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Barbeque Whole Turkey

oven roasted with BBQ Rub

This Barbeque Whole Turkey recipe rings the changes when it comes to finding a different roast turkey recipe.

It is a take on Oven Baked Whole Chicken with BBQ Rub and is a great way of cooking Thanksgiving turkey. Plus, because the turkey is not wallowing in fat, it constitutes one of our healthy Thanksgiving recipes. In order for the BBQ Rub to permeate the skin, try to prepare the turkey a few hours ahead of the time it needs to start cooking.

I think that we are all wary of drying out the breast meat of a barbeque whole turkey. So, I always roast the turkey UPSIDE DOWN. Sounds odd, but it works. The juices drip down over the breast, keeping it moist. If you are really wanting crispy turkey skin, you may turn the turkey the right side up for the last half hour of cooking. But, in fact, each sliver of breast meat has so little skin on it that I don't bother doing this as it risks drying out the meat.

As a rule, cook the turkey for 15 minutes per pound or ½ hour per kilogram.

Below is a useful guide showing how many people you can feed from a turkey:

12 - 15 lb / 5½ - 6½ kg feeds 10 - 12 people

15 - 18 lb / 6½ - 8 kg feeds 14 - 16 people

18 - 22 lb / 8 - 10 kg feeds 20 - 22 people

Easy

Preparation time; 10 minutes

Cooking time: about 3½ hours

ingredients:

Turkey weighing approx 14 lbs / 6.5kg

BBQ Rub Ingredients:

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon powdered mustard (English mustard)

1 tablespoon medium curry powder

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400° F / 200° C.
Wash the turkey out and pat it dry.
Tie the legs together and tie a piece of string around the body so that the wings sit against the turkey.
Mix together all the Rub ingredients. Rub this mixture into the skin of the turkey.
Bake at 400° F / 200° C for the first 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350° F / 180° C for the next 2 hours. Then lower to 300° F / 150° C for the last hour. Baste every 15 minutes.
Pierce the turkey deep in the breast with a meat thermometer. The turkey is cooked when the reading is 170° - 175° F / 80° C. When pierced in the breast or the thigh, the juices should run clear and there should be no blood. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
To make gravy for this Barbeque Whole Turkey, pour the juices into a jug and skim off the fat. Mix a tablespoon of cornflour with 2 tablespoons water. Stir this into the remaining juices and bring to the boil. If you are making the turkey ahead of time you might find it easier to put the turkey juices in the refrigerator. This allow the fats to settle on the top and makes skimming them off quick and easy.

Budget meal planning tip: clever leftovers can be used for:

Turkey a la King