One of the biggest questions this time of year is how to make your Thanksgiving turkey. From bacon-wrapped to deep-fried to smoked turkey, there are countless ways to cook your holiday centerpiece. Weber grills have always been ideal for a BBQ or cookout, but they're just as useful for cooking a smokey, juicy turkey for Turkey Day. This Weber turkey recipe is as smoky and delicious as it gets.
Weber has a number of delicious turkey recipes to ensure that your Thanksgiving main dish is as delectable as can be. If you're looking for other main dishes for the holidays, they also have a tasty beer bathed brisket, prime rib with garlic and blue cheese dressing, and parmesan mac n cheese.
Maple-Brined Turkey With Bacon Gravy
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This Weber turkey recipe involves a maple brine featuring dark maple syrup and savory herbs like sage and rosemary. If this doesn't sound tasty enough, it also includes bacon gravy, which involves thick-cut bacon, chicken broth, flour, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
To make this recipe, you'll need a Weber Grill, a study plastic bag, a large stockpot, 1 bamboo skewer, butcher's twine, 2 extra-large foil pans, a roasting rack, a large gravy separator, an instant-read thermometer, and 6 handfuls of wood chips. You can go with maple, apple, or hickory wood chunks depending on your flavor preferences and what you have on hand.
Like most Thanksgiving turkey recipes, this one takes a few hours. However, when you dig into that juicy turkey breast with hints of maple, apple or hickory and a topping of bacon gravy, the cooking will be well worth it. Plus, you can leave the turkey to grill and make your casseroles, roasted veggies, and apple pie as it cooks to perfection, as long as you check the temperature from time to time.
How to Make Weber's Maple-Brined Turkey with Bacon Gravy
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About 14 hours before you grill the turkey, you'll make the brine. In a very large, nonreactive bowl, whisk together all brine ingredients except for the ice water. Continue mixing until the salt is dissolved, and then stir in the ice water.
Take off the giblets, neck and fat lumps from the turkey and set aside, discarding the liver. Place in a bowl, cover, and keep in the refrigerator until it's time to grill. If the turkey has a trussing clamp, leave in place, but if it has a pop-thermometer, discard it.
Place the turkey inside a plastic bag and place in a large stockpot. Pour cold brine into the bag until the turkey is covered as much as possible, but the bag can still be sealed. Discard the rest of the brine, and seal the bag. Place the turkey in the refrigerator for 12-14 hours, no less and no more. If there's no room in the refrigerator, place the turkey in an ice chest surrounded by ice.
After 12-14 hours, take the turkey out of the bag and discard the brine. Rinse the turkey under cold water, then pat it dry with paper towels, drying it inside and out. Place a third of the chopped onion into the neck cavity, and the remaining onion into the body cavity.
Pin the neck skin to the back skin using your bamboo skewer. Tuck the wing tips behind the turkey's back, and loosely attach the drumsticks with butchers twine. If there's a truss, insert them into this instead.
Thoroughly brush the turkey with the melted butter. Put one large disposable foil pan into the other for extra thickness. Place a roasting rack into the pan, and then place the turkey onto the rack, breast side down. Leave the turkey to thaw at room temperature for 1 hour before grilling.
Next, soak the wood chips in water for 30 minutes or more. Get the grill ready for indirect heat cooking, putting it to medium-low, about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put the giblets, necks and lumps of fat into the roasting pan and then pour in the chicken broth. Drain the broth and add in two handfuls of the wood chips to the smoker box of your gas grill and close lid. Once the wood chips start smoking, cook the turkey over indirect medium low heat with the lid closed for an hour. Keep the temperature at low-medium heat, as close to 350 degrees F as possible.
Once it's been an hour, turn the turkey over so that the breast side is up. Drain, and add in another two handfuls of wood chips to the smoker box. Then, cook the turkey for another 45 minutes. Drain it again and add in another two handfuls of wood chips. Cook the turkey longer with the lid closed, until the thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey breast shows an internal temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit. This should take about 1 to 1 3/4 hours. Make sure that there's always liquid in the pan- if the juices evaporate, add 1 cup of water to the pan. In the last 15 minutes of cooking time, brush maple syrup on the turkey, trying to keep all of it on the turkey and not in the pan.
Take the pan out of the grill, and tilt the turkey to make the juices run into the pan and out of the body cavity. Move the turkey to a cutting board and leave to rest for 20 to 30 minutes, during which time the internal temperature will rise a few degrees. Keep the pan juices for the gravy.
Using a large skillet over medium heat on the stovetop, fry the bacon until crispy and brown, about 10 minutes, turning over when needed. Place it onto paper towels to cool. When cooled, chop the bacon. Save the bacon drippings for the gravy.
Strain the pan juices into a gravy separator, and let stand until the fat rises to the surface, which should take about 3 minutes. Then, pour the pan's juices into a large measuring cup to keep the fat. If needed, pour chicken broth into the cup, until you have 1 quart of liquid.
