Never a fan of turkey was my mother. I adored Istanbul. Disliked the bird. I’m unsure if the preparation, the size, or the taste concerned her. It might have been the memory of ordering a bustard when I was six years old in Australia because they didn’t have turkeys and how awful that meal was. The Thanksgiving custom in my family was always a little fluid, perhaps because we never actually lived close to any extended family and I spent a lot of my youth overseas.
During Thanksgiving or Christmas when I was growing up, we were just as likely to eat duck a l’orange or rack of lamb as other people were to have turkey or ham. Perhaps this explains why my family’s traditions are constantly changing. Our home is now the center of activity, and we’ve been having gatherings like Thanksgiving for a long time. If we think a new tradition will be more inclusive, fun, or even just better tasting, we love to experiment and create it! After all, who likes marshmallow’s flavor on top of sweet potatoes and cranberries? Not many individuals I know have that more than once a year! Our daughter is grown and lives nearby, and she enjoys introducing new ideas to the tradition, whether it’s a new soup recipe, side dish, or dessert. In an effort to create the ideal supper for our table, we choose what we like and wish to keep from the new additions and add another item.
One of the customs we’ve continued was taught to me by a neighbor maybe twenty years ago, and it involved roasting a turkey on the barbeque. At the time, I was beginning to establish my style of barbecuing, and I embraced it like a child discovering a brand-new toy. For many individuals who grew up watching their grandmother roast the turkey with the vegetables surrounding it and the stuffing within, I know, it’s a strange idea.
Does anyone ever consider that the explanation for it might be that there is not enough space in the kitchen to prepare everything needed for a meal that size? Furthermore, there is no way that bird can cook tenderly and juicy with all of that stuff in the oven. Must spend at least three hours there. What matters is how much you bast it!
But those were different times, and with the more equitable allocation of labor today, everyone in my house needs to participate! The first time Dad offers to do more than just carve the bird could be frightening. Properly preparing the turkey might mean losing some snooze time on the couch in front of the Lions’ game and letting the individuals in the kitchen have some breathing room for a change. Hence, this strategy might not be for you if you don’t want the pressure or the accolades. But if you grill, you’ll eventually give it a try, and once you realize how simple it is and how delicious it tastes, you’ll kick yourself!
But, because I’m always open to new ideas, I’ve had all different types of folks at my table and been to a fair number of others where I’ve eaten roasted, rotisseried, baked, and deep-fried turkey. Yet, in my honest opinion, a grilled turkey’s smoky flavor always wins out. All alternatives have advantages and disadvantages, but I like this approach because it is straightforward to prepare. Some of my pals came over and asked if I would cook a turkey for them the following Friday because they were disappointed that I wouldn’t give them all of my leftovers to take home.
I use a cast-iron charcoal grill with a relatively sizable cooking surface separated into four areas with an adjustable grate. The most crucial element of effectively cooking outdoors is controlling the heat, which is what I love about my grill because it gives me so many options. At my place, turkey is cooked over indirect heat like any poultry. Before placing your chicken on the grill, ensure it has completely defrosted and is at room temperature.
Before beginning to prepare the Thanksgiving turkey, you should learn more about indirect and direct heat cooking techniques. Use that as a forewarning! You can sign up and receive the aforementioned instructions, or you can look at other articles I’ve written here regarding controlling your heat. However, because turkey is inexpensive, you might wish to test your skills on one before the big day to ensure accuracy and prevent unpleasant surprises.
The turkey is simple to prepare. I remove the bird from its plastic packaging an hour before lighting the coals. The day before Thanksgiving, usually in the afternoon, a permanent visitor and dear friend of mine always orders a 14–16 lb. turkey in the mail and sends it to scare us. We’ve never had a problem with it not arriving, so we’re getting used to it. Naturally, it is packed in dry ice, so we must ensure that it completely defrosts.
Giving the wife the neck, innards, and giblets—things I don’t want to handle—is what I do. Perhaps she can use it to create stock, or maybe she will feed it to the cats. I genuinely want to know!
