Cutting the turkey in half dramatically reduces the cook time. Brine the night before and you’ll be able to get it on the table after just an hour and a half or so on the grill. If you aren’t up for tackling the butchery yourself, most butchers will do it for you. Our recipe is inspired by the vinegar chicken at Bernie’s in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Recipe information
Yield
8 - 10 Servings
Ingredients
Brine
6
3
2
1
1¼
1
Sauce and assembly
3
2
2
2
½
6
½
1
Preparation
Brine
Step 1
Mix salt, paprika, brown sugar, pepper, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pat turkey halves dry and cover all over with spice mix, packing on until you’ve used all of it. Arrange turkey halves, breast side up, on a rimmed baking sheet and chill, uncovered, at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.
sauce and assembly
Step 2
Let turkey sit at room temperature 1 hour before grilling. Pat dry with paper towels, then brush all over with 3 Tbsp. oil.
Step 3
Whisk chiles, vinegar, brown sugar, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a measuring glass or small bowl until sugar dissolves.
Step 4
Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off); lightly oil grate. Cover grill; heat to 350° (place an oven thermometer in the center of indirect side of grill if there isn’t one built in).
Step 5
Place turkey, skin side up, over indirect heat, with breast halves next to each other and farthest away from the heat (the legs should be closest to the heat). Cover grill and grill turkey, basting skin with chile sauce every 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breasts registers 140° and thickest part of legs registers 160°, 1¼–1¾ hours. Keep an eye on the temperature inside the grill and aim to maintain heat at 350° as much as possible. If using a gas grill and the temperature drops significantly, turn on a second burner to medium-low to bring the temperature back up. If using a charcoal grill, light a chimney of coals and add as needed.
Step 6
Lightly oil grate on hot side of grill. Using tongs and a large spatula to support the turkey, turn turkey halves over, arranging skin side down over direct heat. Brush turkey with chile sauce (you won’t use all of it) and grill, uncovered, until skin is charred and crisp, 8–10 minutes. Thickest part of breasts should now register 150° on thermometer and legs should register 170°. Arrange rosemary sprigs over a cutting board and set turkey, skin side up, on top. Let rest 30–60 minutes before carving.
Step 7
While the turkey rests, bring remaining chile sauce to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in butter a piece at a time, incorporating completely after each addition. Stir in Worcestershire sauce; season with salt.
Step 8
Carve turkey as desired and transfer to a platter; arrange rosemary around. Pour sauce over turkey, along with any accumulated juices on cutting board.
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Reviews (34)
Back to TopCooked in the oven. the house smelled wonderful. It came out sooooo moist and delicious, Forgot all about the rosemary tho! Plan on doing it again. Hopefully I'll remember the rosemary!
Sw
Cali
11/26/2023
I don't have a review, I can tell this turkey is just terrific. This is the ending of July and I am just starting to put my Thanksgiving menu together. This will be one of my main courses at my table. I am so glad for everyone's reviews. Now I know this turkey can be done in the oven, happy holidays
sharyn
lawton, oklahoma
7/23/2021
I made this Turkey in the oven instead of on a grill and it was the best turkey I have ever had, no question. This is my go-to for turkey from now on.
PapaJamon
New York, New York
11/30/2020
This was soo delicious! I loved the spices in the brine and that sauce!! I just cooked a Turkey breast and it took about an hour on the grill. Will definitely make this again probably will make a chicken with this recipe sometime this year.
Patty
Seattle, WA
11/29/2020
Outstanding! This was my first grilled turkey and I made the right choice of preparation. The rub/brine was smoky and rich. And the spicey and tart basting liquid made the turkey beautiful and juicy. There was a nice amount of heat, but it didn't interfere with the flavor. And making the sauce and serving it on the side was great for those of us who like something other than gravy. This one is a keeper!
Diane Belton
11/27/2020
Made this for Thanksgiving yesterday - and boy was it a hit! So delicious and cooking times were pretty true. The vinegar sauce is punchy, but a small amount enhanced all those delicious brined flavors. Definitely will make this again and I will definitely be preparing chicken this way too.
Amy E.
Chevy Chase, MD
11/27/2020
Whoo! Okay, I used this today for Thanksgiving! Followed the recipe for the dry brine and the basting liquid, but spatchcocked a 10-pound turkey and roasted in the oven: 450 for 30 minutes, then basted with the vinegar/chiles/brown sugar liquid, lowered temp to 350 and basted every 20 minutes until the breast reached 165. At that point, I added the melted butter and Worchestershire to the liquid and basted again while it cooled and before I carved. IT. WAS. AMAZING. It was nice to have such a bright-tasting and flavorful turkey that provided contrast rather than blending in with the stuffing and other things on the table. Husband was confused as to how this was still turkey. For those asking about heat: it turned out quite subtle here! Definitely not bland, but it wasn't spicy by any means. If you wanted to dial it up, putting some of the sauce on the meat post-carving would be a way to customize to different palates at the table. But this year with just the two of us was a good time to experiment with something new. Thanks Molly!
Jess G.
Hyattsville, MD
11/27/2020