How To Cook Thanksgiving Dinner on the Grill

Whether your oven is on the fritz or you just enjoy grilling, it's possible to cook a spectacular Thanksgiving dinner on the grill. Read on for all the recipes you'll need and a step-by-step plan for how to execute it.

Grilled Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes

A carved grilled turkey on a wooden board with gravy and salad nearby.

A grilled spatchcock turkey stays moist and juicy, thanks to an overnight brine, and it cooks up in a fraction of the time of a whole bird. Get the recipe: Grilled Spatchcock Turkey

A cast iron skillet filled with sausage stuffing, garnished with parsley.

This sausage stuffing cooks in your cast iron skillet on the grill. It's got all the classic flavors of your favorite Thanksgiving dressing, but with plenty of crispy toasted edges. Get the recipe: Skillet Sausage Stuffing

A bowl of cooked carrots with rosemary sprigs on the side.

These grilled carrots are a super easy mess-free side dish. The carrots cook in foil in a buttery herb sauce until perfectly tender. Get the recipe: Grilled Carrots in Foil

A bowl of make ahead roasted potatoes with fresh herbs and some parsley on the side.

Being able to prep your potatoes a full day ahead of time will save you plenty of time on the big day. Get the recipe: Make-Ahead Roasted Potatoes

A cast iron skillet. filled with apple crisp and two scoops of ice cream on top.

A slightly boozy apple crisp with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is the perfect finish to your autumn meal. Get the recipe: Skillet Bourbon Apple Crisp

How to Make Thanksgiving Dinner on the Grill

Even the fanciest of grills have limited space, so it's important to have a plan so that everything is ready to eat at the same time. This step-by-step plan ensures that your turkey has time to rest and that your sides will be hot when they arrive at the dinner table.

The day before

There are a few things you can do to get organized so that everything is ready for the next day.

Start brining your turkey. It needs a full day to brine, so get it going early in the day.
Cube the bread for your stuffing and let it dry overnight.
Parboil your potatoes, toss them with the oil and herbs, and stash them in their foil tray in the fridge. (If you don't have access to a stovetop or side burner, you can parboil them in a grill-safe pot directly over an open grill.)
Mix up your apple crisp topping without the butter. (Doing this ahead of time is optional, but it will save you a little time the next day.)

Thanksgiving Day

4 to 5 hours before dinner, drain the turkey and get it chilling in the fridge.
2 ½ to 3 hours before dinner, start grilling the turkey. Note that the turkey and stuffing will require indirect heat, so you'll need to prepare your grill for 2-zone cooking.
While the turkey is cooking, prepare your stuffing and finish assembling your apple crisp. Note that if you don't have access to 2 cast iron skillets, you can make your apple crisp in a foil pan.
When the turkey is done, pull it off the grill and let it rest, loosely covered with foil. Immediately place the stuffing on the grill along with the potatoes.
While the turkey rests, get your carrot foil pack(s) ready.
Add the carrots to the grill when you uncover the stuffing.
While all the sides finish cooking, carve the turkey.
Pull the sides off the grill and slide the apple crisp in. Remember to set a timer so that you don't forget about it while you're enjoying dinner! (Alternatively, you can cook your apple crisp early in the day and rewarm it briefly before serving.)

The best news of all? There's almost nothing to clean up!