Cooking a turkey on a Weber kettle is something many grillers aspire to do, and with Thanksgiving upon us what better time to have a look at a few amazing Turkey cooks and tutorials!
Planning your cook is crucial to a successful bird, so take the time to think out the whole process and ensure you have all the tools and ingredients required to complete the task efficiently. Taking only a few minutes to do this will not only speed up the whole preparation process but also ensure nothing important has been overlooked causing you headaches at go-time.
Weber recently published some excellent information regarding Turkey clearance heights:
“Clearance heights from the grate to the top of the lid leaving space for circulation.”
| Charcoal grill size | Clearance | Max weight |
| 18.5″ | 5″ | 10.5 lbs |
| 22.5″ | 7.5″ | 21 lbs |
| 26.75″ | 8.5″ | 24 lbs |
| 37.5 | 9.5″ | 25 lbs |
| Smoker size | Upper cooking grate | Lower cooking grate |
| 14.5″ | 7.5″ | 5.5″ |
| 18.5″ | 9.25″ | 7″ |
| 22.5″ | 10.75″ | 8″ |
For the complete blog post click here: http://www.weber.com/weber-nation/blog/turkey-clearance-height
Stuffing is EVIL!
Alton Brown has taught us well. Avoid stuffing your turkey, no matter where or how you are cooking it. Stuffing adds mass, mass adds cooking time, cooking time dries out the meat. Essentially the stuffing will need to be cooked to 165 because it’s absorbent and it’s been in contact with raw poultry. To get the stuffing to 165, the rest of the turkey will be significantly MORE than 165 and overcooked. If you cook the bird until its perfectly cooked, the stuffing will be UNSAFE to eat.
Helpful Links & Posts:
(Generic Turkey Posts)
WKC Turkey Noob Thread:
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/wkc-turkey-noob-thread/msg82928/#msg82928
“First Kettle Turkey” Post – Excellent info and pictures of both a whole turkey and turkey pieces. Contributions from Craig, 1buckie, MacEggs
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/first-kettle-turkey/
Craig’s “My First Turkey On The Kettle” post – Great info and pictures.
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/bbq-food-pics/my-first-turkey-on-the-kettle/
1buckie’s “Favorites… part two… turkey!” – Some really great tips and ideas!
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/favorites-part-two-turkey/msg81474/#msg81474
wyd’s “Thanksgiving Turkey Practice”
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/bbq-food-pics/thankgiving-turkey-practice/msg79230/#msg79230
(Brine Recipes)
Mike Stavlund’s “Tried and true turkey brine”
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/tried-and-true-turkey-brine/msg96105/#msg96105
Idahawk’s Spiced Apple Cider Brine:
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/other-recipes/spiced-apple-cider-brine/msg139853/#msg139853
(Rotisserie Links)
MrHoss’s Roti-Turkey!
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/bbq-food-pics/thanksgiving-in-hoss’s-backyard/msg133901/#msg133901
BBcue-Z “Re: Hints on rotisserie turkey! ”
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/other-recipes/hints-on-rotisserie-turkey!/msg139453/#msg139453
(WSM Smoking)
Weber’s “Smoking your Holiday Turkey”
http://www.weber.com/weber-nation/blog/smoking-your-holiday-turkey
(Alternate preparation methods)
Idahawk’s “Spatchcocked Turkey on the Ranch”
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/bbq-cook-offs/spatchcocked-turkey-on-the-ranch/
Happy Thanksgiving 2014 Everyone!!
R – R – R
Great write up, Matt! I find I’m going through my old posts and looking at some of my own as well as other’s turkey cook’s. It’s like the WKC equivalent of a coach watching film before the next game.
HaHa, very true! Gotta give yourself the game-day pep-talk! It’s Turkey Time!
Thanks Matt! I just jumped on the site for some quick tips before I put the bird on. Just what I needed.
You’re very welcome! I learned a ton just organizing the links and hope to put it to good use on my first kettle Turkey today! Happy Thanksgiving!
Year 28 for the turkey in the Weber…
My best tip is… make sure you heat up the grill to cookig tempature before putting it on, cleans out all the tastes and smells left over from whatever has been cooked last.