| Total: | 14 hr |
| Prep: | 3 hr |
| Inactive: | 8 hr |
| Cook: | 3 hr |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup coriander seeds
- 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 gallon ice
- 1 (16 to 18-pound) turkey, cleaned and gizzards removed
- 3 cups cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup honey
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- 2 celery stalks, quartered
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 onion, quartered
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
Instructions
- 1. For the brine: In a large stockpot, bring 6 quarts water, 1 1/2 cups salt, brown sugar, coriander, ginger, and bay leaves to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the salt and sugar are dissolved. While the brine is simmering, fill a bucket (or pot) big enough to hold a turkey with the ice. Pour the brine over the ice. When the brine has cooled, add the turkey. Place a heavy object like a plate or lid on top of the turkey to keep it submerged in the liquid. Brine in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
- 2. For the sauce: Heat the vinegar and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Off the heat, stir in the ketchup, honey, 1/4 cup salt, red pepper, and black pepper. Reserve 1 1/2 cups for passing at the table.
- 3. For the turkey: Prepare an outdoor grill with a medium-high fire for both direct and indirect grilling. Position a drip pan under the grate on the indirect side of the grill. Sprinkle the cavity of the turkey with salt and stuff with the celery, lemons, onions, and parsley, then tie the legs. Place the turkey breast-side up over the drip pan. Toss 1 cup of the soaked wood chips onto the coals. Cover the grill and rotate the lid so that the vent holes are directly over the meat. To maintain a medium-low smoky fire, add about a dozen pieces of charcoal and another cup of wood chips to the fire whenever the fire dies down. Rotate the turkey about every 45 minutes to prevent the side closest to the coals from overcooking.
- 4. After 1 hour, begin basting the turkey every 20 to 30 minutes with the remaining 2 1/2 cups of sauce. (Keep the grill covered between basting.) Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh, not touching the bone, registers 165 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before carving.
- Serves: 8-10 (analysis done for 10)
- Nutrition Information (per serving):
- *Sauce for passing included
- Calories: 1109
- Total Fat: 50 grams
- Saturated Fat: 14 grams
- Total Carbohydrates: 23 grams
- Protein: 132 grams
- Sodium: 2009 milligrams
- Cholesterol: 503 milligrams
- Fiber: 0.5 grams
- Serves: 32
- Nutrition Information (per 2 tablespoons):
- Calories: 28
- Total Fat: 0 grams
- Saturated Fat: 0 grams
- Total Carbohydrates: 7 grams
- Protein: 0 grams
- Sodium: 56 milligrams
- Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
- Fiber: 0 grams
Reviews
Can you put it in the oven if you don’t have a grill?
I have made this turkey for the last 4 holidays. It’s amazing! I didn’t think it was that much trouble, but I like to cook.
Terrible, dry and tough. Not worth the time should have baked it.
AMAZING recipe. Lots of work but SOOOO worth it. Turkey amazingly flavorful. Don’t be afraid of the BBQ sauce. It may taste REALLY strong out of the sauce pan but man it tastes fabulous on the turkey. I used a 13lb turkey. Will ONLY be using this recipe to make a BBQ turkey from now on.
It looks good, but for one thing it does not say how big the turkey is.
I raise turkeys and butcher them anywhere from 10lbs to 25 lbs.
I have bbq some from 1hr to 7 hrs. depending on the temp. of the bbq. and the weight of them.
I raise turkeys and butcher them anywhere from 10lbs to 25 lbs.
I have bbq some from 1hr to 7 hrs. depending on the temp. of the bbq. and the weight of them.
This turkey turned out amazing! The recipe was so easy to follow. The turkey was super flavorful and moist. We will definitely make this again. If you’re looking for a new spin on preparing a whole turkey, give this one a try! We wouldn’t change a thing.
We just made this on 12/26. It was my first time ever cooking a turkey, and my wife more or less monitored me making sure I didn’t burn down the house. It took 7 1/2 hours to get to temperature, but that could also be factored in with my extra thorough re-bastings. I did every 20 minutes for awhile, then the last hour or so I slowed down on the re-applications. I also used Tony Roma bbq sauce. One of the best turkeys I’ve ever had. Like Emeril says, man if you only had smellavision.