*Note: Begin the day before with a thawed turkey, about 14-18 pounds.
Nowadays there as many ‘traditional’ ways to make a holiday turkey as you can imagine! Roasted, deep-fried, and yes, even barbecued. There are some people, like my dad, who would say, “If it ‘aint broke, don’t fix it! Leave the Thanksgiving turkey as it is!!” Other family members are tried-and-true-traditional-turkey-haters and think that the ‘old’ recipe ought to be tossed out and traded in for just about anything. I place myself smack-dab in the middle. I absolutely adore the regular traditional turkey, but in keeping with my inability to leave well-enough alone, and my need to completely go totally off the deep end cooking during the holidays, I have come up with something that is asked for even more than the ‘normal’ turkey dinner. This is my new favorite tradition, a Barbecued Turkey.
I fully admit, that as long as people have been devising a way to catch those long-legged gristle-y relatives of our modern-day turkey, they have probably been singeing their feathers off over an open flame. I know I am not the first to do so, but I am so thrilled and proud of my blackened bird that I would make any cave-woman blush. The smell and sight of it even has the dogs standing knee-deep in a puddle of drool with anticipation! I have to say, my dear father isn’t convinced, but he is one of the few family members that won’t push the conventional turkey aside and reach for a morsel of the smoked flesh of my barbecued bird.
I love to cook anything cave-woman style, and next to gluten-free baking, cooking outdoors over an open fire, on a charcoal grill, or in a dutch oven is my way to have good cooking fun. A lot of times the convenience of my indoor kitchen wins out, but I absolutely love going on a camp-out and cooking in the great outdoors. Along with the passion of doing the cooking comes doing the research, for me. There are many recipes for grilling poultry, and many methods of marinating, seasoning, and brining the bird and I love to look at them all.
I like a basic brining method to prepare the bird. I don’t know the science behind it, but soaking the bird over night in a seasoned brine has a way of locking in all of the moisture and flavor of the meat while also imparting delicate flavors that are complemented by the grilling and smoking process. I have been known to add wood chips to the fire, but I believe that if the bird has been properly brined it doesn’t need wood smoke to flavor it. The charcoal itself adds a nice, light, smoky flavor that can quickly become acrid if it is overdone.
Care should be taken in the grilling method itself, or the turkey can become burned on the outside while still raw on the inside, and the bird will become inedible. As usual with a new method, with a little care and education, your turkey can come out perfect even if it is your first time cooking it that way, and I will provide you with the information. I have had multiple kinds of charcoal barbecues and I prefer the bare-bones Weber brand charcoal grill for many reasons, but for me it is just a high quality brand that has a nice thick kettle that keeps the heat even, and a nicely domed top that has room for a fairly large turkey. The grill is sturdy and it has an easy-to-use venting system that makes controlling the heat easy as well. They make all kinds of accessories for these models, including grill racks with sides that flip-up so you can add more charcoal easily, and banking racks that keep your briquettes held away from the bird. You can, however, make even a cheap charcoal grill with only the bare necessities work like a charm. This is how you do it all:
Sandy’s Brined Barbecued Turkey
A traditional brine recipe has, at the very least, water to soak the meat in, as well as salt to help with the curing process. This recipe also uses fruit juices and other ingredients to impart a wonderful flavor as well!
You will need:
A large stock pot to simmer the brine
A large pot or bucket to soak the bird
1 large cooking bag that is big enough to hold the turkey and be able to tie the top shut.
A kettle-style barbecue (see Weber link above)
A charcoal chimney briquette starter (see link below)
A long stick or tongs
A thick barbecue mitt or welding glove is recommended
Brine Recipe
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 head of garlic, each clove peeled and crushed
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 gallon cold water
2 cans frozen apple juice
2 cans frozen orange juice (you can experiment with other flavors of juices. I would like to try elderberry of course!)
2 cups of salt (You can use any type of salt, canning salt, sea salt, or rock salt, but if a coarse salt is used, add an extra cup)
1/2 cup of brown sugar or molasses (my all-time favorite!)
Whole cloves – about a dozen (this is the spice used for baking. If you haven’t got whole ones, you can use a big teaspoon of ground.)
1 large stick of cinnamon, broken into pieces
1 Tbsp. of freshly ground nutmeg
1 large knot of fresh ginger, minced, or 1 Tbsp. ground
2 whole oranges, zest grated and oranges cut up
Method:
Begin by preparing a large stainless steel or enameled stock pot by adding oil and placing on medium heat on a stove burner. Add chopped onion and cook until just beginning to soften. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about a minute.
