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Butter Injected Rotisserie Turkey Recipe

By: Andrea Alden

Making a perfectly moist turkey for Thanksgiving dinner isn't as terrifying as you may think. Using your grill and a rotisserie, you too can have perfectly prepared poultry. Try using this nearly foolproof recipe - Butter Injected Rotisserie Turkey - for a homemade "butterball" style turkey, injected with butter and honey. The skin is crisp and the meat is tender. I originally made this recipe in 2014 for Thanksgiving. Since then, using the techniques in this recipe, I've been able to make some pretty incredible turkeys, and not just for Thanksgiving, but many other holidays like Christmas, Easter, or just because.

Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
120 min
Yield
6
Difficulty
Difficult

Butter Injected Rotisserie Turkey Recipe

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Ingredients

Method

Photos

Ingredients

turkey, at least 9 lbs.

1/2 cup 

butter, divided

2 tbsp. 

orange blossom honey

salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

salt to taste


Turkey Gravy

2 cups 

chicken or turkey stock

2 cups 

vegetable water (water used when steaming/cooking veggies for your dinner)

flour for thickening

Method
  1. Remove the grids and place a drip pan under where the turkey will sit. Fill the drip pan with the 2 cups of chicken stock. Preheat your grill to 325°F using only the rear burner.
  2. Melt the butter and combine 1/4 cup of the butter with the orange blossom honey, then, using your marinade injector, inject the honey-butter into all the big meaty parts of the bird. Be sure to inject in several different spots around the bird to get optimum saturation.Try to go through the meat, but not through the skin when you can, this will help prevent leaking of juices for increased moistness.
  3. Season the turkey all over with the poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper, we want to keep things simple. Truss the turkey to prevent flappy wings and legs. This will help the turkey cook evenly on the rotisserie.
  4. Carefully insert the spit rod into the bird and secure the forks into the turkey. Test the rotisserie to make sure that it's balanced. Carefully lift the spit rod using the palms of your hands. If the bird flips around to one side or the other, it's not quite balanced. Add a counterweight to the opposite side.
  5. Place the spit onto your grill, and thread the right end into the motor. Turn it on and let the bird go.
  6. Check your turkey every 15 to 20 minutes, basting with the remaining butter. If you feel that the legs and wings are getting too dark, wrap them in foil until the bird is done. Turkey cooks at a rate of about 20 minutes per pound of meat.
  7. Your turkey is cooked through when the breast reaches an internal temperature of 150°F and the dark meat around the thigh area is at 160°F. Take the bird off then, but cover it with foil, then wrap it in towels for 15 to 20 minutes before you carve and serve. This will allow the bird to finish coming up to temperature while remaining moist. Use this time to finish your veggies and make the perfect gravy.
  8. For the gravy, take the drip tray out of the gill and use a gravy separator to get the turkey fat out. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the fat with enough flour to make a paste. if you don't have much turkey fat, you can add butter, goose fat, or bacon fat to make more roux - which in turn makes more gravy. Then, a little at a time, add the liquid strained from the drippings (you separated out) and the veggie water. The first little bit of liquid that hits the flour mixture will bubble and turn into this gross pasty stuff. That's good. Keep adding a little more liquid at a time and stirring it in until you get that perfect gravy consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You may not need all of the liquid to make the gravy. If you add too much liquid, just bring your gravy to a simmer until it thickens again.
  9. Serve that carved up turkey and awesome gravy with your other favorite Thanksgiving foods.


The centerpiece of a perfect Thanksgiving, this Butter Injected Rotisserie Turkey makes you want to sing about birds being the word! (Haven't you heard?) - that was a terrible joke by the way. Anyway, all joking aside if you pull this delicious recipe off, the rest of your Thanksgiving will fall into place, rendering you reigning monarch of the BBQ and your favorite holidays. What will you serve with your Butter Injected Rotisserie Turkey?

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Build Your Own Butterball

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Inject that flavour

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Season with all the spices

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Baste with butter every 15-20 minutes

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Getting golden

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Rest for 20 minutes

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Happy Thanksgiving

AndreaAlden
Andrea Alden

I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.

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Build Your Own Butterball

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Inject that flavour

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Season with all the spices

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Baste with butter every 15-20 minutes

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Getting golden

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Rest for 20 minutes

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Happy Thanksgiving

Accessories

Feel like a professional griller