Best 8 Charcoal Grilled Whole Turkey Recipes

GRILLED WHOLE TURKEY

Steps:

• Prepare an outdoor grill for indirect medium heat, and lightly oil grate. Rinse turkey, and pat dry.
• Place turkey breast side down on the prepared grill. Sear turkey on both sides until skin is golden to dark brown.
• In a large roasting pan, mix together the water, bouillon powder, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, parsley, and paprika.
• Place turkey breast side down in the roasting pan. Scoop the pan mixture over the turkey. Cover tightly with foil and place on grill.
• Grill 3 to 4 hours, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Remove turkey from grill and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

SMOKED WHOLE TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove the turkey from the fridge and allow to sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking.
• Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal grill or smoker for indirect heat, at approximately 275 degrees F. Sprinkle in wood chips (such as hickory, apple or pecan wood) that have soaked in cold water for at least 4 hours and up to 48 hours, and allow them to char before cooking.
• Place the turkey in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Brush the entire turkey with the oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Place the turkey in the grill or smoker and cook for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together the chicken stock, honey and vinegar. Baste the turkey after cooking for 45 minutes. Repeat the basting every 45 minutes until the internal temperature of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the breast registers 155 degrees F, about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the bird.
• Remove the turkey to a large cutting board and let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

GRILLED WHOLE TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove any feathers and quills with pliers (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others).
• Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly in turkey cavities and all over skin. Fold neck skin under body and, if desired, secure with metal skewer, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with kitchen string.
• Preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then turn off 1 burner (middle one if there are 3). Put turkey on oiled rack in roasting pan and add 2 cups water to pan. Set pan over turned-off burner and close lid immediately (temperature drops quickly when lid is lifted). Grill, adjusting burner or burners to maintain 450°F and rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through grilling, until thermometer inserted in fleshy part of each thigh registers 170°F, 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours. Time could be longer in cold weather. Avoid opening lid often because of rapid heat loss.

GRILLED WHOLE TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat gas or charcoal grill for indirect grilling as directed in owner's manual. Remove and discard neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse turkey with cold water. Season cavity of turkey with seasoned salt and pepper. Fasten neck skin to back with skewers. Turn wings back and tuck tips under shoulder joints. Refasten drumsticks with metal piece or tuck under band of skin at tail. Rub outside surface of turkey with oil. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of thigh and does not touch bone.
• Place turkey, breast side up, over unheated side of grill directly over drip pan. Cover grill; cook turkey with medium heat 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours or until thermometer reads 180°F to 185°F and legs move easily when moved or twisted. Avoid lifting cover until ready to check thermometer. (There is no need to baste or turn turkey.) Let turkey stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

THE GREATEST GRILLED TURKEY

Steps:

• Prepare an outdoor grill for indirect medium-high heat.
• Rinse turkey and pat dry. Turn wings back to hold neck skin in place. Return legs to tucked position. Brush turkey with oil. Season inside and out with Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on a metal grate inside a large roasting pan. Arrange pan on the prepared grill. Grill 2 to 3 hours, to an internal thigh temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Remove turkey from grill and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

SLOW-GRILLED TURKEY

Steps:

• Let turkey sit at room temperature at least 1 hour. Stuff turkey with aromatics or stuffing of your choice; tie the cavity closed.
• Open grill vents. Place a chimney starter on the small lower grill grate, put 50 charcoal briquettes in starter, and ignite; let burn until ash gray. Remove chimney starter, center roasting pan on grate, and pour out coals, dividing evenly on each long side of pan. (Be careful not to spill ashes into pan, since it will collect the turkey drippings needed for gravy.) Top with main grill grate.
• Combine oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub or brush mixture all over turkey.
• Place turkey on top grate, directly over roasting pan, and cover with grill lid (keep lid vent open). Every 45 minutes, add 8 unlit briquettes on each long side of roasting pan to keep heat even. (Some grills have a grate with space on the sides that allows for this addition. Otherwise you'll need a helper to lift the grate with the turkey while you add the coals.) Cook turkey until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (and the stuffing) reads 165 degrees, 2 to 3 hours (about 10 minutes per pound with aromatics, 12 minutes with stuffing). Remove from heat, and let rest 20 minutes before carving.

