This Thanksgiving I am grilling a 15 Pound Brined Fresh Turkey on the Weber Grill. Yes, you heard me right: Turkey on the Weber Grill.
Cooking a turkey on the grill has so many advantages for Thanksgiving. The biggest advantage is being able to cook 2 turkeys at the same time for a large crowd: One in the oven and one on the grill. We never have just one turkey since we have over 20 people for dinner. Also, cooking the turkey on the grill frees up oven space not only to be able to cook a second turkey, but you know how difficult it gets when you have all of those sides dishes to cook in the oven and there is no room. You end up playing the shuffle game trying to fit everything around the turkey. When you do that you are always in the oven and you loose oven heat. No wonder everything takes forever to get hot.
I grill on a Weber Charcoal Grill (WCG). The cooking time for anything on a WCG is completely different than cooking on a gas grill. Cooking on a WCG is like cooking in a super convection oven. The heat is so intensely concentrated that it will cook a 15 pound turkey in half the time it takes to cook in a 325° conventional oven. So, if you are thinking that the cooking time is fast, you are right. It’s REALLY fast. It cooks evenly without burning the turkey or drying it out. Cooking the same size turkey on a gas grill most likely will take the same time as cooking it in a conventional oven. I’ve never owned a gas grill so I can’t tell you how long to cook a turkey.
I begin the preparation for cooking the Thanksgiving Turkey the day before. I always brine my turkey to achieve a moist, delicious, well cooked turkey. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you brine the bird as well. I usually buy a brining kit at the market specifically for turkey. Follow the brining instructions and you will be delighted with the results. All you need is plenty of room in your frig for a large pan to hold the turkey.
I make my stuffing the day before, too, BUT I don’t stuff the bird until I am ready to put it on the grill or in the oven.
I put the string on thinking it would help in taking the turkey off the grill. Don’t bother, it didn’t work. I ended up using two REALLY BIG turkey forks to remove it.
Grilled Turkey
1 12 to 15 Pound Brined Fresh Turkey
¼ Cup XVOO
Coarse Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Corn Bread and Andouille Sausage Stuffing (Optional)
Wild Mushroom Stuffing (Optional)
Dried Fruit Stuffing (Optional – If you use this stuffing add 2 large eggs to the mixture.)
Take the turkey out of the refrigerator 1 hour before grilling. Rinse off the brine and dry the turkey inside and out with paper towels. Bringing the bird to room temperature makes for even cooking. You can stuff the bird with your favorite stuffing, one of my stuffings, or don’t stuff it at all. It’s up to you. I like it stuffed.
Rub the XVOO all over the bird and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Build a split charcoal fire using 30 to 40 coals on each side. When the coals are hot place a foil pan in-between the coals and in the center of the grill. This catches all of the drippings from the turkey for your gravy. Use the drippings exactly as you would if they came from cooking the turkey in the oven.
Place the top grill over the coals and place the turkey in the middle of the grill positioning it over the drip pan.
Place the lid on the grill with it just ever so slightly tilted to the side to let a little more air flow into the grill. Just a tiny, tiny bit. Maybe ¼ inch. Be sure all of the other vents are open. If the turkey looks as if it is cooking too fast, take the tilt out of the lid.
After about 1 hour add 6 coals on each side being careful to not get any in the drip pan. Cook the turkey for 2 to 3 hours or until an instant read thermometer registers 180° when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. The cooking time will depend on how hot the fire is. With the amount of coal I have here, you will have a HOT fire. One thing that helps you determine if the turkey is done is to get one with the little pop-up thingy in the breast. I did and it worked perfectly. In fact, if I hadn’t had the pop-up I would have cooked it too long. I did a 15 Pounder loosely stuffed with andouille sausage and cornbread stuffing and it cooked in 2 hours and 15 minutes. If you don’t stuff your bird it will cook even faster.
Transfer the turkey to a platter and let it rest 30 minutes before carving. The resting time will give you time to make the gravy and get the rest of your dinner on the table.
Delicious Looking – – – Delicious Tasting
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask. You can ask me on this blog in the comment section or email me at
camille@camillecooksforyou.com