Recipe: Applewood Smoked Roast Turkey on the Grill

I absolutely love the fall Holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas), especially the eating with family and friends part. My neighbors think I'm nuts for getting out my Weber kettle grill in the cold and (sometimes) snow but the result is worth it. If you have a Weber kettle grill and haven't read the instructions, you should. Somewhere in there are instructions on cooking using indirect heat. With the cover on, the kettle keeps wood in a state where it will burn without flame. This is terrific if you want to add a smokey flavor to whatever it is you are cooking.

Grill Set-Up
The charcoal is started (I use a charcoal chimney, ACE hardware carrys them), allowed to turn to white hot coals and then spread into two piles (rows) against the outside wall of the grill. A disposable aluminum roasting pan is used to catch drippings and is placed between the two rows of briquettes on the bottom rack (nice cookware will get ruined if you use it; never use anything non-stick as it gives off toxic fumes at high heat).

According to the grill instructions, it is important to locate the coals on each side of the grill, perpendicular to the grill handle on the outside of the kettle. The grill leg below the handle should point into the wind and one of the bottom three vents is thus positioned into the wind. This puts the two rows of coals parallel to the incoming air flow from this vent allowing for equal combustion on both sides of the grill. The round grill top is placed so that the one vent faces away from the wind (and away from the leg that faces into the wind). If all this is set up correctly, with all vents open, you get heat equivalent to a 350-375 degree oven. Once the white hot briquettes are in place on the outside of the roasting pan, I add 5-7 pieces of fresh charcoal. Then, I place the top rack on the grill with the handles over each row of coals. This allows me to add fresh charcoal and applewood through the holes under each handle.

I usually start the charcoal in the chimney then go in and prep the turkey. By the time the coals are ready, so is the bird.

I place the turkey on the top rack, cavity opening facing the kettle handle. This way, both sides of the bird are parallel with the rows of briquettes. The last thing I add are chunks of freshly cut (green) applewood. It's cut by saw into 3-4 inch lengths and then split into finger sized chunks with a hatchet. Dry wood can be used but must be soaked for a while (at least 4 hours) before using. Woodchips disappear too quickly for my taste which is why I use larger pieces. Other woods can be used (hickory, mesquite) but I really like the nice, sweet taste of applewood.

I check on the bird every half hour or so. If the coals are burning unevenly (which they do most of the time), I poke them a bit and add fresh briquettes to keep both sides loaded with about the same amount. I will move the front leg of the grill to a better spot for wind flow. I'll use a small branch to poke up through the bottom vent holes to keep them free of ash. I'll rotate the top rack 180 degrees, switching the handle placement to opposite of what it was every hour till the birds is done. I use a small professional, pocket thermometer to test doneness. They fit in your pocket and are more accurate (I find) than the big supermarket ones.

Depending on your coals, your bird will be done in about the same time as it will if cooked in the oven. In most cases, mine is done 15-30 min. less.

The Turkey
I remove the neck, giblets, etc. from the cavity and rinse and dry the bird as thoroughly as I can. I don't stuff the cavity. The few times I tried, I found the flavor of the wood didn't get into the meat and did get into the stuffing. It was also harder to predict when the bird would be done.

Into a mixing bowl I add, one or two chopped apples (dime to nickel-sized pieces) depending on the size of the bird, olive oil to thoroughly wet, flavored salt and spices. I use mostly celery salt, some Bells Seasoning, Jane's Crazy Mixed-Up Salt; enough so that you can see it on the apple chunks. This mixture goes into the cavity.

Onto the exterior of the bird, after it is sewn-up, trussed, legs pinned or what have you, I rub more olive oil or sesame oil. Then I sprinkle whatever I have used for the cavity onto the skin and pat it in. I would say I "liberally" add the salt's and spices. The skin will be too smokey and salty to eat for most when the bird is done (however, this helps give turkey soup an outstanding flavor).

My theory is that the apples steam when cooking in the cavity and this keeps the turkey moist from the inside. The oil on the outside browns and seals the skin from losing moisture. The oil on both inside and outside traps some of the smoke flavor from the wood. As the turkey cooks, the skin will darken to deep brown. If this looks too much like a burned turkey for you, cover the bird with foil just before your desired color is reached. You will have to experiment with the amount of wood to add ontop of the coals. Some folks overdose on smokey flavor easily and one or two additions of wood will be enough. I add wood all through the cooking every time I add charcoal (30 min-1 hr).

A note on "done". If your coals are kept fed and smoke comes out of the top vent consistantly, then your bird will be done in about the same time as it takes to cook it inside in the oven. USE A THERMOMETER to test for done. Oil frequently gets onto that little poppy thing and will stick it together so it doesn't work. Let the bird sit covered with foil before carving, yada, yada, yada (all other instructions for working with a turkey are the same).

If you use the drippings for gravy, thin them with other gravy as they are pretty salty and smokey.

Turkey Soup
I don't know about you, but this is actually my favorite part of the dinner. After the meal is over and you have totally gorged yourself and enjoyed rave compliments, the hardest part is to move beyond your full stomach to clean the turkey. It's easiest to separate the meat from all the other stuff while the bird is warm. I take the skin off before I carve so I can add it to the soup relatively intact.

I remove all the larger pieces of meat from the bones and save for turkey sandwiches, etc. The smaller pieces I separate and save for soup. The remaining bits of meat can be harvested after the soup base (stock) is made. Break the carcass down and put it, skin, juices and pan drippings (if you have saved them) all into a pot. Cover with water and simmer for 2-3 hours. Pour through a colander to separate the liquid from the solids. I then pick through the still draining solids to get other bits of meat. Some folks crack the bones to get the marrow into the soup base; I don't. At this point, you can save and freeze the broth or make soup. Choose any chicken/turkey soup recipe you like diluting the final product to your taste and enjoy!