4 Expert Tips For The Absolute Best Grilled Turkey
People like to experiment with cooking turkey, utilizing new roasting techniques, brining their turkey, and even using deep fryers to try and squeeze in as much flavor as possible, when the grill has been sitting there the entire time. Each method has its advantages: A juicy roast turkey is possible with the right preparation, and it's probably the least fussy option, and braising turkey can give you some extra tender meat, but no other style of cooking, not even deep frying, is going to give your turkey the depth of flavor that grilling does. That smoke just works wonders on your taste buds that you can't replicate elsewhere. But grilling a turkey is not easy, it can require a lot of heat balancing and management. So Tasting Table reached out to an expert, Silvio Correa, a Brazilian grill master and private chef, for his best tips on how to grill a perfect turkey.
Correa landed on four essential steps at each stage of grilling to ensure your turkey turns out well. First, he told us to set up and "use a two-zone grill setup for better temperature control." Then, he bastes his grilled turkey to keep it tasty. He also said that, while it's cooking, you should, "Rotate the turkey periodically to ensure even cooking." And your work isn't done after the turkey comes off of the grill, as Correa advises that the turkey be rested for the best finish. All of these tips are important, and each deserves a further exploration.
Use a two-zone grilling method
It can be easy to overlook, but setting your grill up properly is essential, especially when you're going to be cooking for an extended period of time. And for our purposes, we recommend cooking with a charcoal grill, because that's where the flavor is coming from, but this advice can work with gas too. Correa suggests using the two-zone grilling method, which is the go-to set up for flexibility when you grill. The two-zone setup involves piling your coals all on one side of the grill, while leaving an empty space on the other side. The purpose of a two-zone set up is to give you control over how much heat your food is getting. A turkey is going to be cooking for a while, and leveling out your coals across the bottom for a uniform heat will overcook the outside before the inside is finished. Having a zone of indirect heat away from the coals creates a more gentle cooking environment that's good for slowly cooking and smoking larger items like turkeys.
The higher heat side of the grill doesn't just keep the whole space warm, it's also there to help you finish your cooking too. Once you are close to temperature you can move your turkey over the direct heat to get a nicely browned finish or even some char if you want it. It's the perfect one-two combo that gives you the best of both grilling worlds.
Baste your turkey to keep the fat and juices flowing
Even well-managed grills are going to risk drying out your bird, so Correa told us, "Baste the turkey occasionally with a mixture of melted butter and herbs to enhance flavor and maintain moisture." The most important thing you can do to keep your turkey juicy is to not overcook it, but periodically adding moisture to the outside will stop the exterior from getting too tough and dry. And despite concerns about soggy skin, the heat of your grill should be plenty to crisp everything up at the end after you have already been basting.
But basting does something more important than just keeping the exterior moist, as Correa said, it also makes the outside of your turkey that much more tasty. That's because, whether you are using your own liquid, or what rendered out from the turkey, that liquid contains fat. Brushing your turkey with fat will add flavor and help it brown better, both of which mean a more savory and deeply rich dinner. And while basting doesn't add lost juices back into the turkey or permeate the surface, those extra fats on the outside actually help insulate the meat against heat, which will keep it more moist and tender. When basting on the grill, be careful and avoid spilling, as fat hitting the heat can cause flare-ups. This is a place where using a brush to coat your turkey instead of a baster is a wise choice.
Rotate the turkey periodically to ensure even cooking
There is one big turkey mistake you can make when working on the grill and using a two-zone grilling setup, which is uneven heating. That's why Correa recommends rotating the turkey. While some larger gas grills may avoid this problem, your average backyard charcoal grill won't have a lot of space to accommodate a turkey. This means that even with your coals pushed off to one side, the section of the turkey closest to them is going to be getting more heat. So not only will it brown faster, but that section of the interior will dry out quicker. This is an even bigger problem because different parts of the turkey should be cooked to different temperatures, with 165 degrees Fahrenheit being ideal for the legs and thighs, while the breast shouldn't go far above 150.
Rotating your turkey is essential to combating this. Turkey takes several hours to cook on the grill, so rotating it 90 degrees every half hour will help with more even cooking. It can also help to turn your turkey upside down and have the breast facing down, since that is the thickest part of the bird. Even with these precautions, it can be hard to maintain an even temperature, so having one of the best digital meat thermometers is always recommended for the most precise cooking, as it allows you to check multiple sections of your turkey quickly and make adjustments as necessary.
Rest your turkey for enough time to let its juices settle
The last step for a great grilled turkey happens after the cooking is done. Correa advises, "Rest the turkey under a tent of aluminum foil after grilling to keep it warm and juicy." It may be hard to delay the satisfaction of cutting into your freshly grilled turkey, but this is essential.
Moisture loss happens when you cook meat because the muscle fibers contract as they warm, which squeezes out all those precious juices. Cut your meat too early, and it will continue to push out liquid, drying out further. And it's not a small amount of liquid that is lost either, as meat can lose up to 10% of its weight in liquid if it's sliced too early. But the good news is that the opposite process also works. Letting your turkey rest and cool a bit relaxes the muscles, which helps the meat hold on to those juices when it's finally cut into.
The bad news is that, with a turkey, you'll have to wait a while. Larger cuts of meat take longer to cool, and a whole turkey should rest for a half hour or more to make sure it stays juicy. That's why tenting with foil is important, as it will keep the turkey exterior warm as you wait for the interior to cool. But the result of all Correa's advice is undeniable: the most flavorful and juicy turkey you've ever made.