The Christmas I grilled the family turkey

By: Jeff

The 2014 Christmas Eve will be one I will remember, not just because of the time spent with family and friends, but also it was the first time we provided the main dish for dinner...the turkey. Not only was that a first for our family, but we cooked it a way no one had ever tasted before (including myself). 

The brine

The 2014 Christmas was the first time we ever grilled a 13-pound turkey, and to say the result was good might be the understatement of the year. We decided to take pictures of the process and share them with the readers of the site.

The first step in the process, and probably the most important for the best flavor, was placing the turkey into a brine. The brine was a simple concoction. About a gallon of water, a cup of salt, a cup of sugar, black pepper corns, minced garlic, freshly squeezed orange juice along with leaving the oranges in the brine.

After the brine has boiled, let it rest until the liquid cools to room temperature (you can expedite this process by adding ice cubes to the brine.) Once the brine has cooled, get a pot large enough for the liquid and the turkey (many use a clean Lowe's or Home Depot container) and place the turkey into the brine for at least 12 hours (some leave it soaking for up to 48 hours).

While the turkey is soaking, it is time to prepare the other ingredients for when the turkey is done soaking. Take 4 oranges and cut them into quarters, 3 onions cut and sliced and 3 apples cut into sections. These ingredients will be stuffed into the turkey, along with being placed in the drip pan underneath the turkey while cooking on the grill.

Once the bird has soaked in the brine, remove from the liquid and dry thoroughly. After drying, you will want to season the inside and outside of the turkey with salt, pepper and butter. If you are looking for a nice flavor and crusty skin, we took rendered bacon fat and also used that on both the inside and outside of  the turkey.

Once seasoned, we put the turkey onto a roasting rack which will go directly on the grill and will be rotated 180-degrees every 30 minutes.

Before I go any further, the grill is something which needs to be focused on. I cook with charcoal and smoke with wood chips. I decided to use apple wood chips, and had a healthy batch of chips soaking in water for 2 hours before using them.

The turkey will cook on indirect heat, which means a heat source will never be directly underneath the turkey, but rather to each side of the turkey. This operation requires frequent babysitting. Once you have your coals at high temperature, you will have to check every 30 minutes to add charcoal, as well as add hot coals every other trip to maintain proper temperature. I used one large bag of charcoal from the start of the grilling till I was done.

Before placing the turkey on the grill, place the oranges, apples and onions left over into a drip pan between the coals and fill with 2-3 cups of water. The drippings from the turkey will mix with the flavors of the fruit and vegetables to create an aroma and a basting sauce which is unbeatable.

As stated earlier in the article, you will rotate the turkey every time you check on it to ensure it cooks evenly throughout. I placed our turkey on the grill at 10:45 a.m. and took the finished product off the grill around 2:30 p.m. You want to maintain a high medium temperature throughout the process, adding wood chips to the coals every time you check on the turkey. The internal temperature should be between 170-180 degrees and should be checked in multiple areas on the turkey (thigh, breast, etc.) to ensure the meat is cooked throughout.

Once the turkey has reached proper temperature, take the turkey off the grill and place in a roasting pan inside. Tent the turkey with aluminum foil for about an hour. In the meantime, you can take the drip tray and baste the turkey to keep the turkey moist before serving. After the turkey has rested for an hour, it is time to carve and enjoy! Once you try turkey this way, you will never want a typical oven cooked turkey again. It is time consuming, but well worth the wait.