I begin by massaging olive oil all over the bird, much like I would do with a baby. Although it’s untidy and a little unsettling, it must be done since the outcomes are positive. Then I sprinkle the chicken entirely, top to bottom, not missing a single crevasse, with as many spices as I believe the bird can withstand, including some Mediterranean sea salt, Jamaica Me Krazy salt, lemon and pepper, garlic pepper, poultry rub, etc. You’re not stuffing the bird, so feel free to experiment if you want to add some lemons, oranges, or apples.
It’s time to light the grill. I like to utilize two chimneys made entirely of charcoal. At the same time I remove the top grates, prepare my chimneys, and light them. They take around 15 to 20 minutes, and when the top coals are licked by the flames, they are ready to drop. Now I place a disposable metal drip pan measuring 9 x 12 inches on the ash grate in the middle, beneath the area where the bird will sit. Using my gloves, I pour the coals on either side of the drip pan and spread them evenly while keeping the adjustable grate as far away from the grilling surface as feasible.
Now I position two of my four cast-iron grilling surfaces in the middle, leaving the sides unclosed so I can still reach the coals if necessary. Although it depends on the size of the turkey and the weather where you are, I typically don’t need to add any more coals while the turkey is roasting when using my approach. I just keep my gloves on when picking up the dirty bird and clean them later.
Put the bird breast side down in the middle of the grill, above the drip pan. Yes, as though the bird had been standing before having its feet cut off. As I did for years, you can roast the bird breast side up, as it generally is in an oven. However, once I accidentally flipped it over, two things happened: the cooking time per pound was reduced, and the bird became more juicy. Nope. Not merely luck. Since then, I have been cooking my turkey that way. Unless you see smoke billowing out the air vents (which indicates you have too much heat in there and the juices caught fire), close the lid and don’t even glance at it for forty minutes.
Therefore, the “how come” in me supplied, what I think, is a pretty reasonable explanation. The premise is that in order to keep the breasts moist, keep them as far away from the heat as you can. That’s alright… in the oven. Since it will be cooking for a considerable amount of time and it is simple to gather the liquids and pour them back on top, the cavity is stuffed with ingredients that must cook. This should keep the bird wet via steaming.
The heat is more substantial and the bird will cook more quickly on the barbeque because there is no stuffing inside. My turkey used to take 9–12 minutes per pound while sitting breast side up, depending on size and circumstances. When I turned it over, the cooking time per pound decreased to 6-8 minutes. What I see is as follows: Gravity draws juices downhill; heat turns fats into juices; dark meat has more fat and hence more fluid; fluids accumulate and heat rather than flee and cook the bird more quickly while maintaining the moisture in the heart. It makes sense to me very well.
So that you may judge for yourself, try both methods. If there is a taste difference, I’d say the breast side-up approach is a little smokier, but I make up for that by adding some wood chips that have been steeped in water to the mixture. dispozitie”) urmari urmari “”) urmari (” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” (” (” (” (“”) ” “”””)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”)”) cautare invata.””.”.”.
Regardless of how you choose to prepare your bird, check the interior temperature with a meat thermometer. Most of the time, you may test it by wriggling the legs to see how loose the bone is. If you wait until the temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, though, it will already be dry. My preference is to remove mine at around 145°F and let it set for approximately 15 minutes. When it is submerged in its own juices, the internal temperature keeps rising, but because there is no heat, it doesn’t dry out. As long as you don’t fiddle with the lid and let all of the heat escape, the bird will climb roughly a degree each minute after the inside heat registers on the thermometer, which takes a long time to happen.
What, then can be more basic? Also, you receive the credit for freeing up some time and space in the kitchen so they can enjoy themselves. I guarantee you scarcely missed any of the game because this task is hassle-free. See if you can proudly carve that bird and if it doesn’t become an annual custom. Perhaps you’ll eat turkey more frequently than once a year!
Famous grill expert Robert “Bubba” Q. Lischus currently resides in Northern California but travels the world to cook. A free download of “The Layman’s Guide To Excellent Barbecue” is now available at The Smokin’ BBQ Pit.
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