TURKEY ON THE GRILL

Steps:

• Remove neck and giblets; reserve for other uses. Remove and discard excess fat. Rinse the bird inside and out and pat dry. Season body cavity with salt and pepper. Tie legs together and twist wing tips under back. Brush turkey with oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange turkey breast side up, in center of cooking grate. Place lid on grill.
• Cook 11 to 13 minutes per pound or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh not touching bone registers 180 degrees and the juices run clear. Transfer turkey to a platter. Let stand for 15 minutes before carving.
• Method for the Charcoal Kettle Grill: Open all vents on the grill. Use charcoal dividers to hold the charcoal briquettes. Divide the briquettes evenly, place them in the dividers and place the dividers on either side of the charcoal grate, as close as possible to the outside edges. Ignite the briquettes and, keeping the lid off, let them burn until lightly covered with a gray ash, about 25 to 30 minutes. If necessary, use long-handled tongs to rearrange the briquettes so the coals will burn evenly on both sides. Place a foil drip pan on the charcoal grate between the baskets of coals. Put the cooking grate in place, positioning the hinged sides of the grate over the briquettes so that more charcoal can be added easily. Arrange the bird breast side up in the center of the cooking grate. Place lid on the grill, leaving all vents open, and grill as directed above. Add briquettes as indicated on the chart below at the end of each hour to maintain the heat.
• Charcoal Briquette Guide for Kettle Grill: For a 26 3/4-inch grill, use 30 briquettes on each side for the first hour of grilling and add 9 briquettes to each side every hour to maintain heat.
• For a 22 1/2-inch grill, use 25 briquettes on each side for the first hour of grilling and add 8 briquettes to each side every hour to maintain heat.
• For an 18 1/2-inch grill, use 20 briquettes on each side for the first hour of grilling and add 7 briquettes to each side every hour to maintain heat.
• Method for the Gas Barbecue: Ignite the grill and turn all burners to high. Close the lid and preheat 10 to 15 minutes to bring the grill to 500 to 550 degrees. Turn burners down to medium heat. Place turkey breast side up in a roast holder inside a foil drip pan. Position pan in the center of the cooking grate and place the lid on the grill. For three burner grills, set front and back burners to medium and turn off center burner. For two burner grills, turn the front and back burners to medium. Keep grill covered.

CHARCOAL GRILLED TURKEY HALF

Steps:

• Mix first 8 ingredients together in small dish, put onion, carrots, and celery in center of foil pan that you plan on using for grilling or roasting; sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of seasoning mixture onto vegetables, add turkey broth.
• Rinse bird inside and out; pat dry.
• Try to loosen up some of the skin.
• Mix together olive oil and lemon juice; rub onto turkey.
• Sprinkle inside, outside, and under skin of bird with the remaining seasoning mixture.
• PUT TURKEY CUT SIDE DOWN IN FOIL PAN AND REFRIGERATOR FOR ONE HOUR . (Try to get veggies covered by the turkey so that the flavors can saturate the meat a bit).
• Prepare grill: all grill vents (including the cover) are OPEN. (Our grill has 3 vents on bottom and 1 on the lid, open them all up).
• Put 50 briquettes in grill.
• Set grate in place.
• Allow the coals to glow red hot, then change into a light coating of gray ash, which might take about 35 minutes, with the temperature reaching 350°F (medium heat) or so that your hand cannot tolerate the heat for more than 2 seconds-w/o touching grate, of course.
• Put foil pan onto grate; close 2 of the 3 bottom vents, COVER with grill cover that has its 1 vent HALFWAY OPEN.
• Grill for about 90 to 120 minutes, or until the meat thermometer temperature is 165 degrees F. (Allow 15 to 18 minutes per pound).
• Start checking 25 minutes before the minimum amount of cooking time. (If parts of the turkey begin to get dark before the bird is done, drape those areas with foil.).
• Remove turkey from grill and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.