The holiday seasons bring with them thoughts of carving and preparing great tasting turkey plates to your relatives and buddies. Tradition has its supporters, but maybe this holiday season you'd like to consider a twist with your turkey recipe.
If you have a gas grill and relish the great smoky taste of cooked meats, why don't you try barbecuing your turkey this holiday season? It is not only doable, it is relatively simple. And it delivers a delectable distinctive flavored fowl on your dinner table. Plus, cooking the poultry on the barbecue grill instead of the oven leaves you with all the room you need to prepare the rest of one's dinner faster.
When you are ready to purchase your turkey, the first thing to keep in mind is the size of your grill. You do not want a turkey that's so enormous that it cannot place on the barbecue grill rack. Preferably, the turkey you choose should sit on the grill and the lid should shut without coming in contact with the turkey. If it's not workable, don't get worried, you can certainly continue to grill your turkey. You will require some heavy duty aluminum foil and either a V shaped barbecue grill stand or another metal cooking instrument that you can safely use to prop open the cover of the barbecue grill.
Prepare and stuff the turkey as you normally would. Place it over the grill so that it's positioned over one burner that you can turn off. Just turn that burner off and the other burner or burners on. Given that you can't really "flip" a turkey, you want the turkey to cook by indirect heat, not by a direct flame underneath it.
You obtain the great smoky flavor with the use of wood chips. In case you have never used wood chips before, they are easy to use. You absorb them in water so that as they dry out from the heat of the barbecue grill, they are going to release a flavored smoke that infuses the turkey. You can purchase a pan that is designed for putting wood chips over the grill or you could make one yourself from strong aluminum foil. Take the wood chips out of the water and put them inside your tray. Put the tray on the grill above the lit burner.
Next, close the lid completely if possible. If not possible, prop the cover up sufficient to help keep it from coming in contact with the turkey. Next cover the remainder of the opening by using aluminum foil. If heat gets out you will likely have to cook the turkey longer. However, the foil creates enough of a barrier so the smoke is kept circulating inside of the barbecue grill and flavoring the turkey.
The amount of time necessary to cook the turkey will vary determined by whether or not you were able to close your grill fully. If you're able to, it will require a shorter period. If you're unable to, you might want to raise the heat on the other burner or burners to try and make up for the lost heat by having to prop open the grill. After a few hrs, turn the turkey 180 degrees to help ensure uniform cooking.
As with any method of cooking poultry, it is important to ensure that the internal temperature of the meat gets to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideally you should employ a meat temperature gauge to monitor the temperature as you cook. If you don't have one, you'll need to check the readiness by poking the thigh with a fork or skewer. If the juices that run out are clear and the actual turkey has turned a nice golden-brown color, then you're ready to remove it from the grill. Have a look at glazing the turkey with a sauce you use on other meats, or even introducing barbecue sauce to the traditional cranberry sauce as a condiment. Don't be afraid to experiment - enjoy the new twist you're putting on an old family tradition.
If you have a gas grill and relish the great smoky taste of cooked meats, why don't you try barbecuing your turkey this holiday season? It is not only doable, it is relatively simple. And it delivers a delectable distinctive flavored fowl on your dinner table. Plus, cooking the poultry on the barbecue grill instead of the oven leaves you with all the room you need to prepare the rest of one's dinner faster.
When you are ready to purchase your turkey, the first thing to keep in mind is the size of your grill. You do not want a turkey that's so enormous that it cannot place on the barbecue grill rack. Preferably, the turkey you choose should sit on the grill and the lid should shut without coming in contact with the turkey. If it's not workable, don't get worried, you can certainly continue to grill your turkey. You will require some heavy duty aluminum foil and either a V shaped barbecue grill stand or another metal cooking instrument that you can safely use to prop open the cover of the barbecue grill.
Prepare and stuff the turkey as you normally would. Place it over the grill so that it's positioned over one burner that you can turn off. Just turn that burner off and the other burner or burners on. Given that you can't really "flip" a turkey, you want the turkey to cook by indirect heat, not by a direct flame underneath it.
You obtain the great smoky flavor with the use of wood chips. In case you have never used wood chips before, they are easy to use. You absorb them in water so that as they dry out from the heat of the barbecue grill, they are going to release a flavored smoke that infuses the turkey. You can purchase a pan that is designed for putting wood chips over the grill or you could make one yourself from strong aluminum foil. Take the wood chips out of the water and put them inside your tray. Put the tray on the grill above the lit burner.
Next, close the lid completely if possible. If not possible, prop the cover up sufficient to help keep it from coming in contact with the turkey. Next cover the remainder of the opening by using aluminum foil. If heat gets out you will likely have to cook the turkey longer. However, the foil creates enough of a barrier so the smoke is kept circulating inside of the barbecue grill and flavoring the turkey.
The amount of time necessary to cook the turkey will vary determined by whether or not you were able to close your grill fully. If you're able to, it will require a shorter period. If you're unable to, you might want to raise the heat on the other burner or burners to try and make up for the lost heat by having to prop open the grill. After a few hrs, turn the turkey 180 degrees to help ensure uniform cooking.
As with any method of cooking poultry, it is important to ensure that the internal temperature of the meat gets to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideally you should employ a meat temperature gauge to monitor the temperature as you cook. If you don't have one, you'll need to check the readiness by poking the thigh with a fork or skewer. If the juices that run out are clear and the actual turkey has turned a nice golden-brown color, then you're ready to remove it from the grill. Have a look at glazing the turkey with a sauce you use on other meats, or even introducing barbecue sauce to the traditional cranberry sauce as a condiment. Don't be afraid to experiment - enjoy the new twist you're putting on an old family tradition.
About the Author:
Roman Rothschild is an author and internet marketer. Please visit his site at http://www.tocookaturkey.com for more great tips on how to cook a turkey.
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