Grilled Turkey

The best Grilled Turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner is so simple and incredibly delicious. Once you try cooking your holiday turkey on the grill, you’ll never go back to oven roasted again.

Cooking turkey on the grill is a great way to change up the Thanksgiving menu without loosing too much tradition. We also love making Smoked Chicken and Dressing to go with our holiday meal.

The secret to a tender, juicy and flavorful grilled turkey is to brine it. If you think you don’t have time to brine, listen up! We never brine our turkey for more than 4 hours. 

Why You Will Love this Grilled Turkey Recipe

• Recipe for any Type of Grill: This grilled turkey recipe will work on a charcoal grill, propane grill, gas grill or an off set smoker. We are using our Big Green Egg ceramic grill with lump charcoal and hickory chunks for smoke flavor. 
• Save Oven Space: Cooking a holiday turkey on the grill will save time and oven space for side dishes like green bean casserole and dinner rolls.
• Delicious Main Dish for Holiday Dinners: This brined and grilled turkey turns out smoky, tender and juicy with crispy skin. The flavor is undeniably better than an oven roasted turkey.

Ingredients for Turkey Brine

• Warm Water
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper Corns
• Lemon
• Fresh Rosemary
• Fresh Garlic
• Ice

Ingredients for Grilled Turkey

• Whole Turkey 
• Salted Butter
• Fresh Garlic
• Fresh Rosemary
• Dry Rub

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How to Brine Turkey

1. In a large pan or bowl, combine warm water with kosher salt. Whisk until salt is dissolved.
2. Cut lemon into quarters, squeeze the juice into the water and add the lemon rinds.
3. Slice garlic cloves in half and place into the brine with rosemary sprigs.
4. Add ice and stir to cool down the brine.
5. Place turkey into brine.
6. Cover and refrigerate 1- 4 hours.
7. Drain turkey and discard the brine.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Thanksgiving Turkey on the Grill

1. Prepare a grill fire to about 350°. Hickory or pecan chunks will add amazing smoke flavor.
2. Pat turkey dry with paper towels, inside and out.
3. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.

4. Melt to tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Add minced garlic and rosemary, cook 1 minute.
5. In a small bowl, add softened butter with garlic butter mixture. Use a fork to combine.

6. Carefully separate the skin of the turkey from the breast meat.
7. Rub butter mixture all under skin and over the top of the the turkey skin.
8. Sprinkle with dry rub.
9. Use kitchen twine to truss the turkey.

10. Cook turkey over indirect heat, turkey breast side up, with the grill lid closed.
11. Check the turkey about every 30 minutes, turning if it is browning more on one side than the other.

12. Continue to cook until turkey reaches 160° using a digital meat thermometer the check in the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, you can also check the thickest part of the breast.

1. Remove from grill and rest about 15 minutes before slicing the turkey meat.

How Long to Grill Whole Turkey

Figure on about 15 -20 minutes per pound for grilled turkey if the grill temperature is between 300° and 350°.  Between 3 and 4 hours total cooking time for about a 12- 15 pound turkey. Using a digital thermometer is the best way to make sure the turkey is perfectly cooked.

How to Store and Reheat Thanksgiving Turkey

• Storage: Turkey should be sliced and removed from the bone. Place in an airtight container or plastic zip top bags and refrigerate up to 3 days.
• Freeze:  Turkey can be frozen in a vacuum sealed bag or freezer bag up to 3 months.
• Keep the Turkey Carcass: Store in a plastic bag to make homemade turkey stock. It’s perfect to have on hand to make turkey noodle soup or homemade dumplings. 
• Sandwiches: Serving Leftover Turkey can be served cold for Turkey Club Sandwiches or use the dark meat to make this amazing Turkey Salad.
• Reheat: To heat leftover turkey, place in a pan with a bit of broth or water, cook over medium heat until heated through.

This grilled Thanksgiving turkey turns out incredibly juicy, tender and flavorful with the perfect amount of smoky flavor. The skin gets crispy and wonderful for the best tasting turkey you’ve ever had.

If you are worried about not having turkey drippings to make the gravy, you can place a large roasting pan below the grill grate to catch the drippings or use our homemade gravy recipe that can be made with chicken broth when you don’t have drippings. 

We love grilled turkey so much that we will often pick up several during the holiday season and keep them in the freezer so we will have them on hand to grill throughout the year. It is a great meal to add to the weekly dinner menu that makes the best leftovers.

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More Delicious Turkey Recipes to Try

• Smoked Apple Cider Turkey makes a beautiful bird for your Thanksgiving meal. This recipe has a quick brine and is injected with our apple cider marinade for a flavorful and juicy turkey.
• Cajun Smoked Turkey is a delicious Thanksgiving recipe that has so much flavor and it’s one of our favorite ways to season a whole turkey.
• Smoked Turkey Breast 
• If you are looking for an alternative to turkey, this Grilled Duck with Orange Sauce is a great option for the holidays

You might also like this Cranberry BBQ Sauce as an alternative to the classic cranberry sauce to serve with your grilled turkey. 

Change up your Thanksgiving menu and start a brand new tradition with a Grilled Turkey this year. It’s a tried and true favorite that is guaranteed to be a show-stopper for your holiday gathering. 

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