Thanksgiving is almost here! Before planning to sweat over an oven for hours, consider grilling your turkey. Roasting a whole turkey can be quite an undertaking. However, you can skip the hours of work and make a truly delicious turkey meal right on your tailgating grill. Whether you are cooking for your whole family or just want to bring some seasonal flavors to your tailgate, here are twelve grilled turkey recipes.
1. Basic Grilled Turkey
We figured we’d kick off the list with this great guide from Home Sweet Eats. She shows step-by-step how to dress a turkey for grilling. You can also make this recipe in your smoker. It’s a great basic recipe that is perfect to build on with your own favorite flavors. All you need is a grill with a lid and a roasting pan that will fit in your tailgating grill.
howsweeteats.com
How to Grill Your Turkey On Thanksgiving!
This grilled turkey is super easy and tastes incredible! This will be your go-to Thanksgiving turkey recipe once you take a bite…
2. Dry Brined Spatchcocked Turkey On The Grill
Last year, Eddie Jackson from the Food Network shared with us he always prefers to spatchcock his turkey. Spatchcocking can save a ton of time on cooking and it can help lock in some of the juices, leaving a more flavorful turkey. This recipe from Garlic and Zest shows how to prepare a spatchcocked turkey on a tailgating grill. It also has a recipe for a tasty dry rub and a cider gravy.
garlicandzest.com
Spatchcock Grilled Turkey with Cider Gravy
Learn to spatchcock a turkey & cook it on the grill w/this easy recipe. Spatchcock grilled turkey is moist, tender & delicious every time. The simple dry rub seasons the meat & the gravy is smooth…
related recipe ideas
3. Cider Brined Spatchcocked Turkey
Another great recipe for spatchcocked grilled turkey comes from Eating Well. This turkey is made with a healthy dose of chili powder, giving it a southwestern flavor. The best part about this recipe is the leftovers are awesome. You can shred them and add them to tacos, burritos, and other Southwestern-inspired dishes. Yum!
eatingwell.com
Cider-Brined Spatchcock Turkey
Brining is a classic way to prep roast turkey for the oven. It infuses the meat with so much flavor from apple cider, celery, onion, oranges and fresh herbs. Spatchcocking is the technique of removing the backbone of a turkey or chicken and pressing the bird flat. It’s a convenient way to speed up the roasting time and it results in evenly browned, moist turkey…
4. Pellet Grilled Smoked Turkey Breast
Another great way to cut back on cooking time this Thanksgiving is to just cook the breast instead of the whole bird. For this first turkey breast recipe, we took a cue from the Texas grill masters. Pellet smoking adds an incredible flavor and texture to your turkey breast. It also keeps it from ever tasting bland. Bust out your pellet smoker to make it. Don’t worry if you don’t have one, you can use smoker wood chips in a standard tailgating grill. Here’s an easy guide.
grilling24x7.com
Texas Smoked Turkey Breast Pellet Grill
This Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey Breast is inspired by my time in Texas touring some of the best BBQ restaurants in the country…
5. Cajun Grilled Turkey Breast
For the next recipe, we pop over to Texas’ neighbor Louisiana for some cajun flavors. This recipe is definitely perfect for a tailgating grill. Covered in a cajun spice rub, you will never have to worry about serving a dry, flavorless bird. This recipe is so tasty and easy to make, we predict we may see it on people’s tailgating grills outside of the holiday season.
vindulge.com
Cajun Grilled Turkey Breast
Grilled Turkey Breast with Cajun Seasoning recipe works great for bone-in or boneless turkey breast. Perfect for a smaller holiday dinner…
6. Jamaican Jerk Turkey Breast
This Jamaican Jerk Baked Turkey Breast recipe is packed with bold, spicy flavors that make it a delicious and exciting dish for any occasion. The aromatic jerk seasoning, with its perfect balance of heat and spice, infuses the turkey breast with a mouthwatering Caribbean flair. What’s even better is that you can easily adapt this recipe for the grill! Just marinate the turkey breast as instructed, then fire up the grill and cook it over indirect heat until the meat is juicy and tender, with a smoky, charred exterior. Perfect for backyard cookouts or tailgating!
recipehippie.com
Jamaican Jerk Baked Turkey Breast – Recipe Hippie
Crispy and seasoned on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, this Jamaican jerk baked turkey breast with jerk gravy is a great way to level up your poultry game!…
7. Mango Habanero Grilled Turkey Breast
If you love spicy food, this recipe is a great choice. Made with one of the spicier peppers available at the grocery store, this recipe will leave its mark on your taste buds. The sweetness of the mango balances perfectly with the spice and helps caramelize the turkey breast. This locks in the flavor and the juices. The result? A spicy, savory dish your Thanksgiving team will not soon forget.
