Rotisserie Turkey Wrapped with Bacon - because everything tastes better with bacon, especially if you're cooking a big, 20-24 pound turkey.
Last year, an interviewer asked Christopher Kimball what his favorite turkey was. His answer? Turkey larded with bacon. The moment I heard that answer, I knew what I was cooking for thanksgiving this year.
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Why Bacon?
Bacon? What does bacon do for a turkey? Turkey breast is very lean, so basting the turkey with bacon fat will help keep the breast moist while the turkey cooks. It adds a hint of salty, smoky flavor to the breast, which helps if you are cooking on a gas grill. I think the extra layer of bacon slows down the cooking on the breast, which is a good thing - the drumsticks need extra time to cook. And, not least, the layer of crisped bacon on the skin adds extra flavor to the relatively bland white meat.
Now, is bacon essential to turkey? No. My favorite turkey is still my Dry Brined with Orange and Spices recipe. But, if you want a subtle improvement to a traditional turkey, bacon on the breast is a nice addition.
(Of course, if you're the kind of person who wants to blow away your guests, adding a bacon wrap to your turkey is another weapon in your arsenal. Not that I am that kind of cook know anyone like that, oh no, not me.)
No rotisserie? No worries. It's a great idea on the grill (though I would get a smaller, 12 pound turkey), or in the oven. See the Tips and Tricks section for cooking non-rotisserie cooking instructions.
Will a 20+ pound turkey fit in a Weber with the Rotisserie?
From my Rotisserie Grilling the Big Turkey post: The 23 pound turkey fit in both the Weber kettle and the Weber Summit grills. The Weber Kettle had lots of clearance, and I'd guess I could go as large as 30 pounds. The Weber Summit was a close fit. I would guess I could go to 24, maybe 25 pounds, but no larger. For a Weber Genesis, anything larger than 14 pounds would worry me.
(See my Rotisserie Grilling the Big Turkey post for more details.)
Ingredients
- 1 Turkey (20-24 pounds)
- ½ cup kosher salt (I used Diamond Crystal kosher salt; reduce to 6 tablespoons if using Mortons kosher, because it is denser)
- (Cut back to 1 tablespoon of salt if the turkey is "enhanced with a natural solution" of more than 6 percent)
- 6 strips hickory-smoked bacon
How to Rotisserie Grill a Bacon-Wrapped Turkey
Dry brine the turkey
Sprinkle the turkey with the salt, inside and out. Gently work your fingers under the skin on the breast, then rub some of the salt directly onto the breast meat. Refrigerate at least overnight, preferably two to three days. If dry brining more than a day in advance, cover the turkey with plastic wrap until the night before cooking, then remove the plastic wrap to let the skin dry out overnight.
(If the turkey says "enhanced with a (percentage) solution" on the packaging, cut the salt back to 1 tablespoon. Enhanced means the turkey is pre-brined; you don't want to over salt it.)
Truss and spit the turkey
Two hours before cooking, remove the turkey from the refrigerator. Truss the turkey, following the instructions in my How to Truss and Spit a Turkey post. If the turkey is larger than 18 pounds, un-fold the turkey wings and tuck them under the trussing string, as shown in my Rotisserie Big Turkey post. Skewer the turkey on the rotisserie spit, securing it with the spit forks. Fill a gallon zip-top bag with ice, and rest the bag on the breast of the turkey to keep the breast colder than the drumsticks.
Wrap the breast in bacon
Discard the bag full of ice. Lay the bacon over the turkey breast, as shown in the picture above. Tie the bacon down onto the turkey. Loop a length of twine under the turkey and behind the wings, then around the front of the breast to tie down the edge of the bacon strips near the turkey neck. Next, loop a length of twine under the turkey, around the drumsticks, and over the top of the breast to tie down the other edge of the bacon strips. Finally, tie a third loop of twine around the middle of the turkey to hold the bacon down in the middle. Make sure to tie the twine tight at the edges, or the bacon will work loose as the turkey rotates.
Set up the grill (Charcoal Grill)
Set the grill up for indirect medium heat (325°F to 350°F) with the drip pan in the middle of the grill. Set up all the heat in the grill on one side, facing the turkey legs. For my Weber Kettle, I light a charcoal chimney ¾ full of charcoal and wait until it is covered with gray ash. Then I make a U of charcoal, on one side of the grill. I set the pan in the middle of the U, and put the spit on the grill with the breast facing the open part of the U.
