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Grill-Roasted Turkey

Grill-Roasted Turkey results in perfectly moist turkey with golden brown, crispy crackling skin. A great method of cooking the turkey that frees up the oven for all the sides.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time4 hours
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: barbecued turkey
Servings: 14
Author: Four to Cook For

Equipment

  • Charcoal grill and coals
  • Roasting pan

Ingredients

  • 20 lb turkey
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper for the rub
  • 4 lemons quartered
  • 2 onions quartered
  • 5-8 cloves of garlic peeled
  • 3 cups baby carrots
  • 3 stalks of celery quartered
  • 5 rosemary sprigs
  • 1 bunch of thyme sprigs
  • 1 quart box of chicken broth using about 3 cups
  • 2 sticks 1 cup butter, using about 1 1/2 sticks

Instructions

Prepare Turkey

  • Before you being, make sure turkey is thoroughly defrosted, which would take about five days for a 20 lb turkey in the refrigerator if purchased frozen.
  • Remove neck and giblets bag from the turkey. If the turkey has plastic or metal leg fasteners ("hock locks"), remove those too.
  • Rinse and pat dry with paper towels and place in the roasting pan.
  • When completely dry, stuff with three of the quartered lemons, one of the quartered onions, the garlic, and the herbs.
  • Using your hands, rub the olive oil all over the bird, then rub in salt and pepper.
  • Place the turkey back-side down in the roasting pan.
  • Place all the other aromatics around the turkey.
  • Add about three cups of chicken broth to the pan and set aside while you prepare the coals.

Prepare Grill

  • Using a chimney, fill it up to the top, light and let catch fire.
  • When first set of briquettes are smoldering, add another equal batch.
  • When fully hot and no longer smoking, divide the briquettes so that there is a cool area in the middle (no briquettes).

Cook Turkey

  • Place the roasting pan in the middle of the grill (the cool area), and close the lid tightly. Make sure the vents on the top and bottom of the grill are open.
  • In a half hour, baste the turkey with melted butter. Keep on basting with melted butter every half hour until the turkey is cooked, about 3 1/2 hours. During this process, if the turkey shows signs of browning on one side, turn it around so it cooks evenly. Make sure the lid is shut tight each time you finish basting with butter.
  • Take the turkey out when the skin starts to pull away from the leg. You can also check with a meat thermometer, making sure that the turkey reaches at least 170.
  • (For my turkey, it was 180 and still fantastically moist.)
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