As a Weber grill owner, roasting a turkey on your grill is a rite of passage. When done properly, grilled turkey is incredibly moist, full of wood-fired flavor, and sports an amazing crispy skin. But cooking a full turkey on a Weber does require some special considerations.
In this guide, I’ll share my favorite tips for mastering the turkey on your Weber grill. Whether charcoal or gas, these techniques will help you nail a picture-perfect bird every time. Let’s get started!
Why Cook a Turkey on a Grill?
First, why even bother grilling a turkey in the first place? Here are some of the biggest benefits:
-
Juicier meat – The indirect heat allows the turkey to cook slowly and evenly preserving moisture. No more dry overcooked meat!
-
Incredible smoke flavor – The smoke from charcoal or wood chips adds deep, savory flavor you just can’t replicate in an oven.
-
Crispy skin – The hot ambient air circulating around the grill crisps up the skin beautifully
-
Frees up oven space – You can grill the turkey outside and use the oven for sides and pies
-
Fun experience – Grilling a turkey is an interactive, memorable experience for you and your guests.
So if you want the juiciest, most flavorful turkey possible, firing up the Weber is the way to go. Now let’s get into the nitty gritty of how to make it happen.
Choosing the Right Turkey Size
When cooking a turkey on a charcoal or gas grill, you generally want to opt for a smaller bird versus a huge 20+ pounder. Here are some size guidelines for Webers:
- Kettle (22″) – 12-15 pounds maximum
- Performer/Ranch Kettle (26″) – 15-18 pounds maximum
- Genesis II (3 burners) – 18-22 pounds maximum
- Genesis II (4+ burners) – 22-24 pounds maximum
The turkey should fit comfortably inside your grill with the lid fully closed. If the bird is crammed in tight or touching the grates, it will be hard to get proper airflow and even cooking.
I like to go for the upper end of the size range for my grill. A 15 pounder on a 22″ kettle is ideal. This provides plenty of delicious leftovers without overcrowding.
Picking the Right Spot on the Grates
Proper placement is critical for evenly roasting the turkey. You want to put it over the area with no direct heat underneath:
On a charcoal grill: Bank lit coals on either side of the kettle, leaving a space in the middle with no coals below. Place a drip pan here with the turkey on a roasting rack inside the pan.
On a gas grill: Turn the burners directly under the turkey off. Place a drip pan over this area and put the turkey on a rack in the pan.
The indirect heat circulates around the turkey to cook it gently and evenly. The pan catches the drippings for making gravy. Getting the right grate placement is key for proper airflow and temperature regulation.
Maintaining the Perfect Temperature
The ideal temperature for roasting a turkey is between 325-375°F. This allows the bird to cook through slowly without burning or drying out.
On a charcoal grill, this involves “feeding the fire” by adding a handful of fresh briquettes to each side every hour. Opening the bottom and top vents fully helps regulate airflow.
For a gas grill, use medium-low heat (around 350°F) on the outer burners while keeping the middle off. Add an extra 5-10 minutes to the cook time since gas grills don’t get quite as hot.
Investing in a good digital thermometer makes monitoring the temperature easy. Spritzing the turkey with broth and basting with butter ensures it stays ridiculously moist.
Determining When the Turkey is Done
The best way to test doneness is by using an instant read thermometer. You want to see 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and 175°F in the thighs. The temperature will continue rising 5-10°F after you take it off the grill.
Checking the drumsticks for wiggle room is another good technique. The joints should be pretty stiff when fully cooked. And cutting into the thickest area of the thigh should show no traces of pink.
When in doubt, remember it’s always better to grill a turkey a little longer than take it off too soon. I always allot 15-20 minutes of extra time in case mine needs it.
Letting the Turkey Rest Before Carving
This is one of the most important yet overlooked steps! Letting the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes allows the juices to reabsorb back into the meat.
Carving too soon leads to dryness as the juices spill out onto the cutting board. Fight the urge to rush into slicing. Trust me, your turkey will still be piping hot even after a good rest.
I like to tent my turkey loosely with foil as it rests. This helps keep it warm and steam continues cooking the meat. Just be sure the foil isn’t touching the skin so it stays crispy.
Putting It All Together for the Perfect Weber Turkey
Here’s a quick summary of the tips for a foolproof turkey on your Weber:
- Choose a 12-18 lb bird depending on grill size
- Place over indirect heat with a drip pan below
- Maintain 325-375°F using charcoal or gas
- Cook until breast is 165° and thighs 175°F
- Let rest 20-30 minutes before carving
- Enjoy incredibly juicy, smoky meat and crispy skin!
With a little practice, you’ll amaze your family with a show-stopping grilled turkey this holiday season. The Weber helps make it simpler than you think.
Remove Product? Are you sure you want to remove the following product from the cart?
- What You Need to Know About Grilling a Turkey on a Kettle
You can smoke on your kettle and the process is pretty easy. You will have 2 different set-ups, depending on what temperature range you select.
Preparing the turkey
For low and slow at 225-250 degrees:
- Fill a chimney starter with 25 to 30 briquettes, which is about a third of the way full. Light it and wait until it falls over.
- The lit charcoal should be put on one side of the charcoal grate. Place a large drip pan right next to the charcoal. This will be used to soak up the drips and keep the heat down. When the charcoal is all on one side and the temperature is low, you can use your Weber Connect to get stable temperatures that don’t change much. Now think about it: you can enjoy your family more than worrying about your grill all the time and whether the turkey is done.
For roasting at 275- 300 or 350-375 degrees:
- Start a chimney fire with a chimney starter that is half full of charcoal (50 to 60 briquettes), and wait until the charcoal is all gone.
- Dump the charcoal evenly on both sides of the kettle. In the middle of the piles, put a large drip pan. This will catch the drips and also help the heat escape.
- Put the cooking grate on and make sure the hinged part of it is right on top of the charcoal. This will make it easy to add more briquettes.
- Only let the bottom vents open about a quarter of the way, and open the top vent all the way. During the process, you can change the temperature by opening up the top vent more to raise the temperature or closing it off a bit to lower it.
- Put the lid on top of the grill and move the thermometer so that it is over an indirect area. This way, you will be measuring the heat from the convection or hot air, not the charcoal.
- Let your grill heat up for 10 to 15 minutes. After 5 minutes, add wood chunks in a line on top of the lit briquettes. For the best flavor, use a 3:1 mix of cherry and hickory.
How to Grill a Turkey | Weber Grills
FAQ
How long to cook a turkey on a Weber grill?
How many minutes per pound for a turkey on a charcoal grill?
Can you cook a turkey on a gas BBQ grill?
How long to grill turkey at 250 degrees?