flavormosaic.com
Mango Habanero Grilled Turkey Breast – Flavor Mosaic
This easy, tender Mango Habanero Grilled Turkey Breast, with a simple BBQ rub, and glazed with a sweet and spicy mango habanero sauce, is cooked to smoky perfection on the grill, making it perfect for your Summer outdoor BBQ…
8. Brazilian Style Grilled Turkey With Salsa
We love experimenting with flavors from South America. Brazilians grill a mean steak. So it only goes to follow that they can whip up a tasty grilled turkey. This turkey breast is seasoned and grilled to perfection. Then it is smothered in a fresh-made salsa verde. We recommend prepping the salsa ahead of time so the flavors can really mingle.
thiswestcoastmommy.com
Brazilian Style Grilled Turkey Breast with Salsa Verde | This West Coast Mommy
Sub lean turkey into all your favourite BBQ recipes!…
9. BBQ Turkey Breast With Brown Sugar Rub And Barbecue Sauce
Don’t worry, we weren’t going to feature grilled turkey recipes without a great one for BBQ’d turkey. This turkey starts with a sweet brown sugar rub and then is grilled to perfection. Right before it’s done, it’s smothered in a homemade BBQ sauce (you can also use your favorite BBQ sauce) until it’s perfectly caramelized. We’re getting hungry just thinking about it!
aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com
BBQ Turkey Breast with a Brown Sugar Rub and BBQ Sauce
This BBQ Turkey Breast with a Brown Sugar Rub and BBQ Sauce is a perfect summer dish! Easy, healthy and so delicious!…
10. Italian Grilled Turkey Breasts With Vegetables
We love a one-pot recipe. It makes life so easy. That’s why this recipe from Blackberry Babe stood out to us. In one grilled basket, you can make the turkey and a vegetable side. Talk about efficiency! We love the blend of Italian seasoning, but you can use any seasonings that you love to flavor your turkey and vegetables. No matter what you decide, you’ll save a ton of time!
blackberrybabe.com
Juicy Grilled Turkey Breast with Italian Marinade
Hosting a smaller group for Thanksgiving? Make a juicy turkey breast on the grill! This grilled turkey breast recipe uses an easy marinade…
11. Grilled Turkey Tenderloins
Breast meat isn’t for everyone. Some people like a heartier texture and denser savory flavor. Turkey tenderloins are perfect for this palette. They are also ideal for serving a large crowd. Like a brisket or a big rack of ribs, you prepare it whole and then slice it up for serving. This recipe uses a range of delicious seasonings that really bring out the flavors of the tenderloin.
food.com
Grilled Turkey Tenderloins Recipe – Food.com
We love these grilled tenderloins. You can also use chicken if you like…
12. Maple Mustard Rosemary Grilled Turkey Tenderloin
If you’re looking for some classic fall flavors to go with your grilled turkey, this recipe from Nourished Not Famished is perfect. The blend of piney rosemary with the sweetness of seasonal apples is balanced exquisitely with the mustard flavor. It’s a fall festive recipe that can be made easily on your tailgating grill.
nourishednotfamished.com
Maple Mustard Rosemary Grilled Turkey Tenderloin
When warm spring and summer temps hit, we want to be outside, chilling out, and not spending hours in the kitchen, right? Grilling is a great way to keep things simple. No pans to clean,…
13. Grilled Turkey Burgers
There aren’t really any rules when it comes to what to serve on Thanksgiving. That’s what we love about this recipe for grilled turkey burgers. Not everyone loves turkey, but everyone does love a great burger. Seasoned perfectly and topped with everyone’s favorite fixings, this non-traditional main dish might be exactly what your Thanksgiving menu is missing. This is also a great recipe to make at any tailgate for healthy eaters.
playswellwithbutter.com
Best-Ever Grilled Turkey Burgers {Extra Juicy!}
Super juicy, flavorful, & so simple to make – the Best Grilled Turkey Burgers recipe! Perfect for easy weeknight grilling & backyard BBQs…
These twelve grilled turkey recipes won’t just save you time on your Thanksgiving cooking. They will also impress all your guests. For more great recipes using your tailgating grill, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We find the tastiest recipes that are fast, easy, and taste amazing.
Let us know your favorite grilled turkey recipe in the comments and have a great Thanksgiving!