Smoked Turkey on the Weber Kettle Grill (or even a gas grill).
if you have any questions, ask me in the comments.
Frying a turkey isn’t the only way to do something different with your bird. And an injected fried turkey is not the only way to get flavor and moisture into the turkey.
Brine your bird and smoke it and you don’t need a smoker to smoke a turkey. I use my Weber Kettle Grill. You really can use any grill big enough to allow indirect cooking of the bird—no heat underneath the turkey. I prefer the Weber Kettle with the domed lid because it circulates the heat and smoke well.
Here’s what I do:
Brine the turkey overnight or for as long as you have time—4 or 5 hours at minimum.
You can get a turkey brine mix from many stores or make your own—plenty of recipes online. I get my turkey brine at Costco.
After brining, take the turkey out of the brine, pat it dry, rub it with olive oil, and lightly season it. I use poultry seasoning. Don’t season it too much because the brine infuses salt and flavor into the bird.
Prepare your grill by placing charcoal on one side. You want to make sure you do not have coals directly under your turkey. I also use a piece of aluminum foil as a heat shield to block direct heat.
Once the coals are ready, throw on some chunks of hardwood or a stick of oak for smoke. You only want smoke for the first 30 minutes or so. I also create a row of fresh charcoal for the hot coals to burn into so the fire will continue burning for the whole cook time. Some people refer to that is the snake method for arranging charcoal. I like Royal Oak Lump charcoal. And I never use lighter fluid. I use a “chimney” starter with some paper underneath it. If you do use lighter fluid, make sure it burns off completely before you begin cooking.
If you opt to use a gas grill, follow these same principals and keep the heat on medium. If you have multiple zones in your grill, only light one side of the grill to keep heat from being directly under your turkey. You can use a smoke box for wood chips.
Place your turkey on the grill, breast side up with the foil underneath in the side of the heat. Add a small pot or aluminum pan with some of the brine in it for moisture during smoking.
Close the lid and let her rip. I want the grill temp to stay around 200-250 degrees. Adjust the vents on your grill to keep the temp in that range.
After two hours I insert a probe thermometer deep into a thigh, making sure not to hit the bone. Once the bird reaches 165 degrees, take it off the grill. Another clue that the turkey is done is that the bone in the drumstick will become exposed as the skin tightens up. After about an inch and a half to two inches is showing, you are very close to temp. All juices in the body cavity need to run clear.
Next, place your turkey in a pan and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. I let it rest for about 20 minutes. If you will not be serving it for a few hours, place the pan in a cooler and closer the lid. This will keep your turkey warm.
After resting, slice and serve! I hope you enjoy your turkey.
Original of the video here
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