Grilled Thanksgiving Turkey Is Tender and Juicy

Using the grill to roast an unstuffed bird frees up the oven for side dishes. JeanMarie Brownson/TNS

My family roasted four turkeys to accommodate all the holiday guests at my grandparents’ small Chicago bungalow. Their house smelled of holiday: turkeys roasting upstairs and down. My father carved the birds for hours. Great memories for those of us too young to realize the enormity of the effort.

This year, our Thanksgiving will be considerably smaller—one modest-size turkey will suffice. I’m planning to forgo a house full of roasting aromas for a patio with wafts of the pleasant smells from a charcoal grill. Using the grill to roast an unstuffed bird frees up the oven for side dishes such as cornbread dressing, sweet potato casseroles, and roasted Brussels sprouts.

Turns out, most guests love the flavor of turkey off the grill. That is, as long as the meat is tender and juicy. Like my everyday pork chops and chicken parts, I’ll give the turkey a 24-hour swim in a potful of sweet and salty brine spiked with plenty of garlic and bay leaves. I can’t emphasize enough the positive benefits of this cumbersome step. I say cumbersome because carving out refrigerator space during the holidays proves a challenge even for an experienced fridge organizer.

A 10- to 12-pound turkey fits nicely with the brine in my deepest soup pot. I rearrange the refrigerator shelves to accommodate the pot. After brining, pat the turkey dry and sprinkle some brown sugar rub into the bird’s cavities. Fill the cavities with aromatics (here, apples, oranges, onion, and herbs). Then set the turkey in a shallow pan and rub it all over with the brown sugar rub. You can leave the rubbed turkey on the counter up to an hour while you heat the grill. Or refrigerate it for up to a day.

I seek out fresh, all-natural turkey without added liquid or injected solutions. When frozen turkey is the only option, you’ll need to allow a couple of extra days for it to thaw in the refrigerator.

The brown sugar rub can be made in advance. Be aware that the turkey skin will look like dark mahogany when it comes off the grill. If you prefer a more golden color, simply use less rub (or omit the coffee powder from the rub). FYI, the skin is irresistible.

Turkey gravy proves a challenge when grilling the holiday bird. No worries. Make a light broth from the neck and giblets tucked inside the bird’s cavity. Then season the broth with some browned shallots, red wine, and plenty of pepper. I thicken the broth with dissolved flour. If the drip pan under the turkey yields a few spoonfuls of drippings, they can be added to the gravy, but know that they will impart an untraditional, but delicious, smokiness.

Showcase the bronzed bird whole while it sits on the carving board for up to 20 minutes. Just before serving, use a large spoon to scoop out and discard the aromatics from the interior cavities. Then carve off the legs, then the wings, then finally the breast halves. Cut the legs at the thigh and drumstick joint. Slice the breast crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces.

My father spent time sharpening his carving knife before a holiday and then passing it along a sharpening steel once or twice during the carving process. I heed his meticulousness for beautiful slices of turkey goodness every time.

Brown Sugar and Hickory Grilled Turkey

Prep 30 minutes Brine 3 to 6 hours Cook 1 hour

Makes 8 to 10 servings

• 1 whole turkey (10 to 12 pounds)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup salt
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 or 5 bay leaves
• Brown sugar rub, recipe follows
• 1 small navel orange, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small apple, cored, cut into 8 pieces
• Handful of mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme
• 2 cups hickory wood chips
• Fresh sage leaves for garnish
• Turkey gravy, see recipe

Rinse turkey and remove the giblet and neck packet from the interior. Set the neck and giblets into a saucepan. (Reserve the liver for another use.) Cover with 6 cups water and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, checking water level, to make a light turkey broth. Strain and save broth in the refrigerator for up to several days.

Put 3 quarts water, sugar, salt, garlic, and bay leaves into a deep, large soup pot or container. Stir to dissolve sugar and salt. Put the turkey in the brine; add more water as needed so it’s completely immersed. Refrigerate 6 to 24 hours. Remove turkey from brine. Discard the brine.

Pat turkey dry. Rub the insides of the cavities with some of the brown sugar rub. Stuff some of the orange, onion, apple pieces, and herbs into each cavity. Use wooden picks to pull the skin over the neck cavity to hold in the aromatics. Set the turkey in a pan, breast side down. Rub the back with the rub. Flip the bird over and rub the breast side, wings, and legs generously with the rub. Rubbed turkey can be refrigerated for up to several hours.

Soak wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes. Heat a gas grill to medium-high or light a charcoal fire and let it burn just until the coals are covered with gray ash and very hot. Turn off the heat in the center of the gas grill or set up the charcoal grill for indirect cooking by banking all the coals to the sides, leaving the center empty. Add a drip pan to the bottom of the grill to capture any drippings.

Put the turkey in the center of the grill (not directly over the heat source). Cover the grill to maintain a steady 325 F temperature (you can use an oven thermometer as a guide). Cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in the thigh and the juices run clear, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Replenish coals as needed if cooking on charcoal.

Let turkey rest on cutting board for 10 to 20 minutes. The temperature will rise about 10 degrees. Use a spoon to remove and discard the aromatics from the turkey cavities. Then carve off the legs, then the wings, then finally the breast halves. Cut the legs at the thigh and drumstick joint. Slice the breast crosswise into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Serve garnished with fresh sage and turkey gravy.

Brown sugar rub: Mix 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar; 1 tablespoon each salt, chili powder, and instant coffee powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons each ground cumin and oregano; and 1 teaspoon each dry mustard and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Turkey Gravy

Makes about 4 cups

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 or 3 large shallots, finely chopped
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 4 cups turkey broth
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon gravy darkener
• Salt, freshly ground black pepper
• Turkey pan drippings from grill, optional

Melt butter in medium-size saucepan. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Add wine and boil until reduced by half. Stir in 3 cups of the turkey broth and simmer a few minutes.

Mix flour and remaining 1 cup broth in small bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk this mixture into the saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and boiling, about 5 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, gravy darkener, and salt and pepper to taste. If desired, stir in a couple of spoonfuls of the turkey pan juices. Serve hot.

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