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How to Grill Your Turkey on Thanksgiving

How to Grill Your Turkey On Thanksgiving!

This grilled Thanksgiving turkey has crisp, golden skin and herb-buttered, aromatic meat from lemon, garlic, and fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary. It grills for about 2.5 to 3 hours, making it ideal for a Thanksgiving main course when timed to rest before carving.
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Prep Time:1 minute
Cook Time:3 minutes
Total Time:4 minutes
Course: Main
Keyword: Grilling, Thanksgiving, Turkey

Equipment

  • grill
  • disposable foil roasting pans
  • roasting pan
  • kitchen twine
  • meat thermometer

Ingredients

  • 1 turkey 15 to 18 pound, whole
  • 2 onions halved
  • 2 to 3 lemons sliced
  • 1 garlic bulb, top sliced off
  • 1 large fresh herbs large bunch, including sage, thyme, rosemary
  • 8 to 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (enough to cover the entire bird)
  • kosher salt
  • black pepper freshly cracked
  • dried herbs like sage, thyme and rosemary
  • 2 cups chicken stock plus more if needed during cook time.

Instructions

  1. The night before grilling, remove any giblets and the neck and pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Place the turkey in a large baking dish and refrigerate uncovered overnight, away from other foods.
  2. Remove the turkey from the fridge about 1 hour before grilling. Verify your propane tank is full and have a backup tank on hand.
  3. Preheat the grill to medium-high, about 450 degrees F, and preheat all burners. Stack 2 to 3 disposable foil roasting pans together.
  4. Place the turkey breast-side up in a roasting pan. Fill the cavity with 1 halved onion, 1 lemon, the garlic bulb (top sliced off), and a bunch of fresh herbs. Tie the legs loosely with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under the turkey.
  5. Rub the entire turkey with the softened unsalted butter. Sprinkle evenly with kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a light sprinkling of dried herbs such as thyme, sage, and rosemary.
  6. Pour 1 to 2 cups chicken stock into the bottom of the roasting pan and add the remaining lemon wedges and halved onion pieces to the pan.
  7. Place the roasting pan on the grill and turn the center burner to medium-low, then close the grill. Adjust burners as needed to maintain an internal grill temperature of about 425 to 450 degrees F during cooking.
  8. Grill the turkey for 2.5 to 3 hours, checking the bird every 30 minutes to ensure the grill temperature is steady and you have sufficient propane. Baste occasionally with the pan juices, opening the grill only briefly each time.
  9. About halfway through the cook time, rotate the roasting pan on the grill and add more chicken stock to the bottom of the pan if it is running low.
  10. After about 2.5 hours, begin checking the turkey with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh; continue cooking until the thigh reaches 180 degrees F.
  11. When the turkey reaches 180 degrees F in the thigh, remove it from the grill and let it rest undisturbed for 30 to 60 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Refrigerating the turkey uncovered overnight dries the skin and promotes crispiness. Monitor propane and grill temperature closely while cooking, and keep extra chicken stock ready to add to the pan so the bottom doesn't dry out. Use a meat thermometer and rest the turkey 30 to 60 minutes to allow juices to redistribute before carving.