grilling a turkey

[theuglyduckling]

this year i will have to cook my turkey over a grill/firepit i dont know what you would call it. its a fire pit that i made and i have partially cooked a pork shoulder on it but it started to rain so i had to finish it in the oven. i havent cooked anything as big as a turkey on an open fire so i would like some tips on how i should do it. i plain on stuffing the turkey if it is possible to do on a grilled turkey. i also plain for the turkey to be at least 20lbs and i plain to brine it a day or two head. how many hours would a stuffed 20 lb turkey take to cook? should i cover the turkey while it is cooking? do i cook it in a pan while it is cooking or no?

thanks for any advice anyone has

 

[N F C]

I only do turkeys in the oven so can only think of a couple tips for you...

I wouldn't try cooking a whole turkey, especially one that large because some parts will get too well done but other parts won't be thoroughly cooked. I would cut the turkey into parts so you can control the degree of doneness per piece. I've read of members spatchcocking (spelling?) large chickens, maybe that would work for a turkey too.

I would guess you'll want to have the meat covered with foil until the end, then uncover it so it can brown.

Be sure to have a meat thermometer handy so you'll know when a safe eating temp has been reached.

Hopefully someone that has actually cooked a turkey over a fire pit will come along with more help.

 

[theuglyduckling]

I only do turkeys in the oven so can only think of a couple tips for you...

I wouldn't try cooking a whole turkey, especially one that large because some parts will get too well done but other parts won't be thoroughly cooked. I would cut the turkey into parts so you can control the degree of doneness per piece. I've read of members spatchcocking (spelling?) large chickens, maybe that would work for a turkey too.

I would guess you'll want to have the meat covered with foil until the end, then uncover it so it can brown.

Be sure to have a meat thermometer handy so you'll know when a safe eating temp has been reached.

Hopefully someone that has actually cooked a turkey over a fire pit will come along with more help.

thanks for the tips. i just hope it goes well i would love to cook it in my oven but sadly a lightning storm burnt the computer out on it somehow so the only thing that works is the stove top so i am not sure when i will be able to get a new one. the repair man said it would cost a much as a new stove so i minus well just buy a new one although the one i have is only two years old.

 

[N F C]

Oh no, sorry to hear about the oven! Not having one is a real inconvenience...been there, done that. I just did a quick Bing search on how to grill a turkey and came up with some links, maybe something here will help?

http://www.wikihow.com/Grill-Turkey
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13662/the-greatest-grilled-turkey/
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/how-to-cook-a-turkey2.htm

Apparently you can cook a whole turkey, who knew? Anyway, maybe you can get what you need out of some of the links.

Good luck!