Can You Grill A Turkey? – How to Grill a Delicious Turkey

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Grill Girl

Can You Grill a Turkey?

Happy Thanksgiving Week to all you Grillers out there. If the weather is cooling down, but you aren’t quite ready to put away your grill for the winter, you might be wondering if you can grill your turkey this week. In fact, grilled turkey the best turkey we’ve ever tasted. We know because Grill Girl had to try it out at the office one day.

You can easily grill a turkey on your gas grill with delicious results. Heat your grill to 325 degrees and use indirect heat, smoking chips, and the spatchcock method. Then get ready for a Thanksgiving meal worth celebrating. Check out details below or watch Grill Girl’s step by step videos!

Grill a Turkey, Step 1: Spatchcock the bird.

If you want to grill your turkey this year, Grill Girl highly recommends cutting out the back bone and flattening the bird down by breaking the rib bones. Then, cook the bird breast-side up. While the inside of the turkey gets cooked, the thighs and wings get done with a crispy skin. Most importantly, the breasts are cooked but not dry.

What’s in Grill Girl’s Roasting Pan?

Combine 1 Cup Apple Cider, 1 Bottle White Wine, 1 Quartered Onion, 2-3 Halved Carrots, 2-3 Halved Pieces of Celery, 3-4 Smashed Garlic Cloves, and 1-2 Teaspoons Ground Black Pepper.
A note from Grill Girl: “Feel free to use one bottle minus one cup of wine in the roasting pan, but drink it AFTER you cut out the backbone of the bird. You need to be sober for that part.”

“Salt The Bird” Tips

Grill Girl’s go-to rub for poultry is 2:1 Herbs de Provence and kosher salt (for a whole turkey, it’s about 1/2 cup herbs, 1/4 cup salt). Herbs de Provence is a blend of dried herbs and spices, that traditionally includes thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, oregano, and bay leaf. If those spices are a little much for you or you simply don’t have that blend, you can use any of those in combination with each other.

Spread the rub all over the skin. Then, work the rub under the skin where you can, including the thighs and the breasts. Lastly, sprinkle the remainder on the underside of the bird’s rib cage.

Grill a Turkey, Step 2: Prepare The Grill

Get smoke flavor into the turkey with smoking wood chips. You’ll need 4 cups of wood chips (whatever type you like best). Use one packet of dry chips and one packet of wet chips for maximum flavor. In other words, soak half the chips for about 15 minutes in water. After that, make 2 packets using aluminum foil with 2 cups of dry chips in one packet and 2 cups of wet chips in the other. Additionally, cut slits in the top of your packets. In the grill, place the packets directly over whichever burner is turned on. Rest the packets on the heat plates or briquettes. You can use a cast iron or stainless steel smoking tray instead.

Grill a Turkey, Step 3: Grill The Bird

First, remove your cooking grids. Heat your grill to 325 degrees. Then, turn off half your grill. Place the roasting pan over the burners that are turned off and the smoking chips over the burners that are turned on. The roasting pan and smoking chips will sit on the heat plates or briquettes you have covering your burners. Finally, replace your cooking grids and put the turkey over the roasting pan on the “off” side of your grill. As a result, the indirect heat and packets of chips create a smokey perfection.

Place an internal thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. For an accurate temperature, be sure the probe is not touching a bone. Cook your turkey to 165-170 degrees internally. For example, Grill Girl grilled this 12 lb bird for about 3 hours.

Grill a Turkey, Step 4: Remove, Slice, and Serve.

Currently, this is our favorite way of cooking the Thanksgiving bird here at GrillPartsSearch.com. With browned, crispy skin, and a beautiful pink smoke ring in the meat, our crew polished off this turkey in no time.

Likewise, running out of space in the kitchen? Throw your potatoes or other vegetables on the grill with your turkey for a complete, grilled Thanksgiving meal.

In short, Get Grilling and Happy Thanksgiving!

-Grill Girl

Hot Hot Hot!

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Grill Girl

Temperatures all around the country are HOT and getting Hotter!

Whether your means of cooling down is an air-conditioner that blasts 24/7 or an open window with a fan and a desperate hope, there’s absolutely no need to heat up your living space more than necessary!