Set up the grill (Gas Grill)
With a gas grill, if possible, turn on two burners on one side of the grill instead of one burner on each side. On my Weber Summit, I set burner #6 and my smoker burner to high.
If your gas grill has an an infrared rotisserie burner, start cooking with the infrared burner set to medium. Once the turkey and the bacon are browning well, about a half an hour, shut off the IR burner and let the turkey finish cooking from the heat in the main part of the grill.
Rotisserie cook the turkey
Put the spit on the grill, start the motor spinning, and make sure the drip pan is centered beneath the turkey. Close the lid and cook until the turkey reaches 160°F in the thickest part of the breast, about 3 hours for a 24 pound bird. If you are cooking on a charcoal grill, add 24 coals to the fire every hour to keep the heat going.
Serve
Remove the turkey from the rotisserie spit and remove the twine trussing the turkey. Be very careful - the spit and forks are blazing hot. Let the turkey rest for 15 to 30 minutes, then carve and serve.
Equipment
- Grill with Rotisserie attachment (I used a Weber Summit with an infrared rotisserie burner. Here is the current version of my grill.
) - Aluminum foil drip pan (Get an oval turkey roaster style pan)
- Butcher's twine
- Instant Read Thermometer - the key to juicy turkey
)Tips and Tricks
- No rotisserie? No worries. Set the grill up as described and put the turkey on top of the grill grate over indirect heat. (See my Grilled Turkey (Grilling Basics) recipe.)
- No grill? No worries. Cook the turkey in a 350°F oven.
- I used a simple dry brine in this recipe; if you want to use a fancier dry brine with a bacon wrapped turkey, go for it. Try my Dry Brine with Orange and Spices, Cajun Dry Brine, or one of the other dry brines from my book.
- A drip pan full of bacon fat and turkey drippings is perfect for Rotisserie Pan Potatoes.
- The bacon will try to work its way loose from the edges of the string. If it does, that's OK. Let it flop around until the heat of the grill has cooked it a bit, about a half an hour, then tear it loose. Eat it, of course - this is a cook's treat.
- Cooking a smaller turkey? I recommend a 12 pound turkey
Want Juicy White Meat? Cook to 160°F and No Further
The trick to juicy turkey is not overcooking the breast. the USDA recommends cooking the turkey to at least 165°F, measured in the deepest part of the breast. This is a little too much for me, so I recommend 160°F...or lower, if you have a precise Instant Read Thermometer and a timer. Read on...
The USDA recommends 165°F because that's when Salmonella is killed instantly. But, according to their time/temperature tables, at 150°F, salmonella is killed after 3.8 minutes. So, as long as you keep the turkey on the grill for at least 4 minutes after reaching 150°F, the turkey is safe.
But, 150°F leaves the dark meat a little undercooked for my tastes - dark meat needs to cook to a higher temperature to tenderize it. So, 160°F is my compromise. (Or, 155°F if I ice the breast in my bird.)
Now, my Samoan Attorney recommends that I say: if you are cooking for infants, or anyone with a compromised immune system, follow the USDA guidelines and cook to 165°F.
For more information, see my Turkey Temperature, or the 150°F question post.
Print
Rotisserie Turkey Wrapped with Bacon - Recipe
- Total Time: 27 hours
- Yield: 24 servings 1x
Description
Rotisserie Turkey Wrapped with Bacon - because everything tastes better with bacon, especially if you're cooking a big, 20-24 pound turkey.
Ingredients
- 20-24 pound Turkey
- ½ cup kosher salt (I used Diamond Crystal kosher salt; reduce to 6 tablespoons if using Mortons kosher, because it is denser)
- (Cut back to 1 tablespoon of salt if the turkey is "enhanced with a natural solution" of more than 6 percent)
- 6 strips hickory-smoked bacon
Instructions
- Dry brine the turkey: Sprinkle the turkey with the salt, inside and out. Gently work your fingers under the skin on the breast, then rub some of the salt directly onto the breast meat. Refrigerate at least overnight, preferably two to three days. If dry brining more than a day in advance, cover the turkey with plastic wrap until the night before cooking, then remove the plastic wrap to let the skin dry out overnight.
