How to Grill a Whole Turkey and Roasted Potatoes
Master two-zone indirect grilling to roast a juicy Thanksgiving turkey with crisp skin alongside rich, herb-seasoned drip-pan roasted potatoes.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Kettle or gas grill with lid
- ✓ Dual-probe digital meat thermometer
- ✓ Aluminum foil drip pan
- ✓ Heat-resistant barbecue gloves
- ✓ Long-handled grill tongs
- ✓ Chef knife and cutting board
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ 12-14 lb whole turkey (thawed, giblets removed)
- ✓ 3 lbs Yukon Gold or baby red potatoes (halved)
- ✓ 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
- ✓ 3 tbsp poultry herb blend (rosemary, thyme, sage)
- ✓ 2 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tbsp black pepper
- ✓ 2 tbsp olive oil
- ✓ Hardwood chunks (apple or pecan)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Ensure the turkey is completely thawed before grilling to avoid uneven cooking and dangerous bacterial growth.
- • Always sanitize all prep surfaces, cutting boards, and hands immediately after touching raw poultry.
- • Verify with a calibrated digital thermometer that the breast reaches at least 165°F (74°C) and thigh reaches 175°F (80°C).
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (5 Steps)
Prep and Season the Turkey
Pat the entire turkey completely dry inside and out using paper towels. Separate the skin from the breast meat with your fingers and rub seasoned butter directly onto the meat under the skin, then rub salt and herbs across the entire outer skin. Tuck the wing tips behind the shoulder joints to prevent burning.
- • Turkey skin looks matte and dry before butter application.
- • Even yellow-herb coating visible both under the translucent skin and over the exterior.
- • Wing tips neatly tucked back behind the neck area.
- • Applying butter to damp skin, causing the rub to slide off.
- • Leaving wing tips sticking out where they will quickly char.
Configure Two-Zone Indirect Grill Setup
Arrange charcoal on one half of the grill or ignite only outer gas burners to establish an indirect cooking zone at 325°F to 350°F (163°C to 177°C). Place an aluminum drip pan on the unlit side directly beneath where the cooking grate sits. Add one or two wood chunks to the hot coals for light smoke flavor.
- • Coals concentrated entirely on one side with an empty space holding the drip pan.
- • Grill hood thermometer steady between 325°F and 350°F.
- • Thin, clean blue-white wisps of smoke emerging from the top vent.
- • Placing the drip pan directly over active coals where drippings will burn.
- • Overloading with wood chunks, producing acrid white billowing smoke.
Position Turkey and Insert Temp Probe
Place the turkey breast-side up on the grill grate directly over the drip pan, well away from the direct heat source. Insert the primary thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast and a secondary probe deep into the inner thigh, avoiding contact with any bone. Close the grill lid immediately.
- • Turkey sits fully centered over the unlit zone with legs facing toward the hotter zone.
- • Probe cables cleanly exiting the grill rim without getting crimped in the lid.
- • Grill lid fully seated and closed.
- • Allowing the metal probe tip to rest against the turkey breastbone or thigh bone.
- • Facing the delicate breast meat directly toward the heat source.
Season and Add Potatoes to the Drip Pan
Halve the potatoes and toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, and remaining rosemary and thyme. When the turkey reaches roughly 130°F (54°C) internal (about 1.5 to 2 hours in), lift the cooking grate or open the side access to dump the seasoned potatoes directly into the foil drip pan below the bird. Stir potatoes once to coat them in rendered turkey drippings and close lid.
- • Potatoes cut into uniform 1 to 1.5-inch pieces.
- • Potatoes submerged in a shallow layer of shimmering turkey fat and juices in the lower pan.
- • Grill closed promptly to retain internal cooking heat.
- • Adding potatoes at the very beginning, causing them to turn to mush over a 3-hour cook.
- • Cutting potato chunks too large so they fail to soften in time.
Confirm Temperatures and Rest the Feast
Check that the digital thermometer reads 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the breast and 175°F (80°C) in the thigh, and verify potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown. Transfer the turkey onto a carving board and tent loosely with foil for 20 to 30 minutes to allow juices to redistribute. Remove the roasted potatoes from the drip pan with tongs and transfer to a warm serving platter.
- • Turkey skin is deep mahogany-bronze with no pink or translucent spots.
- • Clear juices run from thigh joint when pierced.
- • Potatoes pierce effortlessly with a fork and show browned, crispy edges.
- • Carving the turkey immediately off the grill, causing all juices to spill onto the board.
- • Wrapping the foil tightly around the turkey, which steams and softens the crispy skin.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Zest Snaps — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Aluminum foil drip pan? Heavy-duty cast iron skillet or disposable roasting tin
- No Hardwood chunks? Wood chips wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum foil pouch with fork holes