Add remaining ingredients, but only about 1/3 of the water, saving the rest until later. Simmer for 15 minutes or until salt and brown sugar or molasses are completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. The remaining water can be added in the form of ice to cool it faster.
It is totally up to you what you use to brine the turkey in, but be forewarned that the brine is not safe to use with aluminum. I use a stainless steel canning pot with the turkey and brine inside in the large oven bag. I line the pot with the oven bag, then slip the turkey in, legs sticking up. That way you can pour the brine into the cavity to make sure it doesn’t have any air in it. Pour in all of the brine, and if there isn’t enough to cover the bird, add some water and stir. In order to completely cover the turkey with brine and all ingredients, tie the top of the bag shut. Then you won’t have to turn it halfway through. I then let it sit over night in the brine, in the refrigerator.
The next day, prepare the turkey for barbecuing by removing it from the bag and brine. Be careful, the brining tenderizes the bird and it may tear apart if you aren’t careful! Rinse it well; it will retain the flavor, but you don’t want all of the salt left on it or it won’t be fit to eat.
After rinsing, place the bird into a large roasting pan. I use foil because the barbecuing would ruin a nice roasting pan. I don’t use a rack inside the pan, and since you are rinsing the brine off, it’s fine – it won’t react with the aluminum. I have also just placed it on the grill rack and done it that way, without a pan, because I don’t use the juices for gravy. Even though you rinse it, the juices can still be pretty salty. You should insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast so you can check it for done-ness later. Make sure it isn’t touching a bone so that you get an accurate reading.
*This step is optional, but not necessary: I put more coarsely chopped raw apples, oranges, celery, garlic and some thyme into the cavity of the turkey to add more moisture and flavor. I have done it both ways and both are delicious!
About 45 minutes before you want to start cooking the turkey, use a charcoal chimney (you can find one here or at your local hardware store) to start as many coals as you can pile in the chimney. You do this by putting the charcoal in the big side of the chimney and wad up a sheet of newspaper in the bottom. Light the paper with a match and let it burn. After about a half an hour check the coals. When they are ready they should all be covered in grey ash, glowing, and hot as the devil. Dump out the coals and use a long stick to shove the coals as far to the sides as you can. I use a welding glove so I don’t burn my hand. Onto the top of the coals that are ready, dump about twice as many more new coals. The coals that are on fire will start the new ones. Make sure that all of the coals are banked to the sides and put the grill surface over it all. Replace the lid and let the new coals get started for another 10 or 15 minutes.
When you are ready to put the turkey on to cook, have someone help you wrangle the turkey or the grill – trust me, you won’t have enough hands! Put the turkey in the center of the grill with the coals that are beneath the grill are on the sides. This provides indirect heat, like an oven, so that it doesn’t fry the turkey and burn it. Replace the lid, checking to be sure that the thermometer or the turkey aren’t touching the lid. Make sure that the vents on the top and bottom of the grill are all open or the fire will go out. I usually have to crack the lid about 1/8 th of an inch on one side to get the perfect ventilation. Let the turkey cook for about an hour, checking periodically to make sure the coals aren’t going out. If it doesn’t seem very hot, crack the lid a little bit more until the coals get going. Trust me, it should be so hot that you can see the heat waves coming off of the barbecue!
The first time you do it, it seems like you have to babysit the fire a lot, and the whole process seems complicated, but you will get the hang of it, and it is worth it. Also, be aware that the coals don’t last forever. You will have to keep an eye on it and add more coals every hour and a half or so to keep it cooking. If the fire goes out or you don’t get more coals on, don’t worry, you can finish it off in a 350 degree oven until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 185 degrees. The first hour or so is what really gives it the flavor, after that you are just cooking it until it is up to temperature. If you have another turkey or other dishes in the oven inside then you had better keep it cooking outdoors, though!
All in all, I have found that my turkeys, which usually weigh between 14-18 pounds take about 4-5 hours to cook depending on the barbecue.
For easiest carving, allow the turkey to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.
In my opinion, this version is much more flavorful cold than a regular roasted turkey. It makes a wonderful sandwich or turkey salad! Would be great to make in the summer, too! Enjoy it at your next family feast!
