You’ll free up precious oven space for your pies and all those delicious vegetable sides you’ve planned. And if you live in a warm (enough) climate, you can take the party outside and fire up the grill for the main turkey cooking event. “Everybody loves a grilled turkey, and you become the hero of Thanksgiving,” Karmel says. “You bring that turkey in from the grill, you’re gonna get a standing ovation.” And if you do it right, you should be able to shave about 45 minutes off the cooking time of a 14-pound bird. Sounds good to us! We tested Karmel’s basic grilled turkey recipe, and it was a delight—super-juicy, very slightly smoky, easy, and packed with flavor. But we learned a lot as we grilled, so here are 10 tips—from Karmel, the pro, and one amateur griller—for a gorgeous bird. “You’ll burn the bottom of the bird,” warns Karmel. “With indirect heat you don’t need to touch the food; it’s cooked by the rotating heat,” says Karmel. “If you’re new to grilling, think of indirect heat as roasting or baking; direct heat is broiling.” She created it for “people who didn’t like gravy because it was too gamey.” Those people, she says, “end up lapping it up.” But you could also add a touch of orange zest, a few springs of rosemary or sage as it simmers, or even “a tiny bit” of maple syrup or a good unfiltered apple cider.
