Thanksgiving 2026
How to grill a turkey: indirect heat, 225 to 300°F, and no stuffing
Grill a thawed, unstuffed turkey on a covered gas or charcoal grill with the air at 225 to 300°F. USDA estimates 15 to 18 minutes per pound for an 8 to 16 pound bird, and says not to grill a frozen turkey. It is done at 165°F in the thigh, the wing, and the breast.
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The methods page gives grilling one paragraph. This is the rest of that USDA section: where the heat sits, what the table actually covers, and the two bans that are easy to miss.
Where the grill sits
The U.S. Fire Administration says a grill stays outdoors, not on a porch or a balcony, away from the house and from branches, with a 3-foot space that kids and pets do not enter. Placement, heaters, and carbon monoxide are on hosting Thanksgiving outdoors. This page is the bird.
Two layouts, one temperature
USDA's grill section, on the page last updated February 19, 2026, says a turkey cooks by indirect heat in a covered gas or charcoal grill. A pan of water under the bird catches fat and makes the air hot and steamy. The summary table is the same for both fuels: 8 to 16 pounds, 15 to 18 minutes per pound, do not stuff, and hold the air at 225 to 300°F with a drip pan.
One gas burner. Put a pan of water under the grate. Put the turkey in a roasting pan on the grill.
Two or three gas burners. Turn one burner off and put the turkey in that area, away from the flame. USDA also says to follow the manufacturer's directions for cooking times on a gas grill. The 15-to-18-minute estimate and the manufacturer's chart can disagree. Use the thermometer, not the shorter number, if they do.
Charcoal. Do not stuff the turkey. USDA's reason is the low temperature: stuffing can take too long to reach 165°F, and smoked stuffing tastes bad. Start with clean equipment. Build a pyramid of charcoal to one side, light it, and let it get red hot. Put an appliance thermometer on the food rack. When the coals have a white ash, about 20 to 30 minutes, and the air is 225 to 300°F, set a drip pan of water in the center, push the coals evenly around the edge, and put the turkey on the rack breast side up. Cover it. Add about 15 briquettes every hour to hold that air temperature.
If you want smoke flavor, USDA says water-soaked hardwood or fruitwood, as chunks or chips. Do not use pine, fir, cedar, or spruce. Softwood gives a turpentine flavor and coats the bird with pitch. Smoking as its own method, at 20 to 30 minutes a pound and with an 8 to 12 pound cap, is how to smoke a turkey. Grilling's table stops at 16 pounds and uses the shorter estimate.
The estimate, as arithmetic
USDA says cooking time depends on the bird's size and shape, the distance from the heat, the coals, and the outside air. The estimate is still 15 to 18 minutes per pound on a covered grill. These three rows are that multiplication. They are not a second chart.
| Weight | 15 minutes a pound | 18 minutes a pound |
|---|---|---|
| 8 lb | 2 hours | 2 hours 24 minutes |
| 12 lb | 3 hours | 3 hours 36 minutes |
| 16 lb | 4 hours | 4 hours 48 minutes |
A bird under 8 pounds or over 16 pounds is outside the table. Do not stretch the row. A frozen bird is not a longer version of this table. The same page says not to grill, smoke, deep-fat fry, or microwave a turkey that is still frozen. The oven version of that problem is how to cook a turkey from frozen.
Two thermometers
The appliance thermometer is the air. USDA says to put it on the food rack, not to trust a guess. The food thermometer is the bird: 165°F in the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing, and the thickest part of the breast. Where to place the probe is how to use a meat thermometer. The short version of every method, including this one, stays on the cooking methods page.
One thermometer for the air, one for the meat
Both listings were opened on Amazon on November 9, 2026. The oven thermometer's featured offer was in stock and sold by Amazon.com. The Thermapen ONE featured offer was in stock. USDA wants the air temperature on the rack and 165°F in the bird. These are those two jobs.
-
Rubbermaid Commercial stainless oven thermometerOur pick
USDA says to put an appliance thermometer on the food rack and hold the air at 225 to 300°F. A lid dial reads a different spot. This listing says it is for a grill or a smoker and that the scale runs from 60 to 580°F, which covers that band.
