A few years ago, after hearing about everyone celebrating their delicious fried turkeys, we decided to try something different with our Thanksgiving turkey. Rather than buy a fryer, we turned to what we already had, a barbecue! I researched various ways and means of barbecuing a turkey and in my usual cooking style, combined all of those ideas to come up with my own way of doing it. The first year we did it, it was the best turkey we had ever had because it was so moist and flavorful. We've continued to do it every year since then and we still make a side of turkey stuffing, baked in the oven, to enjoy along with it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Barbecue Turkey
1. Spatchcock your turkey! To spatchcock involves splitting the back bone of the turkey so you can fly the legs open. This is the hardest part of the whole process but the most important because this is what makes the turkey cook evenly so that it is moist and flavorful all over. One thing I don't like on Thanksgiving is how some parts of the turkey are often dry while others are moist. Sometimes you can enlist a butcher to spatchcock it for you but there are plenty of You Tube videos that show how to do it.
2. Mix 1-2 cups of mayonnaise along with a variety of spices. I use rosemary, parsley, sage, sea-salt, pepper and smoked paprika but there are many others that would work well also. The mayonnaise may seen like a strange ingredient but when the turkey cooks, the mayonnaise soaks in and really keeps it so moist.
3. Put wood chunks and charcoal on the grill and cook about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on the size of the turkey (probably 11-13 minutes per pound). You can also try to grill it on a gas grill although I personally have not tried that yet.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me and I'd be happy to share from my past wisdom and experience! Enjoy!