Grilling and smoking never become old-fashioned methods for cooking a turkey. Keep reading to learn awesome tips on cooking a perfect turkey.
Holiday is the great time for holding BBQ parties. A turkey is the great star of the show, especially on the Thanksgiving day. Grilling or smoking a turkey outdoor is fun and convenient because this not only provides your family and friends with a superior-tasting meal but also frees up your kitchen space.
Keep reading our post to learn awesome tips on cooking a perfect turkey!
Dry Rub
Photo credit: kristiembry
More than just a common spice that adds various savory flavors for BBQs, dry rub also makes the food pleasant to the eye. There are many ingredients that you can use to mix a dry rub for turkeys. My favorite choice contains a tablespoon of each of garlic powder and onion powder, two tablespoons of non-iodized salt, and a teaspoon of each of kosher salt, black pepper and dried parsley.
Before applying the rub all over the turkey’s skin, make sure you mix all the ingredients well.
Butter Injection
Photo credit: Virgil Holder
During cooking a turkey, there is the likelihood of leaving few dry spots on its skin. The best way to make sure an entirely juicy turkey is to inject some butter.
First, you mix a melted stick of butter (about 110 grams), a teaspoon of garlic powder and a teaspoon of black pepper. Then, draw the mixture into an injection tube. Afterward, slowly pull the tube’s needle to inject the mixture into the thickest area of turkey breast, each leg and thigh while consistently putting enough pressure to the plunger.
Charcoal Grilling
Photo credit: Mike
Turkeys are a large bird which should be grilled indirectly over the heat. Therefore, the heat source needs to be placed away from the bird and not beneath it.
For that reason, Kettle-style charcoal grill works great, even for a big 25-pound turkey. On each side of the grill, you layer enough charcoal. Under the cooking grate, set a big aluminum drip pan to catch the drippings, which also partially prevents the turkey from direct heat. The turkey will be positioned directly on the cooking grate and near the grill’s dome.
Turkey Smoking
Photo credit: Jason Claypool
Smoking a turkey on a low-heat smoker is an interesting experience, resulting in nice pink smoke rings and tasty pieces of meat that likely melt in the mouth. But this way will take you much longer to cook. Depending on the type of smokers and specific temperatures, it will take between 30 and 40 minutes per pound.
Also, you should note that different types of smokers offer different heating changes and cooking arrangements. In general, there are charcoal smokers, propane smokers and electric smokers.
Temperature
To grilling, the barbecue needs to get around 400 F degrees. The turkey will be evenly cooked at this temperature for about 1.5-2 hours. At the end of the process, you drop the temperature to about 350 F degrees. The cooking will be accomplished when the turkey gets the internal temperature of 170 F degrees.
To smoking, you set the smoker until it reaches the temperature of 250 F degrees. Moreover, you’d better choose a light wood (such as cherry or pine ) and place its chunks with the charcoal. This will create an even smoke distributed throughout the smoker.
For checking and monitoring the internal temperature of meat throughout the cook, the best smoker thermometer is recommended. Thanks to this superb handy tool, you will know exactly how cooked your turkey is whenever you want.
After the turkey is fully cooked, don't take it out of the grill or smoker immediately. Instead, let it stand for 15 minutes for the juice to set in.
Grilling and smoking never become old-fashioned methods for cooking a turkey. Hanging out with them on holiday simply creates an unforgettable experience for your family and friends.
Hopefully, our post can give you helpful and effective tips on cooking a perfect turkey. Thank you for reading! Have a nice meal!
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