(If the turkey says "enhanced with a (percentage) solution" on the packaging, cut the salt back to 1 tablespoon. Enhanced means the turkey is pre-brined; you don't want to over salt it.) - Truss and Spit the turkey: Two hours before cooking, remove the turkey from the refrigerator. Truss the turkey, following the instructions in my How to Truss and Spit a Turkey post. If the turkey is larger than 18 pounds, un-fold the turkey wings and tuck them under the trussing string, as shown in my Rotisserie Big Turkey post. Skewer the turkey on the rotisserie spit, securing it with the spit forks. Fill a gallon zip-top bag with ice, and rest the bag on the breast of the turkey to keep the breast colder than the drumsticks.
- Wrap the breast in bacon: When you are ready to cook discard the bag full of ice. Lay the bacon over the turkey breast, as shown in the picture above. Tie the bacon down onto the turkey. Loop a length of twine under the turkey and behind the wings, then around the front of the breast to tie down the edge of the bacon strips near the turkey neck. Next, loop a length of twine under the turkey, around the drumsticks, and over the top of the breast to tie down the other edge of the bacon strips. Finally, tie a third loop of twine around the middle of the turkey to hold the bacon down in the middle. Make sure to tie the twine tight at the edges, or the bacon will work loose as the turkey rotates.
- Set up the grill (Charcoal Grill): Set the grill up for indirect medium heat (325°F to 350°F) with the drip pan in the middle of the grill. Set up all the heat in the grill on one side, facing the turkey legs. For my Weber Kettle, I light a charcoal chimney ¾ full of charcoal and wait until it is covered with gray ash. Then I make a U of charcoal, on one side of the grill. I set the pan in the middle of the U, and put the spit on the grill with the breast facing the open part of the U.
- OR, Set up the grill (Gas Grill): With a gas grill, if possible, turn on two burners on one side of the grill instead of one burner on each side. On my Weber Summit, I set burner #6 and my smoker burner to high.
If your gas grill has an an infrared rotisserie burner, start cooking with the infrared burner set to medium. Once the turkey and the bacon are browning well, about a half an hour, shut off the IR burner and let the turkey finish cooking from the heat in the main part of the grill. - Rotisserie grill the turkey to 160°F in the breast (about 3 hours): Put the spit on the grill, start the motor spinning, and make sure the drip pan is centered beneath the turkey. Close the lid and cook until the turkey reaches 160°F in the thickest part of the breast, about 3 hours for a 24 pound bird. If you are cooking on a charcoal grill, add 24 coals to the fire every hour to keep the heat going.
- Serve: Remove the turkey from the rotisserie spit and remove the twine trussing the turkey. Be very careful - the spit and forks are blazing hot. Let the turkey rest for 15 to 30 minutes, then carve and serve. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 1 day
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Rotisserie
- Cuisine: American
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What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Rotisserie Turkey - The Big Turkey
Rotisserie Turkey, Dry Brined with Orange and Spices
Rotisserie Turkey with Cajun Dry Brine
Rotisserie Turkey Breast with Basic Dry Brine
Rotisserie Turkey Breast with Honey Bourbon Glaze
Click here for my other rotisserie recipes
 Check out my cookbook, Rotisserie Grilling.
Everything you could ask about the rotisserie, It's a Kindle e-book, so you can download it and start reading immediately! |
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stanley zon says
was going to do this but, put bacon strips under breast skin in between meat. what are your thoughts?
Mike V says
The bacon's not going to crisp up under there - but it will baste the breast in bacon fat.
Rod says
I am trying this for Thanksgiving this year and have been working to make sure to time it right for when the guest arrive. I always understood that at 350F it was about 20min per lb to fully cook a turkey. How did the 24lb turkey cook so quickly being done in only 3 hrs? My turkey is just shy of 14lbs. About how long should I expect it to take?
Mike V says
A 14 pound turkey will take about 2 1/2 hours. Rotisserie cooking is faster than oven cooking; you get a convection effect from the rotisserie, which transfers heat faster. Now, that said, use a meat thermometer to make sure the turkey is done - it should register 160°F in the deepest part of the breast.
Rod says
Thanks for the quick response!!!! We will see how things go on Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Garry says
I like the idea of using bacon to add flavor and slow the cooking of the turkey breast. Did the skin on the turkey beneath the bacon also brown?
Mike V says
Not as much as usual with a rotisserie turkey, but it did brown some.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
My guess is it will work - it didn't change the cooking time of my gas grill recipe. With a 23 pound turkey, and a three hour cooking time, the bacon was crisp all the way through.
stacey kaphan says
I have a set it and forget it rotisserie that I use every year and want to add bacon, will it change the cook time in this machine. Also does the bacon crisp in both sides doing it this way
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Ha!
Doug Reichard says
you had me at bacon