How to make the best BBQ Christmas turkey

A Christmas feast isn’t complete without a showstopping turkey in the centre of your dining table surrounded by some delectable side dishes. Prepping and roasting a turkey can be a tedious process which requires skill and time.

Cooking up a holiday feast doesn’t mean just perfecting the turkey. You’ll also need to invest your time and energy into preparing accompaniments to provide your guests with a memorable and satisfying meal.

Try following this recipe for a BBQ Christmas turkey for this year’s Christmas feast and impress your guests with the most succulent turkey with a beautiful, crispy skin that can be made by following a few simple steps.

Prepare your turkey the day before

Don’t forget to brine your turkey the day before you plan on serving the turkey. Remove the turkey from its packing and place it in a large, spacious tub that’s filled with a salt and water solution or a brining mixture of savoury herbs and garlic for extra flavour.

Once the turkey is immersed in the brining mixture, cover the container and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Brine your turkey

On the day of, remove the brine and replace it with fresh water. Keep changing the water a few times to remove any extra salt and to ensure that the turkey reaches room temperature. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels before proceeding to season it.

While you leave the turkey to reach room temperature, you can start preparing the grill for cooking. Always make sure that you use a spacious and disposable aluminium foil container that’s set in the middle of the coals to catch the drippings from the turkey.

Season your turkey

Once you’ve assembled the tray and the grill, place coals around the tray and light them. While the coals are heating up, you can proceed to season your turkey.

For a flavoursome BBQ Christmas turkey, make sure to halve a lemon and stuff it into the cavity of the turkey along with garlic and herbs to ensure that the bird retains moisture

Grill your turkey

Proceed to generously rub the outside of your turkey with butter and season it with a dry rub that elevates the flavour of the turkey while it’s being cooked on the grill.

Place your turkey on the grill right above the foil tray and close the lid of the grill once you notice a thin coating of white ash on the coals. Depending on the size of the turkey, you’ll have a perfectly cooked turkey within 2-4 hours at a consistent temperature of 180-200°C.

Make sure to check on the turkey every 45 minutes and baste it with a mixture of melted butter and seasoning that contains herbs for flavour and spices for some heat. Close the lid of the grill every time you’re done basting and let the bird cook.

To check if the turkey is cooked all the way through, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey. If it reads 75°C, you can proceed to remove the turkey from the grill.

Cover the turkey in foil and let it rest for about 45 minutes before serving. In the meantime, you can use the drippings from the foil pan to make a delicious gravy to accompany the turkey.

Impress your guests with the best BBQ Christmas turkey at your next holiday feast

The key to preparing the best Christmas turkey is getting the basics right. Make sure to stock up on some of the best seasonings, brines, and marinades to pack the turkey with as much flavour as possible.

Switch it up this festive season and serve your guests a different kind of turkey that can be more flavourful than a traditional roasted turkey, if prepared correctly.