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Barbequing Turkey Cuts

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 165°F (74°C) for Turkey Cuts, Ground Turkey, Sausages and Hot Dogs.

Boneless Raw Turkey

Cut/Weight	Direct Heat Regular	Direct Heat Foil Wrap	Indirect Heat	Rotisserie	Approx. Cooking Time
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)

Cut/Weight	Direct Heat Regular	Direct Heat Foil Wrap	Indirect Heat	Rotisserie	Approx. Cooking Time
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)	(xl)		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

Cut/Weight	Direct Heat Regular	Direct Heat Foil Wrap	Indirect Heat	Rotisserie	Approx. Cooking Time
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

* 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).

Cooking times may vary depending on: the temperature of the meat going into the oven, the accuracy of the oven’s thermostat, how many times the oven door is opened during cooking.

Barbeques should be kept closed as much as possible while cooking turkey cuts. Never re-use tools, plates or platters that touched raw turkey. Use the temperatures noted above to determine when turkey cuts are cooked safely on the barbeque.