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Barbecue Spice–Brined Grilled Turkey

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Christopher Testani

Also known as the one-hour turkey, this spatchcocked bird (ask your butcher) will free up your oven.

Ingredients

12 Servings

2

tablespoons hot smoked paprika

1

tablespoon dried savory

1

tablespoon ground cumin

1

tablespoon mustard powder

1

teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼

cup (packed) plus 3 tablespoons light brown sugar

½

cup kosher salt

1

12–14-pound turkey, halved (backbone removed, breastbone split)

Vegetable oil (for grill)

Special Equipment

A disposable foil pan and 1 cup wood chips soaked in water at least 1 hour (optional); oven thermometer

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix paprika, savory, cumin, mustard powder, cayenne, and ¼ cup brown sugar in a small bowl. Transfer 3 Tbsp. spice mixture to a medium bowl; mix in salt and remaining 3 Tbsp. brown sugar. Set remaining mixture aside for the next day. Cover turkey with dry brine, packing on until you’ve used it all. Chill on a rimmed baking sheet uncovered 8–12 hours.

    Step 2

    Thoroughly rinse turkey to remove brine; pat dry. Rub with reserved spice mixture and let sit 2 hours to bring to room temperature.

    Step 3

    Prepare grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off) and lightly oil grates. If using wood chips: Scatter over coals, if using a charcoal grill; place in a disposable foil pan and set over lit burner, if using a gas grill.

    Step 4

    Place turkey, skin side up, over indirect heat, breast halves facing each other, with legs closest to direct heat. Place oven thermometer in center of indirect heat zone; cover. Grill 20 minutes, then rotate halves so neck end is closest to coals. Check temperature inside grill; thermometer should register 325° (open or close vents as needed). Continue to grill turkey, checking for doneness after 20 minutes, then again every 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 150°, about 1 hour total.

    Step 5

    If desired, carefully move turkey over direct heat and turn skin side down. Grill to lightly char skin, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 490 Fat (g) 16 Saturated Fat (g) 4.5 Cholesterol (mg) 280 Carbohydrates (g) 6 Dietary Fiber (g) 1 Total Sugars (g) 5 Protein (g) 75 Sodium (mg) 560
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  • Loved this recipe. I cooked it on the Big Green egg with some pecan and apple wood chips and followed the recipe. It turned out fantastic! I believe I left it in the fridge to brine for around 24 hours (the recipe says 8-12 hours). Uncovered is important to help the skin dry so it will be crispy when you cook the turkey. You have to be careful which Kosher salt you use. You should use Diamond Crystal if at all possible. Morton Kosher is finer and will make your food saltier (if you use it, decrease the amount not sure maybe by about 1 third - you might be able to find a conversion factor somewhere). I used a generic grocery store brand that I believe was close to Diamond Crystal - maybe slightly finer. That is all I could find on the shelves because of COVID. Don't be afraid to thoroughly rinse the turkey under running water after the brining. I promise it will not turn out too salty. This recipe is delicious. Very moist and flavorful turkey.

    • bullcitybob

    • Durham, NC

    • 12/19/2020

  • I'm a chef. Dry brine is a type of brine. A coarser salt (Diamond is my favorite) and seasoning mixture works exceedingly well on turkey. I'm particularly fond of using it on a spatchcocked bird, which gives the most evenly cooked turkey. Utilizing a dry brine creates a succulent success.

    • Gabey13

    • NV

    • 11/24/2020

  • Absolutely would not do this again, at least not using this recipe. Why come? First is a fundamental misstatement of how this recipe works. 1. Brine is a liquid, not a solid. Salt on the surface, even washed off, overpowers the turkey. Terrible idea, from the taste I got. I tossed the wings and most of the drumstix into the stew pot. 2. Adding the salt/sugar rub a second time does nothing but build up more overpowering flavors. I will try this again on my Santa Maria grill, which is NOT a gas grill (which in my opinion is little more than an oven you use outdoors), and trickier to get right. But next time I will try actually brining, not SALTING the bird, and then using an oil baste, and the smoke and fire to get my flavor. But this recipe, nahhhhh...

    • hegilliam

    • Washington, DC

    • 11/6/2018