Brian's Smoked or Grilled Turkey

Smoking or grilling turkey is a wonderful way to make a flavorful bird that is so much easier than messing about in and heating up a kitchen! If you are a calorie counter, make sure you take a weighed portion and count up those calories using these nutrition facts for white meat turkey or the nutrition facts for dark meat turkey from Calorie Count!

Smoked or Grilled Turkey

1 fresh 14 pound turkey
salt
pepper
3-4 cloves crushed garlic
butter

Turkey Preparation:

spread crushed garlic inside turkey
salt and pepper inside of turkey
Place medallions of butter under turkey skin on top half of turkey
Salt and pepper outside of turkey

Smoking Instructions:

Smoke in a charcoal smoker using your smokers directions at 230 for 8 hours or until an internal temp of 165 is achieved using hickory chips for smoke flavor

Grilling Instructions:

Start 50 coals in a charcoal chimney, divide coals so that half are on each side of the kettle grill. Place a drip pan between the 2 piles. Place giblets in drip pan with 3 cups water. Add 6 coals to each pile every hour and grill until an internal temp of 165 is achieved (2-3 hours) Baste every hour with apple juice.

Additional Yumminess:

Tent turkey with tin foil and allow it to rest for 1 hour.
Remove drip pan from grill
in frying pan,melt 2 Tbs butter
Add 2 Tbs flour to melted butter and form a roux
Add contents of drip pan after skimming off fat
Stir until a nice gravy consistency is met