This year my dad decided to grill the turkey for our Thanksgiving feast. I know very little about preparing turkeys or grilling. Therefore, I thought an interview with the chef, my dad Jim Cordes, would be much more informative (PS - the turkey turned out AMAZING):
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Me: Why use an outdoor gas grill to cook a turkey?
Jim: While cooking a turkey in one's home provides the satisfying aromas of Thanksgiving, I decided to cook our turkey outside to leave more room in the kitchen and oven to prepare other dishes. Our grill is a propane gas unit with three adjustable rows of flame. If the weather is nice, or even if its not and you have some place to find shelter, going outside can be a welcome diversion from the ordered chaos happening in most kitchens prior to a large event.
Me: What kind of equipment do you need to cook a turkey on a grill?
Jim: First, its important to check if your grill can accommodate the full turkey without touching its sides. A sixteen pound to eighteen turkey is the maximum size my grill can take. I used a disposable aluminum deep roasting pan found in many super markets.
In order to further separate direct flame from the pan I placed a cast iron "gas grill" skillet on the grill, then the pan on that. Last, I placed the turkey inside a removable steel basket or rack. This kept the turkey off the pan by 1/4 inch.
Me: How did you prepare and season the turkey?
Jim: I used a fresh turkey. After removing the giblets, bring them to a a boil with some onion, celery, bay leaf and peppercorns, then simmer in water for a gravy. The bird should be thoroughly washed with warm water inside and out. I noticed that the interior had frozen so I allowed hot water to thaw the interior to match the outside. After patting dry inside and out with paper towels, rub the bird with olive oil, and season. I found a dried herb mix without salt by McCormick, with marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, and basil... a combo I would find hard to match from our garden. Sprinkling this (or any other combination to taste) liberally on the olive oil rubbed skin makes a flavorful crusty skin.
Me: Can you explain the rest of the process of grilling the turkey?
Jim: Once you've measured the turkey, cleaned and dried it, oiled and seasoned it, and tied the legs with some twine, place the turkey on a frame to allow it to be out of its juices during cooking inside the aluminum pan. Pre-heat the grill to 500-600 degrees with the cast iron grill providing a separation between the flames and pan. Close the lid and adjust the heat to show about 320 degrees. You want to catch as many drippings as you can and not have them burn during cooking. In order to avoid burning I turned off the center flame so that only the two outer flames created heat. Our grill has a thermometer built into the lid making this easy. Cook for about 2 1/2 hours or until done.. checking the bird's temperature using a meat thermometer. Poultry must be above 175 degrees.. I cooked ours to 180.
Let the bird rest, its been through a lot! Time your preparation and cooking to come off the grill 20-30 minutes before the fixings are ready. Sharpen your knife so it easily cuts beautiful slices. Use the juices at the bottom of the pan with the broth from the giblets to make a gravy using rue to thicken. Arrange white and dark meat on a platter, pour some gravy over it to keep it moist and garnish. Enjoy a moist, golden brown turkey with a flavorful crust!
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By the way, you'd never guess it from this post, but my dad is an aerial photographer with no formal culinary training. He also makes a mean omlette!