Grilling turkey on Thanksgiving is the coolest for many, many reasons. Here are a few. 1: Oven space is at a premium on turkey day, when you grill the bird you can bake more sides or use the oven to keep things warm! 2: Grilling makes things taste awesome. 3: It gives you an excuse to "supervise" the turkey, while you enjoy an adult beverage and some peace.

What You Need:

1 whole Turkey (about 12 pounds), thawed if frozen, giblets discarded
4 tablespoons Tessemae’s Slow Roasted Garlic
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 lemon, quartered
4 springs thyme
½ cup Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 ribs celery, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

What To Do:

1. Set your gas grill to high and let it heat up for about 15 minutes, until it reaches 500. (For charcoal grilling instructions, we trust the experts at Webber.) Set a roasting rack inside a double layer of disposable aluminum pans.
2. Turkey tip: Clean out your kitchen sink and do all of the turkey prep that follows inside it! Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and tuck the wing tips underneath the turkey body. With your fingers, starting at the back cavity, gently loosen the skin over the breast from the meat, without tearing the skin. Spread most of the Slow Roasted Garlic evenly under the skin. Rub a very light layer of Garlic over the outside of the breast, legs, and thighs.
3. Season the whole bird, including inside the cavity, with salt and pepper. Stuff the lemon and thyme in the cavity. Place the bird on the prepared roasting rack, breast side up. Wash your greased up hands and then tie the turkey legs together with kitchen twine. Scatter the veggies around the bird.
4. Reduce the grill heat to medium. (For three burner grills, set front and back burners to medium and turn off center burner. For two burner grills, turn the front and back burners to medium. Keep grill covered during cooking.) Position the turkey in the center of the cooking grate. Add 2 cups water to the pan and close the grill lid. (Throughout cooking, if the pan dries, add a little more water.)
5. Cook about 12 minutes per pound or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, registers 170, and the juices run clear. About 2 ½ hours for our 12 pound turkey. Baste the turkey with the Lemon Garlic throughout cooking. If your turkey is getting too brown for your liking, lightly tent with foil. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes before carving and serving. Reserve your pan for the Veggie & Cider Gravy!

Tip: Our favorite carving method!

Serves 8-10