- Listing says:
- Rubbermaid Commercial stainless oven monitoring thermometer, the page we opened. The title says it is safe for inside an oven, grill, or smoker, with a 60 to 580°F range (20 to 300°C). The bullets say it works in traditional ovens, toaster ovens, grills, smokers, or any heat-based food appliance, that it is stainless steel with a shatter-proof lens, battery-free, NSF certified, and can hang or stand. Style field: Oven Thermometer. In stock. Sold by Amazon.com. One count.
- Look for:
- The style has to still say oven thermometer, not the refrigerator thermometer on the same brand. 60 to 580°F is this listing. A candy thermometer is a different tool.
- Best for:
- Anyone using a covered grill whose lid gauge is not on the rack where the bird sits.
- Skip:
- a second dial if the grill already has a grate-level thermometer you trust. The dial does not tell you the turkey is done.
-
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE instant-read thermometer
The air temperature is not the turkey. USDA says the bird is done at 165°F in the innermost thigh, the innermost wing, and the thickest part of the breast. An instant-read is that check.
- Listing says:
- ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE, the color we opened: cayenne pepper red. The durability bullet says waterproof IP67 and a 5-year warranty. The description says NIST-traceable calibration, ±0.5°F accuracy, a reading in one second, and names grilling among the uses. In stock. One count. ASIN on the page: B0DC8MWQ8K.
- Look for:
- Cayenne pepper red is this variant. Another color is another ASIN. The ±0.5°F line is the listing's claim, not a test on this page.
- Best for:
- The person who will open the lid near the end and check three spots.
- Skip:
- if you already own a thermometer you can read in those three spots. A second one does not change 165°F.
What the grill section does not say
It does not print a rest. Deep-frying, on the same page, says to let the bird rest about 20 minutes. Let's Talk Turkey says about 20 minutes before carving, and that page is about roasting. Copying either number onto a grill would be this site's sentence, not USDA's. If the carved meat will sit, the holding rule is the 140°F page.
The box for the dial thermometer is small. The turkey is not. Read the delivery estimate against the Christmas shipping cutoff only if the tool still has to arrive before Thursday, November 26. If the meal is one decision among several, start with the gift finder.
Questions people ask
How long do I grill a turkey?
USDA's table says 15 to 18 minutes per pound on a covered grill, for 8 to 16 pounds. That arithmetic is 2 hours to 2 hours 24 minutes at 8 pounds, and 4 hours to 4 hours 48 minutes at 16. Gas grills also follow the manufacturer. The thermometer decides.
Can I stuff a turkey on the grill?
No. The charcoal section says not to stuff, because the low temperature can take too long for the stuffing to reach 165°F, and smoked stuffing tastes bad. The summary table says do not stuff for covered charcoal or covered gas.
Can I grill a frozen turkey?
No. On the same USDA page, the frozen-turkey section says not to smoke, grill, deep-fat fry, or microwave a frozen bird. Thaw it first. The frozen roast, which is a different method, is the 50 percent page.
Does a grilled turkey rest 20 minutes?
The grill section does not print a rest. The deep-fry section on that page says about 20 minutes. Let's Talk Turkey's 20-minute stand is written for roasting. This page does not copy either sentence onto the grill. Carve when you are ready, and do not leave the bird in the danger zone while you wait.
Sources
Numbers and rules on this page come from these pages, checked November 9, 2026. Sources can change; check them before a high-stakes meal.
- USDA FSIS: Turkey, Alternate Routes to the Table (grilling by indirect heat, gas and charcoal layouts, 225 to 300°F, 15 briquettes an hour, 15 to 18 minutes per pound, 8 to 16 pounds, do not stuff, do not grill a frozen turkey), last updated Feb. 19, 2026
- USDA FSIS: Let's Talk Turkey (20-minute stand before carving, written for roasting)
- U.S. Fire Administration: Outdoor fire safety (grills outdoors only, 3-foot safe zone, not on a porch or balcony)