Barbecuing a Turkey, especially on Thanksgiving or any other holiday, may not be a very common way to prepare it. But once you learn the right way to BBQ a Turkey, you won’t try any other way.
Honestly, cooking for a family get-together can be very stressful. Of course, it is always fun to chill with your whole family in the kitchen. But there’s very less space in the oven and there are very few burners left when you are cooking for many people in your house. So, why not try the barbecue method to prepare a turkey?
The grilled turkey is not only juicy and tender due to the delicious marinade, but it even frees up the oven and stove for other recipes. Moreover, the heat of the barbecue grill immerses the meat with a perfect smoky flavor. The flavor is even more when you cook on a charcoal grill.
Ingredients:
Raw turkey
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 turkey (12 to 14 pounds)
2 large oven-roasting bags
Directions:
1. Mix the marinade
Blend water, soy sauce, chicken broth, lemon juice, ground ginger, minced garlic, and black pepper in a big bowl. And, keep one cup for basting.
Step 2: Marinate the turkey
Use oven-roasting bags to ensure easy and nice cleanup. For making sure that the bags don’t leak, you need to keep one roasting bag within the other. After that, put the turkey in an inner bag and put it in the marinade. Now, seal the bags, press out as much as air you can, and then turn them for coating the turkey once or twice.
After that, keep the bags in a shallow roasting pan and then refrigerate the bird. Keep it overnight, and turn the bag a few times for distributing the marinade evenly.
3. Prepare the grill
Prepare your barbecue grill for medium heat between 325°F and 350°. When the grill is preheated, it’s best to turn off the burners on one side for creating indirect heat. This technique is best for gas grills. But if you are preparing on a charcoal grill, it needs more preparation. But you need to benefit from extra smoked flavor.
Keep around 50 to 60 briquettes in a grill and further light them unless they get covered in gray ash. It takes around 30 minutes. After that, arrange them in an indirect heat pattern.
4. Prepare the Bird
Remove the turkey from the oven bags and discard the prepared marinade. Pat the bird to keep it dry while tucking the wings under the turkey for even cooking. Do this for around an hour before you grill and let the skin dry out. This will lead to crispier skin.
On preheating the grill, keep the turkey breast side down on the side where the grill has been indirectly heated. Cover the grill, and leave the vents open for promoting airflow. And, then cook the bird for around an hour.
5. Turn and baste
After one hour, you need to turn the turkey to keep the breast side up. Then, baste it with the remaining marinade. Add around ten briquettes for grilling and further replace the cover. Let it cook for another 1-1/2 to 2 hours. You can set a reminder to add ten extra briquettes every hour for maintaining heat. For the best flavor, we suggest brushing the turkey with the remaining marinade every 30 minutes.
6. Keep it there
Use a thermometer for checking the turkey’s temperature. When it reaches 170°, the cooking is done. Now, remove it from the grill and loosely cover it with aluminum foil and let it stand for around 20 minutes. While waiting for the bird to finish, mix some stuffing, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes.
How Long to BBQ a Turkey
The time to BBQ a turkey may vary depending on the weight and size of the turkey. If you have any doubt, always trust the instant-read thermometer for judging turkey’s readiness. The turkey breasts get ready when it reaches between the internal temperature of 160° and 170°.