Wood Charcoal Roasted Turkey Recipes

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Let the turkey sit at room temperature, 30 minutes. Position an oven rack in the lowest position (remove the other racks); preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and set aside for the gravy. Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels and rub inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the onion, carrot, celery, and sage and thyme sprigs. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Put the turkey on a rack set in a large roasting pan and tuck the wings under the body.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat; whisk in the paprika and chopped sage and thyme. Let the paprika butter cool slightly, then brush all over the turkey. Transfer to the oven and roast 1 hour. Meanwhile, make Classic Gravy.
• After the turkey has roasted 1 hour, baste with the drippings. Continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 2 more hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving; reserve the drippings for the gravy.
• Prepare the stock: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the turkey neck and giblets; cook, turning, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme and bay leaves; stir to coat. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth, reduce the heat to low and simmer about 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup; reserve the saucepan. You should have 7 cups stock-if you're short, add more broth.
• Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in the reserved saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the 7 cups stock; bring to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside until the turkey is done.
• Pour the turkey pan drippings into a fat separator and let stand until the fat rises to the top. Discard the fat (or drizzle on your stuffing). Whisk the defatted drippings into the gravy; season with salt and pepper. Reheat before serving.

GRILL-ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Place a large disposable aluminum pan in the bottom of a charcoal grill; add 2 cups water to pan. Fill a charcoal chimney with charcoal; light.
• Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place apple, orange, and onion in cavity. Tie legs with kitchen twine. Rub bird inside and out with butter. Season skin lightly with salt and pepper.
• When coals are covered with ash, spread half on either side of disposable pan. Set top grate on grill. Place turkey on grate over pan (do not allow any part of turkey to sit over coals). Cover grill. Insert stem of an instant-read thermometer into hole in hood. Maintain temperature as close as possible to 350°F by opening vents to increase temperature and closing vents to reduce it, lifting grate with turkey to replenish coals as needed using charcoal chimney. If using wood chips, scatter a handful of drained chips over charcoal every 30 minutes.
• Cook turkey, rotating every hour for even browning (lift the grate with the turkey on it; rotate grate 180 degrees), until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165°F (juices should run clear when thermometer is removed), about 2 3/4 hours.
• Transfer turkey to a platter. Tent with foil and let rest for 1 hour before carving.

THE GREATEST GRILLED TURKEY

Steps:

• Prepare an outdoor grill for indirect medium-high heat.
• Rinse turkey and pat dry. Turn wings back to hold neck skin in place. Return legs to tucked position. Brush turkey with oil. Season inside and out with Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on a metal grate inside a large roasting pan. Arrange pan on the prepared grill. Grill 2 to 3 hours, to an internal thigh temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Remove turkey from grill and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

CHARCOAL GRILLED TURKEY HALF

Steps:

• Mix first 8 ingredients together in small dish, put onion, carrots, and celery in center of foil pan that you plan on using for grilling or roasting; sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of seasoning mixture onto vegetables, add turkey broth.
• Rinse bird inside and out; pat dry.
• Try to loosen up some of the skin.
• Mix together olive oil and lemon juice; rub onto turkey.
• Sprinkle inside, outside, and under skin of bird with the remaining seasoning mixture.
• PUT TURKEY CUT SIDE DOWN IN FOIL PAN AND REFRIGERATOR FOR ONE HOUR . (Try to get veggies covered by the turkey so that the flavors can saturate the meat a bit).
• Prepare grill: all grill vents (including the cover) are OPEN. (Our grill has 3 vents on bottom and 1 on the lid, open them all up).
• Put 50 briquettes in grill.
• Set grate in place.
• Allow the coals to glow red hot, then change into a light coating of gray ash, which might take about 35 minutes, with the temperature reaching 350°F (medium heat) or so that your hand cannot tolerate the heat for more than 2 seconds-w/o touching grate, of course.
• Put foil pan onto grate; close 2 of the 3 bottom vents, COVER with grill cover that has its 1 vent HALFWAY OPEN.
• Grill for about 90 to 120 minutes, or until the meat thermometer temperature is 165 degrees F. (Allow 15 to 18 minutes per pound).
• Start checking 25 minutes before the minimum amount of cooking time. (If parts of the turkey begin to get dark before the bird is done, drape those areas with foil.).
• Remove turkey from grill and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

ROASTED TURKEY, NAVY STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Position a turkey roasting rack in a roasting pan.
• Remove the neck and giblet package from the inside of the turkey, if any, and rinse the bird thoroughly, inside and out. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Place the turkey onto the roasting rack. With your fingers, reach under the skin over the breast, and loosen the skin. Place the butter cubes underneath the skin of the breast, distributing them as evenly as possible over the whole breast. Poke 4 or 5 wooden toothpicks through the skin into the meat to secure the skin as it cooks.
• In a bowl, mix the carrots, onions, celery, the two garlic head halves, thyme, sage, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with as much of the vegetables and seasonings as will fit; sprinkle the rest, if any, into the bottom of the roasting pan. Lift the turkey upright so the cavity opening is uppermost, and pour the whole bottle of Chardonnay into the bird so that the wine flows into the pan. Lay the turkey back down onto the rack, and truss if desired. Cover the turkey with aluminum foil.
• Roast in the preheated oven until until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 7 hours. Remove the turkey from the oven, remove the foil, and roast until the skin turns brown and crisp, 25 to 30 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve cooked carrots, onion, and celery alongside the turkey, if desired.