BBQ Turkey Q/view

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fourthwind

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Mar 12, 2009
1,203
12
Thornton, CO
I have had a lot of questions on how I BBQ Turkeys on a Weber, so here is a Q view of the process.

Turkey defrosted and spiced. I use tony's cajun shake, garlic powder and black pepper.
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Put Turkey on metal cookie sheet and cover with the cheap fat bacon (takes almost a full pound) whole process take just shy of two pounds.
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arrange coals like this. Yes I know this isn't a weber, but my father inlaw bought a cheaper version and I was doing this turkey at his place. I prefer the weber for sure.
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Put the Turkey on between the coals like this. Leave the vent pretty much full open. I add Oak, and Maple chips on top of the coals every 30 minutes. Add coals if they start to burn out before your done.
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12 minutes a pound cook time, and change the bacon out when the bacon is fully cooked. Remove all bacon 45 minutes before your done to allow for browning.
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DO NOT TRY AND LIFT TURKEY WITH THE COOKIE SHEET FROM THE BBQ!Remove turkey from cookie sheet and transfer to platter. I use a spatula to loosen from sheet and two tongs to lift. Let rest for 30 minutes covered in foil. I messed up and only browned for 30 minutes because I got sidetracked. Skin was still tasty but the color was marbled.
ENJOY! You will likely never have a better tasting bird.
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BEWARE! your neighbors will likely hate you after smelling the turkey, bacon, and BBQ smoke for 3 hours
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I have been doing them this way for 20 years. Forgot to mention that the bacon is something out of this world. I typically have people surrounding the grill when I take the first batch of bacon off. like feeding the hounds lol
 
Fourthwind, that is one awesome lookin' turkey. Just a couple of observations; you mentioned the cooking time @ 12 minutes per pound, but after looking over your pics, I don't see a probe for a therm anywhere. Any idea what the internal temp of the turkey was, and what the grill surface temp is during the cook? The 2 turkeys that I've done have been cooked by internal temp, not by time. Just curious.
 
I'll be honest, and say I have rarely used a meat probe, and it wasn't until recent I got remote probes capable of grill heat. I was tought a certain method, and have stuck to it. I have been planning on doing the temps out of curiousity since I started getting more scientific, but that day my probes were busy with a ham in the smoker.
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Next Turkey, I will get that info.
 
Good thing all my neighbors are family members so they won't care abou tthe smell. I'm a smoked turkey maniac so I have to try this one out.
Thanks for such a great post fourthwind, points to you.
 
So here is a pic of what my turkeys normally look like. This is a 20 pound bird I did for Independance day. I am getting more and more folks at my place for my Independance day BBQ. Every year I BBQ a Turkey, but this year was Turkey and a Brisket. It was a feast they are still talking about. There were a few questions about temps on the last bird in this thread. My digital said the temp at the outlet of the kettle was 375 to 400 average. Grill level was over what my digital would read which is 400. Meat temps were 160 at the theigh when I pulled and let rest for 30 minutes with a foil hat. I used a few lumps of Mesquite with this bird, and had a great smoke ring which I failed to get pictures of. total cook time was 3 hours.

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that is one good looking bird there Fourthwind. we have been smoking and frying turkeys for year and they are by far the best way to cook them.
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I have done them all three way's. The Weber kettles produce the most consistant flavor and juice out of the three. My deep fryer collects dust most of the year unless we decide to use it for chicken wings or crawfish.
 
That turk looks delic!!! Nice job . . . especially on the pseudo-Weber! Making me hungry. Thanks for the pics and the post!

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Best,
Trout
 
The tray will be full of very hot and flammable bacon and turkey greese. The chances of getting the cookie sheet off the grill (with the bird on it), and safely transfered away is VERY low. Going to have to trust me on this one. You will get the picture when your first bird is done. I use a spatula and break loose the bird from the tray, and use tongs to insert into the bird and lift to a platter.

The latest bird was done on one of my Weber Kettles. I tried telling the father inlaw that he wanted a Weber, but he cheaped out. He called me yesterday however and asked me to find him one on Craigs list.
 
Figured I would bump this to the top for those looking to BBQ their turkey this year.  No better way in my (and my friends and families) opinion to cook a turkey.   Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!
 
What kind of Turkey do you buy for this method?  Ever brined before?
I usually buy the cheapest bird I can at around the 13 to 15 pound area for my 22.5 inch kettle  Sometimes a larger crowd dictates a larger bird.   I never brine.  Never needed to, the birds always come out full of juice using this method.   If I feel like getting fancy I might stuff some rosemary butter under the skin.
 
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