ONE SMOKIN’ HOLIDAY BIRD
November 21, 2012
Traditional Thanksgiving turkey is good, but bringing the bird to the grill can take your meal to all new heights. A quick overnight brine of broth, sugar, salt and seasoning helps keep the turkey moist and tasty throughout, while a disposable pan placed directly beneath the cooking grate offsets the direct heat and prevents flare-ups.
Looking for even more Thanksgiving recipes? Be sure to check out our Candied Bacon with Roasted Tomato Jam appetizer, Smashed Garlic and Rosemary Potatoes, Flame Roasted Cauliflower with Sage Brown Butter Sauce, Grilled Pomegranate and Walnut Salad and the Thanksgiving Leftover Pizza!
Ingredients:
One 12-14 pound turkey
1 gallon vegetable broth
3/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
Sage butter (recipe follows)
Smokin’ turkey rub (recipe follows)
Instructions:
Heat broth, salt, sugar and lemon-pepper over medium heat until dissolved and well blended. Cool completely. In a large stock pot, place the turkey inside and cover with brine. Let soak in the fridge overnight, 8-12 hours.
Remove turkey, pat dry thoroughly. Working gently, insert your fingers between the meat and skin to create pockets in which to spread the sage compound butter evenly beneath the skin.
Rub turkey with Smokin’ Turkey Rub or any of your favorite rubs. Allow to rest while pre-heating grill for indirect cooking by placing a disposable aluminum half pan filled with water or broth under the grill grate with coals on either side of the pan, creating a barrier between the meat and any direct heat or flare-ups from the coals.
Once grill has heated to approximately 350 degrees, place turkey on the grate directly above the aluminum pan and cook until internal temperature in thickest part of the turkey reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove and rest for approximately 30 minutes before carving.
Sage Compound Butter
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tbsp chopped sage
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp ground thyme
1 tsp Kosher salt
Instructions:
Blend all ingredients in a small bowl well and set aside until ready to use.
Smokin’ Turkey Rub
Ingredients:
¼ cup salt
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp guajillo chili powder (or favorite ground chili)
1 tbsp ground pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
Instructions:
Blend all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside until ready to use.
By Clint Cantwell, Grilling.com Guest Editor
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Greatest Thanksgiving Bird we ever made!!!!!!! this was so easy to make, we followed the recipe to the T, right down to making our own sage butter and rub! absolutely amazing, 15 lb bird only took 2 hours on the charcoal grill!!!!!! thanks for the great idea!!!!
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Smokin' Turkeys! and KINGSFORD! We're doing two on the smoker/grill. slathered with olive oil ,Old Bay Seasoning and sage,stuffed an onion inside they are lookin' fantastic! and Kingsford!
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Smoking turkey Simply yummy! I smoke my turkey every year. this recipe is one that I would love to try.
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Looking good. Going to do two this Thanksgiving on the WSM's. Might try one with the sage butter
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