Rotisserie Grilling Christmas Turkey?

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Oct 8, 2002
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I got a really nice Bar B Que last summer. I has a huge rotisserie motor and a nice smoker. It has the rear element which glows for rotisserie cooking. I was thinking of putting on a small (12 lb) turkey for Christmas dinner. I have some apple chips for the smoker. Have any of you guys tried this in the past? If so, any tips would be appreciated. Thanks and happy holidays:).
 
Brine it first. Hickory chips with an apple juice brined turkey is pretty good on the BBQ. It's not as good as a deep fried one but it's better than your typical oven roasted. Now, a hot pepper and garlic brined bird that's been injected with butter and Tabasco garlic sauce and then deep fried is the ultimate bird.

I've done a few birds on the grill that weren't brined and they were nowhere near as good as the brined ones. I brine all our turkeys now, whatever the cooking method. It really is a whole nuther ball game when you brine them.

Here's a good start to brining.
http://bbq.about.com/cs/turkey/a/aa110103a.htm
 
Rotisserie is excellent for chicken or turkey. Just brush the bird with oil and salt and pepper is fine, but a maranade or brine can be really good. Do this in a plastic bag which you can then pull tight so that so much liquid isn't necessary. Another method is to water-wash the bird and then cover it with corse salt (use a cup or more of salt). The bird will be encrusted in salt. Leave it this way for a couple of hours, then wash the salt off.
 
Checking doneness on a rotisserie is a little tricky. You'll get a lot of exterior color, but at this time of year, you'll be losing a lot of heat from the grill to the cool or downright COLD air. The stated times for the grilling will probably be too low.

Pick up an Instant Read Thermometer. They're fairly cheap, dial ones can be had for as little as $7 and digital ones start at about $13. Slip the rotisserie bar out of the motor so it's not spinning and stick the thermometer in the thigh meat between the leg and the bird. In a few seconds, the temp reading will stabilize and you'll know if it's done or not. Don't leave it in the meat as they're not rated to withstand cooking temperatures as are some other more troublesome thermometers. There are remote thermometers you stick in the bird and read the temp on a guage outside the oven. But with a spinning bird, you'll have problems with the cord.

Those pop up timers in most turkeys are set for 180 and you'll overcook the breast meat terribly at that temperature.

You should shoot for a temp of about 170 in the thigh and 165 in the breast, but usually, the breast is cooking faster than the thigh.
 
Thanks for the tips guys. I will try brining and will let you know how it goes. I am in Quebec, so it will likely be cold outside. I am guessing it will take a bout 3 hours to cook a 12 pound bird....does that sound right?
 
Really cold outside temps can really slow down an outdoor slowcooker. Just make sure that you reach 180 degrees "F" in the deep part of the thigh and the rest will be fine. Normally, a 12 pound bird would take around 2 1/2 hours at 325 "F" in a normal oven.

Best,
Razz
 
The bird was fabulous! Put apple wood in the smoker and brined the bird as suggested. Thanks for all the help.
 
The bird was fabulous! Put apple wood in the smoker and brined the bird as suggested. Thanks for all the help.
Hey, thanks for the update. Now it's on to ultimate bird--deep fried. :D
 
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