An herb-infused butter rub goes all over the skin of this juicy rotisserie turkey, which is roasted over the grill, so it frees up your oven for all the Thanksgiving fixins.
You know how there are some things that are just too good not to be shared? Secret ingredients. The best place to get a pedicure. Your opinions. A bicycle built for two. An easy going, laughter-filled dinner with friends. Add this herb butter turkey to the list. It’s one of those things just begging to be shared. I have several turkey recipes I love, like my best juicy turkey (roasted in the oven), buffalo oven roasted turkey, and my roast turkey breast (great for a smaller crowd). And while you definitely can’t go wrong with any of them, I’m here to make a case for cooking your turkey on the rotisserie.
This herb butter turkey recipe isn’t grilled, but it IS cooked on a rotisserie on the grill. The rotisserie spun this turkey right round baby right round, like a record player right round, round, round. Preparing a turkey this way is totally hands off. I let it do all the work. This is the juiciest turkey recipe and the bird is so flavorful thanks to its hours of spinning and an herb-flavored, buttery rub. And let me tell you here and now, Costco’s rotisserie chickens got nothin’ on this bird!
What’s in This Herb Butter Rotisserie Turkey?
This herb butter turkey requires minimal ingredients to achieve a buttery, rich flavor.
Here’s what you need to make this ultra juicy turkey recipe:
- 13-15 lb turkey
- Salted butter
- Fresh herbs
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Paprika
- Apples
- Onion
- Garlic
What Are the Best Herbs for Turkey?
For that classic Thanksgiving turkey flavor, I prefer using a mixture of fresh sage, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. I think fresh herbs flavor this rotisserie turkey better than dried as they’re not as potent and are more fragrant.
How to Make Rotisserie Herb Butter Turkey
Brine your bird. For an extra juicy bird, I suggest first brining your turkey with my wet turkey brine recipe here before cooking on the grill.
Make the herb butter. In a medium sized bowl, mix the butter and chopped fresh herbs with the salt, pepper, and paprika until well combined.
The flavor builder and juice enhancer continues with a fresh herb-infused butter that’s rubbed under, and over the skin. Be gentle but firm when prying the skin from the meat. The resulting crispy crust is something you don’t want to tear because it’s just too pretty to behold.
Stuff your turkey with aromatics. Next, I loosely stuffed the cavity with apples, onions and more herbs. Like all poultry, flavor exudes from the inside out and these loose ingredients still keep the hot air flowing.
Truss the turkey. Tie the turkey wings back with twine and place the bird on the rotisserie accessory. Let the bird cook over the grill until the juices run clear and the internal temperature registers 165°F.
How Long Does it Take to Rotisserie a Turkey?
The exact turkey cooking time varies depending on how big your bird is. In general, I recommend cooking this herb butter turkey for roughly 15 minutes per pound.
Tips for Making Rotisserie Herb Butter Turkey
When using a rotisserie on the grill, be aware of your rotisserie’s weight limitations. My Saber Grill rotisserie accessory can only hold up to a 20 lb bird, so feeding a college football team with this version of a turkey won’t be in your cards.
I don’t recommend stuffing this bird with dressing or stuffing because it will lengthen the cooking time because it restricts the airflow in the turkey, and by the time the dense stuffing is heated through your turkey will be overcooked. This is just my humble opinion, so if you want to give it a try, let me know how it goes.
The biggest thing with using a rotisserie is one word: BALANCE. Make sure the rod goes through the turkey evenly and the forks of sit evenly too. Make sure the wing nuts that tighten the forks are exactly that — tight! Otherwise, you may lose an end as the bird spins. You may need to wiggle and jiggle a bit to get the turkey tightly into place, so don’t feel like you have to make the love connection on the first try.
Use homemade stock for your gravy. The only drawback to preparing a turkey this way is no drippings for gravy. But homemade chicken stock worked a-okay. It’s the price I paid for a beautiful bird.
What to Serve With Your Rotisserie Turkey
- 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
- The Best Easy Stuffing Recipe
- Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Cheddar and Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread
- Brussels Sprouts Salad with Roasted Beets, Pecans and Goat Cheese
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Rotisserie Herb Butter Turkey
Ingredients
For the turkey:
- One 13-15 lb turkey
- ½ cup salted butter , softened
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh sage , chopped
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh thyme , chopped
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh rosemary , chopped
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh Italian flat leaf parsley , chopped
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
For the stuffing:
- 2 apples , sliced into large chunks
- 1 onion , sliced into large chunks
- 4-5 cloves garlic , smashed
- handful of various fresh herbs
Instructions
- Prepare your grill with a rotisserie attachment. Preheat a 3 burner grill on high.
- Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey, rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix the butter and chopped fresh herbs with the salt, pepper, and paprika until well combined.
- Gently work your fingers under the skin of the turkey breast and legs. Work ¾ of the herbed butter evenly under the skin, then rub the top of the skin with the rest of the herb butter mix. Season with more kosher salt and pepper.
- Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the chopped apple, onion and smashed garlic then add the herbs.
- Tie the wings to the sides of the turkey with twine. Insert the rod of the rotisserie attachment through the middle of the turkey stem to stern. Then, attach the forks so they firmly hold and tighten the wing nuts tight so the turkey doesn't shift during cooking.
- Place the rotisserie attachment with the turkey on the grill and cook for 10 minutes, then turn the center burner off and outer burners to low for indirect heat. If this is your first time cooking on a rotisserie, you'll want to test the internal temperature of the turkey as it cooks and adjust cooking temperatures of the grill burners so it cooks evenly (so the middle isn't cooking faster than the outsides, etc.).
- Cook the turkey 15 minutes per pound. Always check the internal temperature of the turkey in the thigh without touching the bone or rotisserie rod for a finished cooking temperature of 10 degrees less than the temperature you feel safe for cooking (we go for 155°F) and juices run clear. Suggested final temperature for poultry is 165°F, but remember, it will continue to cook as it rests.
- Remove from the grill, tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes or so until the temperature registers 165° F. If it doesn't come to temperature, pop in the oven at 350°F or on the grill to finish cooking to temperature.
Nutrition
More Turkey Recipes You’ll Love
- Buffalo Roasted Turkey
- Roast Turkey Breast with Lemon and Oregano
- Curry Turkey Pot Pie with Homemade Butter Crust
- Juicy Roast Turkey Breast
- Turkey Avocado Tetrazzini
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Percy Espinosa
Made this rotisserie herb Turkey last week 2024 Thanksgiving. It turned out great but I did have one observation. Spreading the herb butter was very difficult as it didn’t stick to the skin. Anyone have this same experience?
Hi Pency, so glad you enjoyed it! I suggest you make sure the skin is extra dry. Pat it well with paper towels beforehand, or you could air dry it (uncovered) in the fridge overnight and that will dry out the skin. Thanks for the comment!
Jenifer
This Herb Butter Rotisserie Turkey looks absolutely mouthwatering! The idea of rubbing the turkey with herb butter sounds like it would make the meat so tender and flavorful. I love how you’ve kept it simple with fresh herbs, but the flavor must be amazing. This would be perfect for Thanksgiving or any special family meal. I can’t wait to try it for our next holiday gathering—thanks for sharing such a delicious and easy recipe!
Mark Loesch
Wow I wish I would have took a picture, I will next time and I’m telling you this was the moistest turkey I ever made. Had a little over a 13 lb bird. Took less than 3 hrs to cook and with people there wasn’t much turkey left. That’s a clear indication of how good this turkey was, I highly recommend this recipe
The only problem is there weren’t enough stars for a higher review
Jim
The turkey turned out AMAZING. I read and reread the recipe trying to find the temperature you suggest cooking. I ended up cooking it at 350 and the bird was moist and extremely flavorful. It cooked much faster than 15 minute per pound. If you could let me know your suggested temperature, I would be appreciative.
Kent
Agreed I would love to hear the time because at 350 15 minute per pound seems long on the grill. I would guess that might be like 28 for 15 minutes per pound?
Hannah
We used this recipe on chicken and for our turkey this Thanksgiving it was delicious!
Jeff
Used this recipe to grill a Thanksgiving turkey for the first time last year, and it turned out great. A late-starter option that worked well for me was to us a meat injector to make up for not brining. I just used some of the same seasoning mix with some orange soda.
Also, someone mentioned fire in a comment down below…. Just use a foil drip pan. We made gravy from the drippings.
About to start prepping a repeat for this Thanksgiving :)
Manny Camilleri
The herb butter recipe looks great.
What is the brine recipe please?
Elsie
I have a rotisserie feature in my oven, would this work the same? I’ve been dying to try it but can’t recipes that directly relate to using my oven for rotisserie.