A rotisserie grilled stuffed turkey is an excellent entree that can be easily and simply prepared using your barbcue rather than your oven range.
BBQ rotisserie grilling your turkey will give it a smokiness you’ll never forget. The taste of grilled turkey is like nothing you’ve ever tasted it is so tender and juicy.
Because you grill it, you also get that special smoky flavoring to thr meat. This technique of rotisserie grilling will allow your turkey to be as perfectly evenly cooked on the bottom as it is on the top so there is little to no chance for any under cooking.
How would you like to give mom a bit of a breather during the holidays and free her up a little from kitchen duties? Turkey is a meal synonymous with serving for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, and usually mom is trapped into cooking it. Here is a recipe technique that will help to free mom from the kitchen a little. This is something that you can grill for a dinner even if it is not one of the holiday dates.
Provided your rotisserie spit, is stainless steel there is no need to worry about any contamination of any sort, but be certain that your spit is stainless steel and that you have properly washed it.
One last bit of information before we get started. Make certain that your turkey is properly centered and balanced on your spit and that your rotisserie can handle the wieght of your turkey as it rotates. Test this by either reading your instruction booklet, or by a test run.
[Required ingredients:]
1 – 10 to 15 pound pre-basted “Butter Ball turkey” or whatever pre-basted name brand turkey is available where you live. More than 15 pounds (maybe) your rotisserie spit will not be able to properly handle.
A pre-basted turkey will ensure that the turkey remains moist and tender and doesn’t dry out.
[ Important: ]
If your “Butter Ball Turkey” was frozen when you bought it remember to thaw it out for a minimum of 24 hours and drain it out removing the neck and sack of inerds.
[Stuffing Ingredients]
1 Loaf of white bread
1 pound pork sausage meat
1 onion (finely diced)
20 white mushrooms (sliced)
1 stalk celery
2 tablespoon sage
2 tablespoon savory
2 tablespoon poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2- 1/2 inch thick pads of salted butter
1 tin chicken broth or chicken stock
[Stuffing preparations:]
Break down your loaf of bread by ripping it or cubing it into a large mixing bowl and allow it to sit out to dry.
Dice your celery and your onion, and add your celery and onion to your bread.
If you want to you could saute your onion with the other ingredients to be sauted, it’s up to you.
Sprinkle your sage, savory, poultry seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.
In a large hot skillet on medium heat, break down your pork sausage into the skillet and begin to saute it add in a tablespoon of dried sage, (salt and pepper to taste) , and saute the pork until it starts to brown.
Add in your sliced mushrooms and mix them in with your pork cooking your mushrooms until they soften and change color.
Ladle out this mixture over your seasoned bread and toss all the ingredients together to get an even blend.
Melt down your salted butter, but do not allow it to brown or burn, and then pour it in with your bread.
The last step is to pour off about 1/2 of your tin of broth into your stuffing and use your hands to blend it into the bread mix.
[Rotisserie Preparations]
Making a test run: mount your turkey onto your rotisserie spit and mount this into your rotisserie motor. Switch on the motor to ensure proper rotation, balance the turkey evenly on your spit.
Start up your grill and pre-heat it to a temperature of between 325 to 350 degrees F.
First things first, rince the inside of the turkey with cold water.
Using your olive oil, rub the inside of your turkey thoroughly with the oil and then rub the inside with some salt and pepper and poultry seasoning.
Stuff the rear cavity of your turkey with your stuffing mix, packing it firmly inside the cavity.
Place the neck, heart, and gizzard into the neck cavity, and stuff in the remainder of your stuffing. Placing in the neck cavity makes them more easily accessable once the turkey is cooked.
For extra juiciness and tenderness of the breast meat, overlap about 10 strips of bacon across the breast of the turkey.
Using “butcher’s twine” soak the twine in water while you are rinsing and stuffing the turkey and tie up your wings and your legs tightly to ensure that they don’t flop around while the turkey is being grilled, using the wet twine.
Carefully insert your Rotisserie spit first through the neck cavity and then gently carefully through the rear cavity, trying not to dislodge any of your stuffing mix.
Make certain that the spit is nicely balanced and make a test run on your grill to ensure that the turkey is evenly balanced and will rotate freely, then remove it.
Arrange your grill so that the grill is on the upper, not lower setting. Make certain that your gas grilling tank is full and have a spare on hand just incase.
[Cooking time and temperatures]
Allow a minimum of 3 hours cooking time
Grill temperature: 325 to 350 degrees F.
If you have a meat thermometer insert it into the thickest part of the breast. For proper doneness, you want to see an internal temperature between 175 to 185 degrees F. If you like a moist tender meat 175 is great.
You need to have a drippings tray partially filled with water, and the remainder of your tin of broth. This will provide extra moisture as well as adding flavor as the Turkey cooks. This will later become your gravy for dinner.
Once your temperature reaches between 325 to 350 degrees F., lay your dripping pan onto your grill and hook in your spit into your rotisserie motor. Switch on the rotisserie motor, and close the lid.
Make certain to keep an eye on your cooking temperature if it is breezy outside for your cooking temperature and cooking time can vary if it is breezy or windy.
While the turkey is cooking, you or mom, can prepare the rest of your dinner potatoes, veggies, salad etc.
In the last hour of cooking ladle some of those drippings and juices in the dripping tray all over your turkey to give it a basting.
Once you have reached the desired temperature for doneness, remove your turkey and let it sit to rest about [10 minutes,] allowing all of the natural juices to settle in the meat.
[Important] Make certain to remove the stuffing and giblets into a serving bowl. This is done for two reasons. First it is for health reasons to avoid any contamination, secondly the stuffing needs resting to improve its flavor.
While the turkey is resting, strain off some of the juices, keeping about 2 cups aside as well as the drippings solids in the bottom of the drippings pan. Heat this on your grill and add in 2 tablespoons of flour dissolved in water to wisk up your gravy.
Untie your turkey legs and wings and spoon out your stuffing into a bowl or serving dish.
Once your turkey is rested, it’s time to eat. You will have a delicious, tender, juicy turkey to carve and serve along with the stuffing and the gravy, to go with whatever greatness mom happened to whip up in the kitchen as the turkey cooked.
Don’t forget the cranberry sauce.
Enjoy!