The holidays bring with them thoughts of carving and serving tasty turkey dinners to your loved ones. Convention has its fans, but maybe this year you’d like to try a twist to your turkey recipe.
If you’ve got a gas griddle and enjoy the hazy flavour of griddled meats, why not try barbecuing your turkey this year? It is not only possible, it is rather simple. And it delivers a delicious flavored bird to your table. And , having the turkey on the griddle rather than the cooker leaves you with all the room you must prepare the rest of your dinner in less time. When you are ready to purchase your turkey, the first thing to think about is the size of your griddle. You do not want a bird that is so great that it can’t fit on the griddle rack.
Ideally, the turkey you select should sit on the griddle and the lid should close without touching the bird. If this isn’t possible, don’t worry, you can still griddle your turkey. You will 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 griddle. Prepare and stuff the turkey as you routinely 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 require the turkey to cook by indirect heat, not by a direct flame beneath it. You get the smoky flavor by using 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 grill, they’ll release a tempered smoke that infuses the turkey.
You should buy a tray that is designed for putting wood chips on the griddle or you can make one yourself from heavy duty alcan foil. Take the wood chips out of the water and put them into your tray. Place the tray on the grill over the lit burner. Next, close the lid completely if at all possible. If not likely, 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 probably have to prepare the turkey longer. However, the foil creates enough of a barrier so the smoke is kept circulating inside the grill and flavoring the turkey. The time needed to prepare the turkey will alter depending on whether or not you were able to close your griddle fully.
If you can, it will take less time. If you can’t, you could need to increase the heat on the other burner or burners to try and up for the lost heat by having to prop open the grill. After 2 hours, revolve the turkey 180 degrees to help guarantee even cooking. As with any method of cooking poultry, it’s important to make certain the internal temperature of the beef reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideally you should use a beef thermometer to monitor the temperature as you cook. If you don’t have one, then you’ll have to check 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 pleasant golden-brown color, then you are ready to get rid of it from the grill. Consider glazing the turkey with a sauce you use on other meats, or doubtless adding barbecue sauce to the conventional cranberry sauce as a condiment. 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 easy turkey stuffing.