How to cook a whole turkey or chicken camping on a BBQ

As much of the UK is getting creative with summer holiday ideas. Camping is proving a popular choice. We thought we’d test our camping cooking gear setup in the great outdoors. This blog will cover

  • Camping cooking gear to BBQ

  • How best to cook a whole turkey or chicken

  • Other barbecue cooking ideas

Our first rotisserie whole Turkey BBQ (we didn’t let the coals burn down enough so too charred!!)

Our first rotisserie whole Turkey BBQ (we didn’t let the coals burn down enough so too charred!!)

Camping cooking gear to BBQ

We converted a 200L / 45 gallon oil drum into a barbecue & attached a BBQ rotisserie kit containing: 1 x 2 Piece Skewer 2 x Forks 1 x Motor 2 x Brackets 1 x Pack of Screw Fixings.

  1. A BBQ or open fire if allowed

  2. Rotisserie kit / spit roast setup - we bought ours for £36 from Sunshine BBQs

  3. Bottle of water - for dampening the flames

  4. Heatproof welding gloves - to remove the roasting bird to check the temperature

  5. A meat thermometer - so you know when the inside of the bird is done

  6. A serving dish or board - for it to rest on & then to carve

  7. A sharp knife & fork for carving

Other camping cooking gear we use includes:

  • Kelly Kettle - for making tea on the open fire or the top of the BBQ

How to BBQ a whole turkey or chicken

This was the first time we barbecued a whole turkey & it was really successful & tasted delicious. The learnt some things along the way that we’d do differently so thought we’d share them - to save you learning the hard way.

Plan your timings

  • Start 1-2 hours before you want to eat.

  • Allow for the coals to burn down until there are few flames (to prevent charring the bird - like we did).

  • Allow for the cooked bird to rest for 30-60 minutes

  • Use the meat thermometer to tell you when it’s done, every BBQ will heat to a different temperature

Bramble-farm-turkeys--cook-whole-chicken-BBQ-how-long-to-cook-oil-drum.jpg

How to barbecue a whole turkey

  1. If your bird is frozen, make sure you defrost it slowly over 24 hours before you go camping.

  2. Store it in a cooler box prior to cooking - we recommend cooking it on the first night of camping as poultry is difficult to keep chilled.

  3. Light the BBQ 30-45 minutes before you want to cook. If you’re using coals, wait until the flames have stopped. If you’re using wood in a drum - like we did. We recommend burning the wood down until it is coal like. Too many flames will char the outside of the bird

  4. Thread the turkey or chicken with the rotisserie skewer - From bottom end to neck/open end. Note: make sure it’s central. If the bird is threaded off centre, it won’t turn evenly and will put a strain on the rotisserie mechanism.

  5. Take the turkey & the whole rotisserie arm off the barbecue to test the temperature of the bird. You will need the help of someone else.

  6. When the coldest part is 65 degrees C, it’s ready. Take it off & let it rest for 30-60 minutes. See our how to cook video for testing the temperature - but it’s in the thickest part, towards the back

  7. Carve & serve

Bramble Farm Turkeys are ready when the coldest part is 65 degrees

Bramble Farm Turkeys are ready when the coldest part is 65 degrees

How long to cook a whole chicken or turkey on a BBQ

Cooking time will vary depending on how big the bird is, how hot the BBQ is, whether you have a hood/cover on the barbecue and what fuel you’re using. We use a meat thermometer to tell us when our turkey is done.

  • We cooked a 3.5kg turkey whole on a rotisserie in about 1 hr & rested it for 30 mins. Please note, our birds cook 30% quicker than others. See our cooking times for a whole bird.

  • Weber recommend about 1.5 hrs for a whole chicken - again, we recommend a thermometer to be sure.

  • See our blog on how to BBQ a turkey (you can apply it to chickens too), there are some great how to videos and tips from Weber barbecues.

  • If you’re nervous, spatchcocking a turkey (butterfly it open/flat) would be quicker and easy to tell when it’s cooked. We have some links to how Weber BBQs spatchcock a chicken.

Best BBQ and camping recipes

  • Weber have some amazing poultry BBQ recipes - from Satay beer

  • Best BBQ chicken marinade recipe from BBC. We use it on turkey too. (make it a few days ahead and take it with you) - it’s super simple - with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, apple juice and mustard.

  • Jamie Oliver has lots to inspire you - 104 best barbecue recipes - from ribs, to salads, to tofu kebabs to BBQ trout recipes

  • Or our favourite mince recipes including BBC good foods’s spiced turkey burger recipe

  • BBC good food do a whole set on easy camping recipes - from one pot breakfast to hot spiced buttered rum to marshmallow & strawberry kebabs.

FURTHER READING:

For inspiration of other recipes and more about Bramble farm, explore our blog further…

Cooking, How To Cook, RecipesSarah JoyBBQ, recipe