Barbeque Methods & Grilling Times

Use this handy chart to determine whether to use indirect, direct or rotisserie heat for various turkey cuts. The right hand column provides approximate cooking times, but this is only a guideline as all barbeques cook at different rates and each has hot and cold spots. It’s best to check for doneness by inserting a digital thermometer and cook until the temperature registers:

Whole Bird: 170°F (77°C) in the thickest part of the breast and 180°F (82°C) in inner thigh (the thermometer should not touch bone);
Turkey Cuts, Ground Turkey, Sausages and Hot Dogs: 165°F (74°C).

TURKEY BARBEQUING METHODS

BONELESS RAW TURKEY
	DIRECT HEAT REGULAR	DIRECT HEAT FOIL WRAP	INDIRECT HEAT	ROTISSERIE	*APPROXIMATE COOKING TIMES
Breast Cutlets, Steaks, Slices, Tenderloins, Fillets 2-9 oz (55g – 255 g) ea.					2 – 10 min. /side
Ground Turkey Burgers 3 ½ oz (100 g) patties					4 – 6 min. /side
Boneless Turkey Roast, Netted 2½ – 6 lbs (1 – 2 ½ kg)					1¾ – 2½ hrs.
BONE-IN RAW TURKEY (with skin)
Drumsticks ¾ – 1½ lbs (340 – 680 g) ea.					1½ – 1¾ hrs.
Wings ¾ – 1¼ lbs (340 – 565 g) ea.					1¼ – 1½ hrs.
Thighs ½ – 1½ lbs (225 – 680 g) ea.	(sm.)	(lg.)	(lg.)		1½ – 1¾ hrs.
Whole Breast 4 – 7 lbs (1.75 – 3 kg)					1½ – 2½ hrs.
Half Breast 2 – 5 lbs (900 g – 2.25 kg)					1¾ – 2 hrs.
TURKEY DELI PRODUCTS
Hot Dogs 1.6 – 2.6 oz (45 – 75 g) ea.					4 – 6 min.
Sausages Sizes vary – cook to 165°F (74°C) end-point temperature.					Follow package directions.
WHOLE TURKEY – UNSTUFFED (by weight)
6 – 8 lbs (3 – 3.5 kg)					1 – 1¾ hrs.
8 – 10 lbs (3.5 – 4.5 kg)					1¼ – 2 hrs.
10 – 12 lbs (4.5 – 5.5 kg)					1½ – 2¼ hrs.
12 – 16 lbs (5.5 – 7 kg)					2 – 2¾ hrs.
16 – 22 lbs (7 – 10 kg)					2½ – 3½ hrs.
Recommended BBQ method May be grilled with indirect heat method when prepared by marinating overnight Bone, roll and tie breast for rotisserie grilling Boneless cuts will take longer	* Time will vary greatly depending on method used, thickness of meat, temperature of barbeque, and weather conditions. Whenever possible, rely on a digital meat thermometer to determine doneness. For whole bird, the thermometer placed in thickest part of the breast must register 170°F (77°C) in the breast, or 180°F (82°C) in inner thigh, and should not touch bone. For turkey cuts, ground turkey, sausages and hot dogs, the thermometer must register 165°F (74°C).