1 Recipe Dry Brine for Turkey
1 12 to 15 Pound Fresh Turkey, Dry Brined, Rinsed and Patted Dry
¼ Cup XVOO
Remove the neck and giblets from the body and neck of the turkey. Rinse the turkey thoroughly and dry with paper towels. Rub the dry brine all over the bird and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
Take the turkey out of the refrigerator 1 hour before grilling. Rinse the off all of the brine and dry with paper towels. Bringing it to room temperature makes for even cooking. You can stuff the bird with your favorite stuffing, or my favorite stuffing Golden Cornbread and Andouille Sausage Stuffing, or no stuffing at all. It’s up to you. I like it stuffed.
Rub the XVOO all over the bird.
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 in the grill. Just a tiny, tiny bit. Maybe 1/4 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. I kept a close eye on the temperature of the grill to maintain a temperature of 325°F.
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 165° when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. The cooking time will depend on how hot the fire is. 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.
Transfer the turkey to a dish 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.
This is after 1 hour cooking time. It cooked for a total 2 hours 15 minutes.
I cooked my turkey while writing this blog and I just finished eating some of the white meat and stuffing and, OMG, it is the moistest turkey I have ever made.
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
I want to add a note about grills. I grill on a Weber Charcoal Grill (WCG). The cooking time for anything on a WCG is way different then 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 thought the cooking time was fast, you are right. It’s REALLY fast. It cooks evenly without burning or drying out the turkey. Cooking the same size turkey on a gas grill most likely will take the same time as cooking it in a conventional oven.
It was really good. The only drawback is that you have to really pay attention with the heat. I was running back and forth for 2 hours. It was worth it. Last week I did a small turkey on the grill and smoked it with some hickory chunks. I made the stock with the smoked chicken bones and dark meat and then used that for my gravy this past Sunday. So Good