the wing down. Roast in this position for the same amount of time as the first side.
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10
Turn the turkey for the final one-third of cooking time so it sits breast-side up on the grill.
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11
Barbecue roast the turkey on the grill until, when inserted into the thigh and away from the bone, the meat thermometer registers 170 degrees F.
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12
Let the turkey cool for 20 minutes before carving.
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