The Best Grilled Turkey Recipe
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
1 hr
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Cook Time
3 hrs
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Additional Time
30 mins
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Total Time
4 hrs 30 mins
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Servings
8 to 10 people
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
The Best Grilled Turkey Recipe
Description
This grilled turkey combines traditional herbs and aromatics with the outdoor grilling technique to produce a bird with flavorful, crisped skin and tender meat. The method includes patting the turkey dry and leaving it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight to enhance skin crispiness. Before grilling, the cavity is filled with halved onion, lemon slices, garlic bulb, and fresh herb bundles, infusing the meat from inside during cooking.
The butter rub applied over the surface of the turkey adds richness and aids browning and crispness. The turkey is placed in a foil roasting pan on a preheated grill maintained at about 450°F. This indirect grilling setup mimics roasting, providing even cooking while allowing excess fat to drain.
This preparation works well for large gatherings or occasions when a traditional oven is unavailable. It pairs nicely with classic side dishes and offers a distinctly grilled flavor. The recipe suggests tying the legs and tucking the wings to ensure even cooking and maintain shape.
Ingredients
- 1 (15 to 18 pound) turkey whole
- 2 onion halved
- 2 to 3 lemon sliced
- 1 garlic top sliced off, bulb
- 1 fresh herbs including sage, thyme, rosemary, large bunch
- 8 to 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (enough to cover the entire bird
- kosher salt
- black pepper freshly cracked
- dried herbs like sage, thyme and rosemary
- 2 cups chicken stock plus more if needed during cook time
Instructions
- The night before grilling your turkey, remove any giblets and the neck and pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Place the turkey in a large baking dish. At this point, I stick it in the fridge overnight, uncovered – away from anything that it could touch. I’ve been doing this for a few years and it makes for amazing crispy turkey skin!
- Remove the turkey from the fridge one hour or so before grilling. Before grilling, make sure your propane tank is full and that you have a backup!
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, about 450 degrees F. I preheat all burners. Prepare a stack of disposable foil roasting pans (about 2 or 3 pans) stacked together.
- Place the turkey in a roasting pan, breast-side up. Fill the cavity with 1 halved onion, 1 lemon, the garlic bulb and a bunch of fresh herbs. Tie the legs loosely together with kitchen twine. Tuck the wings under the turkey.
- Rub the turkey all over with the softened butter. Sprinkle it with the salt and the pepper. I also like to add a sprinkling of dried herbs, like thyme, sage and rosemary.
- Pour 1 to 2 cups chicken stock in the bottom of the roasted pan. Add the other lemon wedges and onions.
- Place the roasting pan on the grill and turn the center burner to medium-low. Close the grill. Ideally, you want the temperature to be about 425 to 450 degrees F during cook time, so adjust accordinging with your grill.
- Grill the turkey for 2.5 to 3 hours, checking the bird every 30 minutes or so. You want to be sure you don't run out of propane and that the grill is holding it's temperature. You can baste it with the juices in the bottom of the pan, but only keep the grill open for a minute or so at a time.
- Halfway through cook time, rotate the roasting pan and add more stock to the bottom of the pan if needed.
- After 2.5 hours, check the turkey - you want to cook it until the the temperature taken in the thigh reaches 180 degrees F.
- Once the turkey is finished, let it rest for 30 to 60 minutes before slicing.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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