How to Grill a Turkey on a Barbecue Grill

Grill a turkey for low-maintenance cooking and a quick and easy clean-up.

Grilling a turkey introduces a delicious, smoky flavor to your dinner table while also freeing up the oven for cooking side dishes and keeping them warm. Grilling a turkey requires only a grill and heavy duty aluminum foil. Crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside, grilled turkey makes for an exciting new take on a classic holiday dish. Cooking a turkey on the grill also allows for minimum clean-up, since you can throw out the only dish you use for cooking.

Things You'll Need

• Heavy-duty aluminum foil
• Aluminum broiling pan (optional)
• Meat thermometer
• Butter or rub

Instructions

1. Defrost your turkey before you begin cooking. Never defrost at room temperature. You can leave the turkey to defrost in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours (allow six hours of defrost time per frozen pound). Pull out the innards of the turkey, and rub the inside cavity with softened butter. If you want to stuff the turkey, do so now. When the bird is prepared and stuffed, tie it with cooking twine to prevent it from splaying out during cooking. A turkey that is tied when cooked will stay pulled together better and will be easier to carve, as well as be more attractive on the serving platter. Rub the outside of the turkey with a spice rub, barbecue sauce or butter or herbs, according to your taste.

2. Preheat the grill to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. A gas grill will allow you to create a more even temperature than a charcoal grill. Regardless of the type of grill you are using, use heat only on one half of the grill. You will be using indirect heat to cook your turkey, so one side of the grill will be hot, and your turkey will be slow-cooked on the other side of the grill. If your grill does not have a built-in thermometer, you can buy one specifically made for a grill or use a standing oven thermometer.

3. Determine the cooking time according to the weight of your turkey. The general rule for cooking turkey is to cook for 12 minutes per pound. Divide your total by three to determine how long you will cook the turkey on each side for the first two rotations; you'll split the last third of the cook time in half. (A 10-pound turkey will cook for 120 minutes; 120 minutes divided by three is 40 minutes per side, 20 minutes for the final side.)

4. Put the turkey on the grill directly with an aluminum pan underneath the grate for catching drippings. If you would prefer to cook the turkey in a broiling pan, you can use a store-bought pan and place the pan directly on the grill grate with the turkey inside, or you can make your own foil pan using three layers of heavy duty aluminum foil folded to the size of the turkey. Start by placing the turkey on its side with a leg and a wing facing down. Cover the turkey in aluminum foil, and cover the grill. Cook for 1/3 of the total cook time. (For example, cook a 10-pound turkey on the first side for 40 minutes.)

5. Flip the turkey carefully to the opposite side so that the other leg and wing are facing down. If the breast of the turkey was facing the hot side of the grill before, make sure it now faces away from the hot side of the grill and vice versa. Cover the top of the turkey with aluminum foil and replace the lid of the grill. Cook for another 1/3 of the total cook time. (For example, cook a 10-pound turkey on the second side for 40 minutes.)

6. Flip the turkey so the breasts are facing up and the legs are pointed toward the rear of the grill. Do not cover the turkey in aluminum foil for this step. If you wish to paint on a glaze or additional coat of barbecue sauce or herb butter, you can do a second coat at this point. Cover the grill and cook for half of the time you used for the previous two steps. (For example, 20 minutes for a 10-pound turkey.)

7. Turn the turkey so the legs are pointing toward the front of the grill while keeping the breasts facing upward. Paint on a final coat of glaze or sauce if you are using one. Take the temperature of the breast meat using your instant meat thermometer. Leave the foil off, and cook the turkey for up to an additional 20 minutes or until the meat in the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. When the breast reaches 165 degrees, the turkey is cooked and can be removed from the grill.

Tips & Warnings

• Check the internal temperature of the grill regularly while cooking to ensure even cooking of your turkey.

• If you are cooking on a charcoal grill, maintaining the temperature will be more challenging, so have some back-up coals ready when the temperature begins to drop.

• Do not eat undercooked poultry. Make sure the internal temperature of the meat has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit before eating.

References

• Reluctant Gourmet: Grilling Your Bird on the Barbecue
• What's Cooking America: Barbecued or Grilled Whole Turkey