Turkey on a gasser


 

J Grotz

TVWBB Wizard
Between the search function and skimming, I'm fairly sure I've looked at nearly every Turkey Talk thread and found nothing helpful about cooking a turkey on a gasser, so I thought I would ask here.

After a few years of frying, my son in law has decided to cook the turkey this year on his gasser, and he has asked my advice. I have plenty turkey experience but only on my WSM. He has a fancy grill, something like Larry's Viking, with N/S burners and lots of them. Based on my WSM experience, I'm thinking he should cook indirect, with only the outside burners on and the turkey in the middle with a drip pan underneath, shooting for a temp at the grate of 375-400. I'm loaning him my Smoke so he can keep tabs on the grate temp and turkey temp.

It's a 20lb Butterball. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Sounds like what I do except I keep the temps below 350. I add chicken broth and some carrot chunks to the drip pan to get more gravy and stabilize the temps and a tinfoil pouch with some wood chips in it over a burner. I will be watching this for better ideas though.

Hope this helps,

Richard.
 
I would keep the temps down a bit like J Grotz suggests. Indirect heat is what you want. With N/S burners, put the turkey in the middle and run the outside burners. I use a Smoke Thermometer as well and that will work great. Pull it when it gets to 165 degrees internal temp.

With a turkey as big as 20lbs, you should consider the Spatchcock style of cooking it. With a turkey that big, it is going to take a while, so start plenty early.

I do our Thanksgiving turkey on a rotisserie in my Genesis 1000 every year. But they are only around 12 lbs.
 
I've done them for years on a gasser and Richard and Bruce are right I cook indirect at as close to 325 as I can get. If you go much hotter they will tend to get dry. Usually mine are in the fifteen to sixteen pound range.
Good luck.
 
Thanks everyone! He does want to spatchcock it. I love the idea of broth and carrots in the drip pan. And I will tell him to keep the temps down in the 325-350 range.
 
J Grotz, my Mom always saved the water from boiled carrots or turnip and added some of it to whatever gravy she was making. I got used to the flavour and it does not seem right without it. Back then they did not waste anything so it was probably to get all the nutrients she could out of it. Not for the taste.
 
Kids want me to spin a buzzard on the Genesis I gave them a couple years ago when they bought the house. Buying a bird in the 15 to 17lb range. Will the rotisserie handle it? Weber says it can do 20lbs but I am unsure of those plastic gears in there
 
Larry, for some reason I thought those Weber Rotos for the genesis grills were only rated to about 12 lbs. But, if balanced well, I see no reason you couldn't do a much bigger one than 12 lbs.
 
I did a 14# on one last year. Ballance is the key. Mine wasn't perfectly balanced but the counterweight helped me get it done.
 
Been spinning 12 -15 pound birds on my genesis 2000 for over 20 years with the same motor that came with rotisserie. Still works fine but like others have said balance is the key to not stressing the motor. Last year I bought a new Weber rotisserie from Chris A for my E320 It's the exact same motor that came with my 1998 Gen 1000 rotisserie.
 
Weber says 20lbs but I have never been that lucky. Never been that good at balancing it either. Going to try and stay as close to 15# as I can and hope for the best. Too bad I can't figure out a way to hook up a heavy duty motor and gear box LOL. My other worry is clearing the FBs since I have those custom ones my dad had made for them. My dad, my SIL and my own are the only 3 in existence. I think I have a set of stock bars. Maybe I should bring those with me
 
I really wish I could have just done a nice beef or pork or lamb roast instead of a dead buzzard but, I'll truss it up as best I can and see what happens.
 
Never done Lamb, but I would like to sometime.

Sounds a little like horizontal doner kebob to me!

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UPDATE: Unfortunately, there has been a change of plans and I will be cooking the turkey on my WSM 22. My SIL has come down with shingles, even though he had the two-part vaccine that is allegedly 97% effective. The poor man is suffering, so the family Thanksgiving dinner has been relocated to our house. Though I have missed cooking Thanksgiving dinner the past few years, I hate to do it under these circumstances. Thanks again for all the great gas grill turkey advice!

Jon, that Lamb shawarma looks so damn good!
 
Grotz: I hope it all works out and hopefully the SIL isn't is such bad shape that he can't enjoy the dinner and day with everyone.
 

 

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