My new Thanksgiving tradition is the BBQ and smoke the turkey. Have dialed in the process over the last 3 Thanksgiving’s and I am hooked!
I am using a standard propane grill so the key to the flavor is the smoker box and wood chips. I’ve been using a combination of Cherry and Hickory with some fine tuning on the flavor. I go easy on the hickory as that’s a little to “ribs” for turkey. Soak the wood chips in advance and don’t worry about continuous smoke – intermittent is fine.
We source a heritage bird locally, dry brine it, and cover it in tallow. This leads to a very crispy skin.
Of course find a good recipe – this is not intended to be one. Basically just grill it at 325F – 350F and replenish smoke as needed. To keep track of things I use a ThermoPro wireless grill thermometer setup connected to an app on my phone.
Weather can be iffy – so dress appropriately! Cold is the biggest challenge with propane as the tank can struggle to maintain pressure. It’s best to warm the tank (and liquid propane) with pitchers of warm water for a few minutes before firing up the burners.