That’s right folks, avoid those ovens and stove tops like the plague! You can cook SO many things on the grill using indirect heat and some roasting pans. Today, I’m dreaming of a nice crisp salad to end my day. You know me though, as the Grill Girl, I couldn’t have a salad without a lovely grilled chicken breast, or maybe some sliced grilled steak.

Doesn’t that sound amazing?

I don’t consider myself a chef, but here’s how I would build my dinner salad:

Get that grill going and throw on your choice of protein; how about grilled steak, chicken, salmon, or even shrimp? If using chicken, pound it out a bit so it’s nice and thin. It will take less time to cook. I like to add some citrus into my foods, so drizzle fresh-squeezed lime or lemon (your choice) along with some salt onto your meat before putting it on the grill. It is summertime after all!

Start your salad with a bed of romaine. In the hot summer months, nothing compares to the cool, watery crisp of romaine lettuce. Atop that, I would add some corn. If I have leftovers from a cookout I would definitely put that to use, or just open a can of sweet corn. Then throw on some chilled cherry tomatoes and sliced avocado. Add your meat and finish off with a sprinkle of Parmesan. Then, try making your own summer dressing instead of purchasing one from the store. Fresh is best! Here’s my all time favorite:

Cilantro Lime Dressing

The ratio you need is 2:1, oil to lime juice. I use olive oil, but you could also use canola. Then, add in some chopped cilantro, salt and pepper and fresh garlic! I blend in up and it gets pretty creamy. It’s very yummy and so easy!

Ok everyone, get outside to cook! Let the grill and the sun battle it out for who’s the hottest, while you get a great meal and run back inside to keep cool.

Happy Summer Grilling!

-GG

July Fourth Gas Grill Checklist

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Grill Girl

Are you grilling on a gas grill for the Fourth of July this weekend? Do this checklist TODAY:
1 – Remove and inspect the cooking grids and heat shields. Excessive rust or holes in these parts warrants replacing them!

Rust on the surface of your cooking grids, the area where you place your food, is gross at best. If you have a lot of rust or deterioration, get a new set! It’s amazing how a new cooking surface can affect your grilled food. Additionally, holes or excessive rust on the heat plates (heat shields, vap-o-riser bars, flavorizer bars, etc) can impact how the heat in your grill cooks your food. If you want an evenly heated grill, you need to have this system in good working order!

2 – Check the level of propane in your tank. Nothing dampens a party like running out of fuel.

You know you don’t want to have to leave your party to search for a new gas tank so you can finish cooking everyone’s food! If you have your grill hooked up to natural gas, of course this doesn’t apply to you. It’s easy to check the level of gas in your LP tank. Get some warm water and pour it over one side of the tank. The fuel inside will absorb the heat from the water, so when you run your hand down the side of the tank, it will feel warm and then cool. Wherever the tank starts feeling cool, that’s where your fuel level is. If it’s close to the bottom, go ahead and pick up an extra tank before your party!

3 – Before you put the other parts back in, visually inspect your burners (without removing them). Light them up using your ignition system. Are they burning evenly? Is the flame blue at the base?

You’ll want to make sure you don’t have any large holes or ares of flame coming out of your burners. If that is apparent, it is definitely time to replace the gas burners. More commonly, you will notice low areas of flame. If a visual inspection does not reveal any damage to the burners themselves, you may need to replace the regulator and hose that bring gas from the liquid propane tank to your grill. The regulator usually closes down over time so you will notice your grill heating up less and less. The good news is it’s an easy fix and definitely something we can get to you in a few days!

And if you have any questions at all, give us a call! We want to make sure your party is a success (but there is very little we can do the day before to help).
877-244-0737

Happy Fourth! -Grill Girl

Grilled Bacon

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Grill Girl

Have you ever been tempted to try your hand at bacon on the grill?

With the social sharing sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter all loving the idea of bacon and loving the method of grilling, it’s a short jump to grilled bacon.

However, it’s definitely easier said than done!

Doesn’t a bacon wrapped burger, stuffed with cheddar cheese, grilled to perfection sound amazing?

It looks even better according to the “oh so easy” picture by picture instructions found on pinterest for this recipe. Aspiring for wife of the year, a pinterester found and attempted this recipe. It resulted in the above photo, along with a full blown grill fire, complete with singed eyebrows.

So should we toss in the grill tongs when it come to bacon on the barbie?

***If you like to play it safe, yes. Just do bacon wrapped stuff in the oven.***

If you’re set on the adventure, here are a few tips before you get started.