Now it's time to measure the reserved fat. You'll want a 1/2 cup, and if you need more liquid to get there, add bacon drippings in. In a medium skillet, heat fat on the stove on medium-high heat. Once fat is hot, whisk in the flour, whisking constantly and allowing to bubble for 1 minute. Bring the heat up to high, add in the pan juices, and bring the gravy to a strong simmer, whisking often. Then, bring the heat down to medium-low, add in the chopped bacon, and simmer until thickened slightly, about 3 to 5 minute. Take off of the heat and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Carve the turkey and serve with the bacon gravy. Enjoy!
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Weber Maple-Brined Turkey with Bacon Gravy
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 quart warm water
- 1 1/2 cup dark maple syrup
- 3/4 cup kosher salt
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon coarsely cracked black peppercorns
- 3 1/2 quarts ice water
Turkey
- 1 whole turkey, 12 to 14 pounds
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons dark maple syrup
Gravy
- 6 slices thick cut bacon
- low-sodium chicken broth, as needed
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- About 14 hours before you grill the turkey, you'll make the brine. In a very large, nonreactive bowl, whisk together all brine ingredients except for the ice water. Continue mixing until the salt is dissolved, and then stir in the ice water.
- Take off the giblets, neck and fat lumps from the turkey and set aside, discarding the liver. Place in a bowl, cover, and keep in the refrigerator until it's time to grill. If the turkey has a trussing clamp, leave in place, but if it has a pop-thermometer, discard it.
- Place the turkey inside a plastic bag and place in a large stockpot. Pour cold brine into the bag until the turkey is covered as much as possible, but the bag can still be sealed. Discard the rest of the brine, and seal the bag. Place the turkey in the refrigerator for 12-14 hours, no less and no more. If there's no room in the refrigerator, place the turkey in an ice chest surrounded by ice.
- After 12-14 hours, take the turkey out of the bag and discard the brine. Rinse the turkey under cold water, then pat it dry with paper towels, drying it inside and out. Place a third of the chopped onion into the neck cavity, and the remaining onion into the body cavity.
- Pin the neck skin to the back skin using your bamboo skewer. Tuck the wing tips behind the turkey's back, and loosely attach the drumsticks with butchers twine. If there's a truss, insert them into this instead.
- Thoroughly brush the turkey with the melted butter. Put one large disposable foil pan into the other for extra thickness. Place a roasting rack into the pan, and then place the turkey onto the rack, breast side down. Leave the turkey to thaw at room temperature for 1 hour before grilling.
- Next, soak the wood chips in water for 30 minutes or more. Get the grill ready for indirect heat cooking, putting it to medium-low, about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Put the giblets, necks and lumps of fat into the roasting pan and then pour in the chicken broth. Drain the broth and add in two handfuls of the wood chips to the smoker box of your gas grill and close lid. Once the wood chips start smoking, cook the turkey over indirect medium low heat with the lid closed for an hour. Keep the temperature at low-medium heat, as close to 350 degrees F as possible.
- Once it's been an hour, turn the turkey over so that the breast side is up. Drain, and add in another two handfuls of wood chips to the smoker box. Then, cook the turkey for another 45 minutes. Drain it again and add in another two handfuls of wood chips. Cook the turkey longer with the lid closed, until the thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey breast shows an internal temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit. This should take about 1 to 1 3/4 hours. Make sure that there's always liquid in the pan- if the juices evaporate, add 1 cup of water to the pan. In the last 15 minutes of cooking time, brush maple syrup on the turkey, trying to keep all of it on the turkey and not in the pan.
- Take the pan out of the grill, and tilt the turkey to make the juices run into the pan and out of the body cavity. Move the turkey to a cutting board and leave to rest for 20 to 30 minutes, during which time the internal temperature will rise a few degrees. Keep the pan juices for the gravy.
- Using a large skillet over medium heat on the stovetop, fry the bacon until crispy and brown, about 10 minutes, turning over when needed. Place it onto paper towels to cool. When cooled, chop the bacon. Save the bacon drippings for the gravy.
- Strain the pan juices into a gravy separator, and let stand until the fat rises to the surface, which should take about 3 minutes. Then, pour the pan's juices into a large measuring cup to keep the fat. If needed, pour chicken broth into the cup, until you have 1 quart of liquid.
- Now it's time to measure the reserved fat. You'll want a 1/2 cup, and if you need more liquid to get there, add bacon drippings in. In a medium skillet, heat fat on the stove on medium-high heat. Once fat is hot, whisk in the flour, whisking constantly and allowing to bubble for 1 minute. Bring the heat up to high, add in the pan juices, and bring the gravy to a strong simmer, whisking often. Then, bring the heat down to medium-low, add in the chopped bacon, and simmer until thickened slightly, about 3 to 5 minute. Take off of the heat and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Carve the turkey and serve with the bacon gravy. Enjoy!
