Do you stuff anything inside the turkey? How does that affect cooking?

You can certainly stuff your turkey, but Roy often opts not to. To get the turkey evenly cooked, it's easiest to cook it without the cavity stuffed.

Could this be done on a gas grill?

You need three zones in order to do this on your gas grill, because you need the airflow around the turkey. If you don't have three zones, ask a neighbor to borrow their Weber!

Should I use salted or unsalted butter under the skin of the turkey?

Either salted or unsalted butter works under the skin.

After the turkey marinates, should I wipe or rinse the salt off?

Either option works, but I like to wipe it off to keep the turkey nice and dry.

Do you baste your turkey with butter or olive oil?

You can baste your turkey with either butter or olive oil.

Can you use the pan drippings to make the gravy without it being too salty?

Make sure to wipe the salt off before cooking to make sure your pan drippings aren't too salty to use in a gravy.

Do pan drippings from grilling the turkey give the gravy a smoky flavor?

It's very slight, and I find it to be a lovely flavor.

What sides do you serve with your turkey?

There are so many fabulous options. You could do a lovely salad , old school corn souffle (or this gluten free version ), mashed potatoes , green beans , the options are endless.

A Guide On How to Grill A Turkey for Thanksgiving

Description

This is the perfect way to grill up your turkey for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

1 13- to 14-pound turkey, thawed if frozen
Celtic sea salt
½ stick butter, cut in pieces
1 large onion, cut into quarters
4 large carrots, cut into large chunks
½ bunch celery, cut into large chunks
Olive oil, for basting

Tools:

Charcoal grill with a grate that opens on one or both sides to add more charcoal as needed
Charcoal (lump is ideal)
Roasting rack to hold turkey (optional)
Disposable 6×10-inch aluminum baking pan to catch drippings
Meat thermometer

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and place on a baking sheet. Generously cover with ¼ cup of Celtic Sea Salt and place in the refrigerator uncovered. Let the turkey sit overnight, or for a minimum of 3 hours.
An hour prior to cooking, remove the turkey from the fridge and let sit at room temperature. Brush off the salt and tuck the butter under the skin in multiple places along the breast. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and tie the legs together with cotton twine to ensure even cooking.
Meanwhile, prepare the grill: Light the charcoal according to your preferred method. Once the coals turn grey, you’ll want to set up two zones – one for direct and one for indirect heat. As a master griller, Roy has a grate with built-in dividers that keeps the lit charcoal along the sides, with a space in the middle as the indirect zone. If you don’t have this piece of equipment, place the lit charcoal on one side of the grill, keeping the other side as the indirect zone.
Nestle the aluminum pan in the indirect zone to catch the drippings from the turkey. You will use drippings later for gravy. To the pan, add the onion, carrot, celery, and the turkey giblets and neck if you have them. Cover the charcoal and pan with the grill grate positioning the side that opens over the burning charcoal.
Place the roasting rack, if using, on the grate over the aluminum pan and place the turkey on the rack. (Or, place the turkey directly on the grate.)
Cover the grill, keeping the vents open on the lid and under the fire. Cook the turkey until it reaches 165F in the thickest part of the leg, about 3 hours, adding more charcoal to the grill as needed. You’ll want to keep the grill temperature just north of 300F. If you don’t have a thermometer on your grill, place your hand over the coals and hold it there. If you can hold it for more than 5 seconds, add more charcoal. Be sure to set a timer and check the coals every 30 minutes! You don’t want the fire to burn out.
Once the turkey is browned, baste it with a little olive oil. After about 2 hours, baste it one more time.
When the turkey is done, remove the turkey from the grill and place on a large platter or large cutting board and let it rest.
While the turkey is resting, make the gravy: Carefully remove the aluminum pan from the grill using heat-safe gloves or oven mitts. The pan will be very hot, so please take care when removing it! Strain the drippings into a pot and make your gravy using your own recipe or ours.
When ready to serve, carve the turkey and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving Size:
Calories: 631
Sugar: 2.4 g
Sodium: 1545.6 mg
Fat: 15.7 g
Carbohydrates: 5 g
Protein: 113.8 g
Cholesterol: 347.3 mg