Cooking A Turkey With Natural Gas Grills
The holidays bring with them thoughts of carving and serving delicious turkey dinners to your family and mates. Custom has its fans, but maybe this year you’d like to try a twist to your turkey recipe.
If you have a gas grill and enjoy the smoky flavor of griddled meats, why not try grilling your turkey this year? It isn’t only possible, it is rather simple. And it delivers a tasty seasoned bird to your table. And , having the turkey on the grill instead of the oven leaves you with all the room you want to prepare the remainder of your dinner in less time. When you’re prepared to purchase your turkey, the first thing to consider is the size of your griddle. You do not need a bird that is so big that it can’t fit on the grill rack.
Ideally, the turkey you select should sit on the grill and the lid should close without touching the bird. If this isn’t likely, don’t worry, you can still griddle your turkey. You’ll need some heavy duty alcan foil and either a V shaped griddle stand or another metal cooking instrument that you can safely use to prop open the lid of the grill. Prepare and stuff the turkey as you normally would.
Place it on the grill so that it is positioned over one burner that you can turn off. Turn that burner off and the other burner or burners on. Since you can’t really “flip” a turkey, you would like the turkey to cook by indirect heat, not by a direct flame underneath it. You get the smoky flavor by employing wood chips. If you have not used wood chips before, they’re easy to use. You soak them in water so that as they dry out from the heat of the griddle, they’ll release a flavored smoke that infuses the turkey.
You should buy a tray that is designed for putting wood chips on the grill or you can make one yourself from heavy duty tin foil. Take the wood chips out of the water and put them into your tray. Place the tray on the griddle over the lit burner. Next, close the lid entirely if at all possible. If not possible, prop the lid up acceptable to keep it from touching the turkey.
Then cover the remainder of the opening with foil. If heat gets out you will generally have to cook the turkey longer. However, the foil creates enough of a barrier so the smoke is kept circulating within the griddle and flavoring the turkey. The time needed to prepare the turkey will alter depending on if or not you managed to close your griddle fully.
If you can, it’ll take less time. If you can not, you may need to extend the heat on the other burner or burners to try and up for the lost heat by having to prop open the griddle. After 2 hours, revolve the turkey 180 degrees to help ensure even cooking. As with any system of cooking birds, it is important to make sure that the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideally you should use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature as you cook. If you do not have one, then you’ll have to test the readiness by poking the thigh with a fork or skewer. If the juices that run out are clear and the turkey has turned a nice golden-brown color, then you are ready to remove it from the grill. Consider glazing the turkey with a sauce you use on other meats, or possibly adding barbecue sauce to the conventional cranberry sauce as a seasoning. Don’t be scared to experiment - enjoy the new twist you’re putting on an old family tradition.
For more information about food and useful cooking tips, check out cooking101.org and also have a look at turkey stuffing.