GRILL-ROASTED POULTRY

GRILL-ROASTING POULTRY—COOKING IT IN a covered grill over indirect heat at a temperature between 350 and 400 degrees—is an impressive feat. As with a conventionally roasted chicken, we wanted the meat to remain moist and tender while the skin became bronzed and crisp. We also wanted the bird to pick up a good amount of smoke flavor.

We intended to develop recipes for turkey, chicken, and game hens and found that the issues to be decided were pretty much the same for all the birds, with a few important differences.

First of all, we found it imperative to choose a small turkey (12 to 14 pounds gross weight, 11 to 13 pounds once the giblets have been removed and the turkey drained). Mammoth 18-pound birds won't fit in most grills and are difficult to cook through without burning the skin.

Second, we found it helpful to lift the turkey off the grill rack by placing it in a V-rack. The slight elevation of the V-rack promotes even circulation of heat within the grill. Conversely, we found no benefit to using the V-rack with chickens and hens, which are so small they can sit right on the grill and still get good air circulation. In fact, placing these smaller birds on the grill crisps their skin better during their relatively short cooking time.

Even with Cornish hens, a charcoal fire will die down before the meat is cooked through and the skin crisps. For this reason, we found it necessary to build a relatively large fire and then add more coals halfway through the cooking time. Of course, using a gas grill guarantees a constant source of heat and eliminates this issue.

We conducted several tests to see if turning and basting were necessary. We found that starting the birds breast side down and then turning them halfway through the cooking time kept the breast juicy and was worth the effort. Rotating the birds 180 degrees, so that the opposite side faces the fire, promotes even cooking. With the turkey, we tested two more turns—putting the turkey on either side—but too much heat was lost from the grill and we had to add even more charcoal. More important, the turkey did not taste any juicier for the extra effort.

As for basting, we found that basting with butter before grilling can speed the browning of the skin on chickens and hens. However, we found that turkeys (which require much longer cooking times) can actually overbrown when basted at the start. Since the grill must be opened to turn the bird, we used that opportunity to baste with butter and had excellent results.

We found that all birds benefit greatly from brining. With the turkey, which is especially prone to drying out, we consider brining mandatory. If you have the time, it's worthwhile to brine chickens and hens before grill-roasting as well.

One final note: We found that birds cooked over charcoal absorb more smoke flavor but were also noticeably drier. (Brining birds destined for charcoal grills mitigates this problem.) Birds cooked over gas were significantly moister but also don't absorb as much smoke. In either case, grill-roasted poultry should be served with some sort of salsa or chutney for added moisture and flavor. Cranberry sauce or relish is also appropriate.