It's tough to come up with variations for a Thanksgiving, but this year was a good one. As I mentioned before, I tried to get away from the usual starchy sides- stuffing, mashed potatoes and breads. I love 'em, I mean I really love 'em. You'd have to, if you made stuffing sandwiches like I do, you'd know what I mean.
This turkey, which was about 11 pounds basically got cooked the way I grill a lot of chickens, over indirect heat. this accomplishes a few things- eliminating flare-ups and also keeping the breasts protected from drying out. To do this, just cut out the backbone and season as you see fit. I marinated this bird in orange juice, chicken stock, onions, garlic and lots of Survival Spice®. A few pictures of the turkey in progress are below the fold.
This picture shows the grill set up. I used charcoal as a base, then used mesquite chunks and soaked pieces of pecan wood. Fruit woods work great for this too, if you have them on hand.
I took only about 90 minutes until it was around 150º, then I put it on a sheet pan and finished it in the oven. This let me get some drippings for gravy, but since I had chicken stock on hand, it was just a bonus.
Dang, it was good. More side dishes to follow!
