How To Grill A Turkey

If you love turkey and have a grill, then you should know how to grill a turkey. You do not have to wait once a year to enjoy this succulent bird. Turkeys are available all year round and considering how much meat you will have for leftover meals and turkey sandwiches, it is quite a bargain. If you have never had grilled turkey, you are missing out. Grilling a turkey is easy and gives you time to kick back and relax while the smell drives your neighbors crazy.

To grill a turkey, you will need:

• Grill
• Smoke box with mesquite, kiawe or apple wood chips
• A twelve pound turkey – or whatever will fit in your grill
• Roasting pan with rack
• Foil
• Olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper

To make brine for the turkey you will need:

• One cup of sea salt
• One and half cups of sugar
• Six ounces of soy sauce
• Five cloves of garlic
• Five inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• Two tbsp. whole peppercorn
• One gallon of water or enough to cover the turkey

1. Prepare. It takes a little over two hours to grill a turkey. Two things you have to do before you even fire up the grill are brine the bird for a night and soak your wood chips. To make the brine, combine all the ingredients together in a large container or non-scented garbage bag. Wash the turkey and remember to remove the bag inside the cavity that contains the liver, heart and neck. Place the turkey in the brine and put it in a refrigerator. If there is no room, use an ice chest filled with ice. Soak your wood chips two hours before you start the grill.
2. Flame on. Drain the wood chips, put them in the smoke box and add some dry ones up top to get them going. Put the smoke box in the corner of the grill and preheat it on high. As the grill heats, remove the bird from the brine and rinse it. Place the turkey on the roasting pan rack, rub it with olive oil and season with freshly ground pepper.
3. Grill it. When the grill is ready and the smoke box is smoking, turn the grill to indirect medium. Put the turkey inside and close the grill. In 30 minutes, take a quick peek and if the wing tips are brown, cover them in foil. In an hour, take a quick peek and if the breast is nicely browned, cover it with foil. In two hours, check the temperature. You want the thickest part of the thigh to read 180 degrees.