Whether it’s the Holidays or any other time of the year, you won’t find a turkey tasting better than this one. It truly is the PERFECT roast turkey recipe.
Perfect Roast Turkey Video Tutorial
Ingredients
- 1 Turkey
- Kosher salt
- Fresh herbs (Thyme, Sage and/or any herb you prefer)
- Poultry seasoning
- Canola oil
- 1 onion
- Celery
- Garlic
- Carrots
Brining Your Turkey
One thing you might want to consider before starting with this recipe is whether you want to brine it or not. Brining will result in a juicier bird. It is not necessary, but definitely worth it if you have a day in advance to prepare. Here’s a recipe that includes brining.
Seasoning Your Turkey
The key to the perfect roast turkey is getting the salt under the skin. Pat the bird dry, then carefully get your fingers under the skin to loosen it. Proceed to season with kosher salt both under the skin and everywhere on the bird. Also season the outside with your favorite poultry seasoning, and drizzle some Canola oil on top. Finally, stuff the herbs inside the cavity.
Smoking Your Turkey
Set up your grill/smoker to cook at 175º-180ºF using a heat deflector. Place a roasting pan under the grates, with 8 cups of water and chopped onion, celery, carrots, garlic, fresh herbs and the turkey’s neck. Then place the turkey on the grate and start cooking!
The target internal temperature is 165ºF in the breast and 175ºF in the thigh. When done, rest the bird for 20 minutes before carving.
Enjoy!
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approximately how long will it take and what size bird? I have a hard time to get the grill under 225°F, is that a problem for cooking turkey?
Rick, the time it will take will vary greatly depending on the size of the bird as well as other factors (heat fluctuation, humidity, temp of your bird, wind, etc…). If you have difficulty getting your smoker under 225F then you have to account for your increased heat in the time. Because of this variation, we never smoke to time but rather smoke to internal meat temperature. In order to do this, you need to get yourself a high quality reliable smoking thermometer to measure internal meat temp and cook it to temperature, right around 165F.
That is not helpful. Guests are coming at 6:00 pm, when do you put the turkey on the grill?
Prior to their arrival is recommended.
I agree!