At this point you’ve probably have done turkey every which way over the flames. Slow smoked birds, flavor-brined them, rubbed them in an herb butter, done them up beer-can style, cajun-style, taken them for a spin on the spit, stuffed turkey breasts with cranberries, wrapped them in bacon, turned them into burgers, and more. Well, have you tried: spatchcocking.
I’ve purposefully skipped doing a spatchcock turkey on the grill because I thought I didn’t have much to say on it that hadn’t already been said, but then I got to thinking—the grill has some distinct advantages over the oven when it comes to butterflied turkeys. Enough that it’s worth giving the fire-roasted treatment a shot; I ended up the best damn turkey I’ve ever grilled.
Serves 10-12
INGREDIENTS
- 1 whole natural turkey (12 to 14 pounds total), butterflied according to these instructions, backbone, neck, and giblets reserved for making gravy
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 small chunks of light smoking wood, such as cherry or apple
- 1 recipe gravy, for serving
- Type of fire: two-zone indirect
- Grill heat: medium-high
DIRECTIONS
- Pat turkey dry with paper towels and season liberally all over with salt and black pepper. Tuck wing tips behind back. Place turkey on wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours.
- Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals in a crescent moon shape on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place wood chunk(s) directly on top of hot coals. Remove rack with turkey from sheet pan and place on grill, with turkey legs and thighs placed closer to the coals. Cover, situating top vent over cool side of grill, and cook until an instant read thermometer registers between 165-170°F in thickest part of the thigh and between 145-150°F in thickest part of the breast, about 90 minutes, replenishing coals after an hour if needed.
- Remove rack with turkey from grill and place over a cutting board. Let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes, then remove wire rack and carve turkey. Serve immediately with gravy.
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