Turkey Time - Gas Grill Turkey cooking


 
Bruce

Bruce

TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
I know this would probably be better classified in the Turkey Talk section, but most of that discussion centers around cooking turkeys on coal burners, I wanted to get a gas turkey grilling thread going to hear some thought with Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaching.

Like, do you "just get a Butterball" or are you one that needs to have that all natural, non-injected, non- prebasted turkey so you can self brine and baste it before cooking?

Do you cook your turkey on the grates or is the roto the only way to go for birds?

How big of a turkey will you be cooking? and for how many people?

Smoke or no smoke for your grilled turkey?

Any favorite basting sauces or methods?

How long and what temp do you cook at? (If citing a temp, clarify if that is the lid thermometer or what other type of thermometer do you use to measure the grill cooking temps?

Stuffed or not stuffed?

ETC....................................................
 
🦃 Bruce may I add?: I would love to hear any anecdotal info on what the ideal turkey weight would be if using the Weber 9890 spinner. Thanks
 
I did one on my UDS and used a roasting pan and I used Pecan but lightly as I didn't want to over power the bird, I know you said gas but I'm sure the rest can be used as a base to start.
 
TonyS T-Bone said:
🦃 Bruce may I add?: I would love to hear any anecdotal info on what the ideal turkey weight would be if using the Weber 9890 spinner. Thanks
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Tony, not sure about the Weber 9890 as I have a OneGrill roto but 13 lb is about all I can spin size wise on my Genesis Silver C without it hitting something. As Larry would say, ask me how I know. I set the oven at 325 F. 😆
 
Richard in NS said:
Tony, not sure about the Weber 9890 as I have a OneGrill roto but 13 lb is about all I can spin size wise on my Genesis Silver C without it hitting something. As Larry would say, ask me how I know. I set the oven at 325 F. 😆
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First year for a gasser for me. I've always done the bird on the BGE and debating on whether to break tradition this year. My wife wants to stuff the bird but I don't imagine that would play well with a roto.
 
Ed Pinnell said:
First year for a gasser for me. I've always done the bird on the BGE and debating on whether to break tradition this year. My wife wants to stuff the bird but I don't imagine that would play well with a roto.
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I have never tried a stuffed one. Just make the stuffing and cook it in a loaf pan. A drip pan under the turkey with some chicken broth in it helps stabilize the temps and builds stock for the gravy. I throw the heart, giblets and liver in the drip pan to help the stock. I add water to the drip pan if it boils down too much.
 
I usually only spin Turkey breasts on my E320 like others have said not a whole lot of clearance on a gasser roti. I have done a few in a roasting pan 14-16 pounds with the bird in a rack. Run around 325-350 grate temp monitored by a Maverick both for grill and bird temp, been very happy with the results. Use apple and cherry chunks for smoke place right on the FBs.
Never tried a stuffed one always do that in a Dutch oven separately.
 
Rich Dahl said:
Use apple and cherry chunks for smoke place right on the FBs.
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Do you wrap the chunks is foil? I am not having much success with smoke flavor on a gasser. Pouches and chips catch fire if they get a little too much oxygen. I wrapped a chunk of red oak and put it on the grill of our Q100 and got smoke but little flavor. I know I will never get the flavor from a gasser as I do from a coal burner, although using the GrillGrates helps some. And another advantage of the GG...when the chips caught fire, they blocked the flames from scorching the meat.
 
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Ed Pinnell said:
Do you wrap the chunks is foil? I am not having much success with smoke flavor on a gasser. Pouches and chips catch fire if they get a little too much oxygen. I wrapped a chunk of red oak and put it on the grill of our Q100 and got smoke but little flavor. I know I will never get the flavor from a gasser as I do from a coal burner, although using the GrillGrates helps some. And another advantage of the GG...when the chips caught fire, they blocked the flames from scorching the meat.
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I usually will put them on the burner FBs I have on low and never have a problem. My grill has E/W burners so the burner under the bird whether it's on the roti or in a pan the burner underneath it is off and I have one on low or slightly above that and the on furthest away on high, that gives me around 350-375.
 
Richard in NS said:
Tony, not sure about the Weber 9890 as I have a OneGrill roto but 13 lb is about all I can spin size wise on my Genesis Silver C without it hitting something. As Larry would say, ask me how I know. I set the oven at 325 F. 😆
Click to expand...
I have done a 16lb bird on my 9890 but on a Genesis 1000 with the top set of bars removed. That is one of the big benefits of the deeper fire boxes on the older grills. I would not hesitate to do a 20 lb bird which I am thinking about this year for Thanksgiving.
 
Bruce said:
I have done a 16lb bird on my 9890 but on a Genesis 1000 with the top set of bars removed. That is one of the big benefits of the deeper fire boxes on the older grills. I would not hesitate to do a 20 lb bird which I am thinking about this year for Thanksgiving.
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Wow,16? and that’s using the stock setup? No special trussing? Now it’s getting exciting!

I should have mentioned I’m cooking on a 1000 and I usually take the top FB row off no matter what’s on the roti. My main worry is the darn balancing.
 
Bruce said:
I have done a 16lb bird on my 9890 but on a Genesis 1000 with the top set of bars removed. That is one of the big benefits of the deeper fire boxes on the older grills. I would not hesitate to do a 20 lb bird which I am thinking about this year for Thanksgiving.
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Details, please, Bruce, for a newbie? What temp and how long? Center burner, off or on?
 
Seriously guys, I think you could easily do a 20 lb bird on a #9890. It is all about having the bird balanced and with the included balance weight, it is simple.

I remove the top set of bars and put a pan of water under the bird to catch the drippings and keep the moisture level up inside the grill while cooking. I run just the front burner because I use the V shaped smoker box to add some smoke flavor. Otherwise, I would probably run just the back one. I adjust the heat to keep it in the desired range.

Here is my 13.5lb turkey from two years ago:

tvwbb.com

My Thanksgiving 2018 Weber Gas Grill Cook

If you dont truss 'em up, they tend to burn on the extremities (especially wings) and you just don't want them "flopping around" as they spin.
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com
 
Ok, the wife's been pestering me to cook a whole chicken...I'm going to give it a try on the 1200 with wood chunks in the smoke box. Thanks!
 
She wants to try roto'ing the bird stuffed (cheesecloth in the bird, stuff it, tie the bag closed, put the spit rod in). Not much room in a chicken but I'll try anything once.

Crazy or no? Stuffed turkey on a roto?
 
I think you could do stuffing on a roto turkey, but be prepared for a longer cook. Probably much longer.
 
Butterball on the grates. Spatchcock the breast to flatten it out. Separate the leg/thighs so the dark meat can be cooked separately to a different temperature. Put the leg/thighs on first for 20-30 minutes.

Sprinkle some pellets in the GrillGrates valleys for some mild smoke.
 
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