Do not grill bacon over open flame
- heat the grill with one burner on low and place the bacon on the opposite side, using the indirect heat to cook it.
- if using charcoal, wait until the flames die down and cook over a hot bed of coals.
Grill bacon on aluminum foil or over a pan so the grease is not dripping into the grill
Low and Slow is the way to Go
- high heat is not your friend in this situation
Use a temperature gauge to check the internal temp of the food wrapped by bacon to ensure it’s cooked.
Make sure it’s easy to cut off fuel supply to your grill in case of fire.

Even taking these precautions, please remember that bacon is a very fatty food. Grilling it creates a high likelihood of your food and/or grill catching on fire. Just be careful!

And feel free to share your triumphs OR failures with us [email protected]

Happy Grilling!
-GG

For more hilarious pinterest fails, see pinstrosity.blogspot.com

Meatless Monday – #Grilled

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Grill Girl

Have you ever heard the term “Meatless Monday?”

Let me tell you, I hadn’t, until recently. I grill. I grill a lot. My favorite season to grill is “warm.” In other words, if it’s warmer outside than I want my house to be inside, I’d rather grill and leave my house cool. That being said, I will grill at any time as long as it’s not pouring down rain.

Wikipedia defines Meatless Monday as “an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet.”

How to Grill Vegetables

Here are a few general rules about vegetarian grilling.

Tofu
Tofu is a great meat replacement. With its hearty consistency, you can highlight it on the grill and not miss the meat you’re avoiding.

Purchase firm or extra firm varieties of tofu for the grill.
Always press the tofu to remove excess moisture.
Marinate tofu in any sauce you like, from BBQ sauce to soy sauce to salad dressing -overnight in the fridge is best. A sauce with sugar will create some yummy caramelization when you throw it on the grill.
Brush your grill grids with oil because tofu will stick as you cook it.
Try using shish kebabs for an easier way to cook tofu on the grill.

Veggies
You’re probably used to slicing up some onions and throwing them on the grill packaged up in tin foil. Keep your vegetables out of aluminum on Meatless Monday so they can be grilled heroes of the night.

Slice your veggies in a uniform manner, but keep their surface area as large as possible. This will help them have a similar cooking time but also make it easier to flip them.

See how this cauliflower is sliced in a thin manner but still has a large surface area to grill?

Use olive oil sparingly so your vegetables won’t stick but you don’t have oil dripping into the grill either.
Season with salt and pepper or your favorite grill seasoning mix.
For denser vegetables like potatoes, sear them on the main cooking grid and then allow them to finish cooking on the warming rack so they cook all the way through without getting burned.
Use kebabs or grid toppers to make the job easier.

Fruits
Throw some fresh fruit on the grill to bring out the sweetness and add a perfect healthy end to your Meatless Monday

For the easiest fruit dessert, turn to hard fruits like apples, pears, pineapples and citrus.
Slice the fruit in the same manner as vegetables – thinly with large surface area.
Leave the skin on – it will keep the fruit in one piece and be easy to remove after it’s done cooking.
Soak in cold water with a drop of lemon juice for 20-30 minutes before grilling to keep in the moisture.
Brush the fruit sparingly with a light cooking oil to keep it from sticking to the grill (the flavor of olive oil is too overpowering).
Clean the savory bits (from the meat or veggies) off your grill before throwing on the fruit and spray the grid with a light cooking oil.
Fruit needs no seasoning or addition- just cook on medium until your desired tenderness and serve warm.
A dollop of ice cream is a perfect end to that hot fruit.
If you’re feeling adventurous, experiment with nutmeg or cinnamon and alcohol instead of the lemon water marinade. You’ll have a big flare up once you throw the fruit on the grill so beware if you like how you look with eyebrows.

There are so many recipes available for vegetarian meals but not as many that offer meals you can actually cook on the grill. I’m always on the lookout for a good grill recipe to try and you can follow my Pinterest board here.

For today, though, I’ve compiled some meatless recipes that look absolutely delicious.

Two options for an entree:

Grilled Eggplant and Pesto Burgers

Tofu Kebabs with Cilantro Sauce

Outside the box take on grilled sides:

Caramelized Grilled Asparagus

Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salsa

So, how does Meatless Monday sound now?

Think you might try it? If so, let us know!

Happy Spring!!

-GG

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