Grilled Greek Chicken and Pitas
Roasted Chicken and Corn Salad
Cranberry Glazed Turkey Tenderloins
A smoked or grilled turkey is just a "natural" for the laid-back lifestyle of Gulf Coast living. Whenever we have big, weekend-long family get-togethers, we always put a whole turkey or turkey breast on the grill along with our first night's menu. That way, we have turkey for sandwiches the next day, and leftovers for other dishes as well.
We start early the day before we grill it by putting into an extra-large Ziploc bag:
1 cup Girls on a Grill Pepper Sauce
half a cold beer (drink the rest)
1 cup white wine (dry)
4-6 cloves of garlic, rough chop
small onion, chopped
1/4 cup dried parsley
Crystal Hot Sauce
2 Tbs. olive oil
If you want to inject the turkey, remove one cup of the brine and save - then add to the Ziploc:
1/4 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup of Kosher salt
Shake the bag well, add the raw turkey, seal the bag and set it into a pot or bowl so that the liquid covers the meat. Rotate it periodically throughout the day, and inject it every few hours, if you like that approch.
When you start your grill, take the turkey out of the marinade, dry it off very well, then give it a rub down with about 1/4 cup Girls on a Grill Cajun Rub. We make a large foil tray of two sheets of Reynolds Heavy Duty Aluminium Foil, folding the edges up so that the tray will help catch the marinade as we baste.
Start the grill for a medium/hot fire, but use a mix of hardwood coal and briquettes to support a long-lasting fire. When you have a medium/hot fire (you can hold your hand a couple of inches off the grill for about 4 seconds), put the foil tray on the hot side of the grill, and set the turkey - breast side DOWN - on the foil tray. Leave it there for 5 mins - check to see if it has started to brown, and if not, leave it there for 5 more minutes. After about 10 minutes, slide the tray over to the cooler side of the grill, and let it set for an additional 10 mins. The grill is cooling, and your fire may have dropped down below 300 degrees.
Check the temperature of the grill, and add coals and briquettes to bring it back up to about 350 degrees, or a medium heat. Move the foil back over the hotter fire, flip the bird over, and let it be for 5 mins. Check to see if it's browing, and if not, leave it for 5 more - then move the whole thing over to the cooler side of the grill. Breast-side up now, spritz it with citrus - fresh lemon or limes work well, and/or mop it with a light glaze of olive oil as it finishes cooking.
A bird of about 15 pounds should arrive at 160 degrees in two hours or so, but keep an eye on it. Rotate it every 10 minutes or so, so that skin contiues to brown evenly, and each side is exposed to the smoke. Be sure to insert your thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, or the deepest part of the breast, if you are cooking only the breast - of course, the breast, weighing much less, will cook much faster.
When it reaches 160 degrees, remove it, cover it with foil, and let it set at least 10 minutes.
Occasionally, we like to smather it with Girls on a Grill Barbecue Sauce for the last five minutes it's on the grill, but that's up to you. That's the kind of bird that makes turkeys everywhere proud to serve, and be served.
OK - it's a bit unconventional, but delicious. If you go for the smokey flavor, serve the sauce on the side!