Dry-Brined & Grilled Turkey
Dry brining and grilling a turkey produce amazing flavour, crispy skin, and juicy meat. While making a flavourful turkey broth ensures a delicious gravy and is perfect for basting the bird on the grill. Not only does grilling a turkey taste amazing, but it also frees up space in the oven during the holidays! I love grilling all year, and it is magical in winter during the holidays. Dress warm, grab a mug of mulled wine and enjoy the great outdoors. If you are lucky enough, you might even get a dusting of snow!
Ingredients
Dry-Brine the Turkey (24 hours in advance)
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 14-16 lbs fresh turkey raised without the use of antibiotics or steroids - (not kosher or pre-salted)
Make Turkey Broth (make ahead)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- turkey neck & giblets plus 2 backs, skin removed – optional
- 1 large carrot coarsely chopped
- 1 onion coarsely chopped
- 1 large celery coarsely chopped
- 1 small bay leaf
- 4 cups chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
- 4 cups water
Turkey
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion cut into 8ths
- 1 large orange cut into 8ths
- 1 stalk celery cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large carrot cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups turkey stock for spraying/basting (recipe below)
- Spray bottle for basting the turkey with broth
Instructions
Dry brine the turkey: (24 hours in advance)
- Mix the salt, pepper, and herbs together in a small bowl.
- Remove the turkey from the packaging, remove and reserve neck & giblets (for stock). Place the turkey on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Remove or discard any plastic or metal cages or pop-up thermometers.
- Pat the outside of the turkey dry with paper towels.
- Using your hands, loosen the skin over the breast & thighs and gently separate it from the meat (Careful not to break the skin).
Make the turkey broth: (make ahead)
- Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. If using backs, add the backs to the pan and brown for 2 minutes, add the turkey neck, heart, gizzard to the pan and sauté until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute.
- Add the chopped vegetables and bay leaf to the pan and sauté until soft, about 4-6 minutes. Pour the stock and water into the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the stock is reduced to about 6 cups, approximately 1 hour.
- Strain the stock into a clean pot or large measuring cup. Reserve 4 cups to make gravy and place 2 cups into a spray bottle to baste the turkey.
Prep and grill the turkey:
- Before turning on grill, lift grate and place drip pan directly on bars. Replace grate.
- Prepare grill for indirect heat cooking. Preheat on high for 10 to 15 minutes with lid closed.
- Remove the turkey from the refrigerator. Mix butter & olive oil and rub all over the turkey. Stuff the turkey with the onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and thyme. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.
- Place the turkey, on the grill grate over the drip pan (indirect heat) and roast (maintaining the heat between 325°F to 350°F) for 1 hour, then spray with ½ cup stock. Continue roasting until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165°F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 ¾ to 3 ¼ hours total cooking time. Spray the turkey once every hour with ½ cup of the turkey stock.
- Remove from the grill and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
- **Carefully remove the drip pan from the grill, strain the drippings, skim off fat, then add to your gravy.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!