This Thanksgiving, try barbecuing your turkey

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Barbecuing a turkey over an indirect charcoal fire will produce the most delicious, crowd-pleasing turkey you'll ever have. It'll be moist, juicy and have an incredible smoky tang. The gravy will be out-of-this world amazing! Best of all, if you already have a charcoal grill, it's easier than you might think.

Besides charcoal and a charcoal grill with a vented hood, you'll need a good meat thermometer, aluminum foil, 8 to 10 chunks of an aromatic dried hardwood such as apple, alder, mesquite or hickory, barbecue tongs, insulated gloves, a baking pan big enough to hold the turkey, and a cooking grate with hinged sides.

INGREDIENTS

A 12-14-pound turkey works best, and will take around 2˝ to 3 hours to cook.

Three big carrots, peeled and cut into big pieces

Three big pieces of celery, washed and cut into big pieces

Three medium-size onions, peeled and cut into quarters

Garlic clove, peeled and chopped

16 oz. of chicken or vegetable stock

Seasonings to taste: I use garlic powder, onion powder, curry powder, black pepper, paprika and celery salt.

SOAKING THE WOOD

First, get your wood chunks soaking in cold water for 45 to 60 minutes. Do not use greenwood or resinous softwood. Apple and alder produce a sweeter, milder smoke flavor than hickory and mesquite, which make for a spicier smoke flavor.

PREPARING THE GRILL

I use a chimney starter to get my coals going. It's convenient and keeps food from tasting like lighter fluid. Just put a couple of loosely wadded newspaper pages in the bottom, fill the top with charcoal briquettes, and light it. In about 20 minutes they should be lightly covered with gray ash and ready to go.

PREPARING THE TURKEY

Make sure your turkey is completely thawed. Liberally spice your turkey top and bottom with your seasonings of choice, but go easy on the salt: it will draw out moisture from the bird and make the meat drier. Put the vegetable pieces and garlic in the baking pan, add the stock, and put the turkey on top of the vegetables breast-side down. The lighter breast meat cooks faster than the darker thigh and leg meat, so starting with the breast-side down keeps the breast meat from over-cooking.

START COOKING

When the coals are ready, put on work gloves and pour the hot coals into two piles, one on each side of the grill. Don't worry if a few coals spill over. At this time, add 10 to 12 new coals to each pile. Also, shake the excess water from the wood chunks and add two or three to each pile of hot coals.

Arrange the cooking grate on the grill so that when you open the hinged sides you will have access to the hot coals. Put the baking pan with the turkey, vegetables and broth on the cooking grate, leaving the hinged side free to open. Put the lid on the grill. If you have vents at the bottom of the grill, open them as far as they'll go.

Find all your stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts at Catholic Online Shopping

Then close the upper vents almost all the way, leaving them open just a sliver. Resist the urge to keep peeking. Every time you take the grill lid off, you lose heat and smoke and add to the cooking time.

After an hour, take the lid off the grill. Admire the beautiful golden color of your turkey. Savor the wonderful smell. Then, using the tongs, carefully turn the turkey over so the breast side is facing up. I use this occasion to add more spice powder to the breast side. Add 10 to 12 new coals to each side. I also add another chunk or two of wet wood. Replace the lid and let it cook for another hour.

After two hours or so, check the temperature of the bird. Good thermometers are worth what they cost. (The love of my barbecue life is a battery-powered remote thermometer. I push the temperature sensor into the meat and close the grill. The probe sends a signal to the receiver clipped to my belt that updates the temperature of the meat every few seconds. The unit is accurate and has a range of about 100 feet. The thing flat out rocks!)

No matter the temperature at this two-hour mark, cover the bird with foil. When the breast meat registers 165 degrees, it's done. But I take the turkey out when it reaches 160, because it will continue to cook and the temperature will increase another 5 to 10 degrees even when away from the heat. When the turkey is done, the juices will run clear. If the juices are pink, it's not quite ready.

MAKING GRAVY

Lift the turkey from the cooking pan and put it on a serving platter. Keep it covered with foil for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, strain the broth from the cooking pan to remove the vegetables pieces. Start a roux in a saucepan. This is done by melting two or three tablespoons of butter, adding two or three tablespoons of flour, and stirring over medium heat for a few minutes until thickened. Add the strained broth to this roux and stir vigorously. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a gravy boat. Serve immediately with sliced turkey.

Yum.

___

Russ Kendall is the picture editor of The Bellingham Herald. Reach him at russ.kendall@bellinghamherald.com.

___

© 2008, The Bellingham (Wash.) Herald.