This rotisserie turkey is the Ferrari of turkeys. Its the king/queen of all turkeys. Once you try it, youll know what I am talking about. The meat is perfectly cooked in every part of the bird; the breast meat is flavored inside-out, buttery-tender, and exceptionally juicy. The skin is unbelievably crispy and delicious. And the tantalizing garlic and herb flavor will blow your mind. Your neighbors will be drooling while you are cooking it.
I used to brine whole turkeys to keep the meat moist, but that changed once I tried injecting them with garlic and herb-infused butter. It was a revelation! Brining works great for turkey meat until you try this method. Once you do, there is no going back. Its much quicker than brining, requires a lot less prep work, and the results are much better, in my opinion. You get a tastier and juicier turkey much faster. Isnt that the goal? I now make all of my turkey recipes using this method: oven roasted turkey, roasted turkey breast, etc.
Cooking a turkey on a rotisserie is a fantastic way to get moist, flavorful meat with crispy skin. The rotating action bastes the turkey in its own juices while allowing for even cooking. Follow this simple guide for rotisserie turkey success.
What You’ll Need
- A 12-16 lb fresh or thawed turkey
- Rotisserie kit or attachment for your grill
- Butcher’s twine
- Skewers
- Olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Instant-read thermometer
Frequency of Entities:
- Turkey: 15
- Rotisserie: 10
- Grill: 5
- Thermometer: 3
- Twine: 2
- Skewers: 2
- Olive oil, salt, pepper: 1
Prep the Bird
- Choose a turkey between 12-16 lbs to fit on the rotisserie. Larger birds are difficult to balance.
- Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity.
- Rinse the turkey under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Truss the turkey tightly with butcher’s twine. Tie the wings close to the body and loop the legs together.
- Thread the rotisserie skewer through the turkey lengthwise, from the cavity end to the neck end.
- Test the balance by placing it on the rod outside of the grill. It should rotate smoothly.
- Brush or rub the turkey all over with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper.
Fire Up the Grill
- Set up your grill for indirect cooking by placing coals on only one side.
- Position a drip pan under the area where the turkey will cook.
- Heat the grill to medium-high, around 350-375°F.
- Place the turkey-loaded rotisserie rod onto the grill, with the breast meat on the cooler side.
Rotisserie Cooking Time
- Cook the turkey for about 2-2.5 hours, rotating at a constant speed.
- Start checking the internal temp after 2 hours. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, taking care not to touch bone.
- Cook until the thigh reaches 165°F and the breast reaches 155°F.
- If the skin starts to get too brown before the turkey is fully cooked, tent foil loosely over the bird.
Let It Rest
- Carefully remove the rotisserie rod from the grill once the turkey is fully cooked.
- Cover loosely with foil and let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
- The temperature will rise about 10 degrees during this time for juicier meat.
Frequency of Entities:
- Turkey: 20
- Rotisserie: 15
- Grill: 10
- Thermometer: 5
- Twine: 3
- Skewers: 3
- Olive oil, salt, pepper: 2
Carving the Turkey
- Place the turkey breast side up on a cutting board.
- Using a sharp knife, slice between the thigh and breast to remove the leg quarters.
- Cut along the side of the breast to remove the wings.
- Then slice the breast meat across the grain into thin slices.
- Arrange the slices on a platter with the wings and legs for an impressive presentation.
Serving Suggestions
- This rotisserie turkey is extremely versatile. Serve it simply with gravy or get creative with different sauces and sides:
- Classic turkey gravy
- Cranberry orange relish
- Mole sauce
- Pesto
- Barbecue sauce
- Greens like kale or spinach
- Roasted root vegetables
- Wild rice pilaf
- Fresh bread to soak up the juices
With minimal hands-on time the rotisserie does all the hard work of slowly roasting your turkey to juicy perfection. Follow these simple steps for a show-stopping centerpiece at your next gathering. This self-basting technique reliably produces the most tender flavorful and crispy-skinned holiday bird.
My method for making rotisserie turkey
First and foremost, I spatchcock the turkey. This way, the turkey cooks a bit faster and more evenly. I also like how it crisps up on both sides this way. Sure, its harder to cook a spatchcocked turkey, but its doable. If your rotisserie setup cant accommodate this, skip spatchcocking and rotisserie your bird as is. You will still get excellent results.
Next, I lift the breast and thigh skin, creating pockets (see the video below). Using a kitchen meat injector, I inject the meat under the lifted skin with the infused butter, then fill the pockets with the strained garlic and herb mixture.
My concern was that butter would ooze out during cooking and cause flare-ups and excessive smoking, but that hasnt been the case. I believe this is because I made the injections under the skin, and the entry points were covered with the garlic and herb mixture.
Finally, the turkey is cooked over direct heat at around 300F in my Big Green Egg fitted with a Joetisserie. This setup is just big enough to accommodate a 12-lb spatchcocked turkey. Your setup may differ from mine; your rotisserie may have a heat source on the side instead of a bottom, but that shouldnt matter.
The bird is done when the breast meat reaches about 160F – 165F, while the legs and wings hit 185F – 190F.
This rotisserie turkey is an eye candy. When you pull it off the grill, you will be very tempted to start ripping pieces off it and devouring them straight away. I dont blame you. But let the bird rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting it up. Let those meat fibers relax again and re-absorb some of the juices.
Garlic and herb butter
This is what makes this rotisserie turkey so awesome. Making infused garlic and herb butter is quick and easy; just mix some herbs, pepper, and salt with melted butter and let it infuse for 5 minutes. But you absolutely must use fresh herbs. Dried herbs will not give you the same results! Only fresh!
Which herbs to use is an excellent question. Ive tried many, and the ones I absolutely love are sage and rosemary. They are so aromatic! I also add parsley. Sometimes, I use cilantro when I have it on hand.