Grilled Turkey with Cranberry BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

Turkey

• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 whole turkey (5.5-6.5 cm)

Cranberry BBQ sauce

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil + extra for brushing the turkey
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 200 g frozen cranberries
• 0.5 cup apple juice
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

Preparation:

1. Turkey:
   
   One to two days before cooking, combine sugar, 1/4 cup coarse salt, and 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper in a small bowl. Rub this mixture all over the turkey, including under the skin of the breast and thighs and inside the cavity. Refrigerate, uncovered or loosely covered with plastic wrap.
2. Cranberry BBQ sauce:
   
   In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onion is very soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and paprika and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the cranberries, apple juice, ketchup, light brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, chipotle pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and a few freshly ground black pepper. Simmer until the cranberries begin to burst, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside half the sauce to serve with the turkey. You can make this sauce the day before and refrigerate it.
3. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator half an hour before cooking. Preheat the grill to medium (350°F) and prepare the indirect heat zone. On a gas grill (with 3 or more burners), turn all burners to medium-high heat. After about 15 minutes, turn off one of the middle burners and reduce the heat to medium on the remaining burners. If you have a charcoal grill, pour one chimney starter of burnt briquettes onto one side of the grill. Place a drip pan on the other side to prevent flare-ups. Be sure to consult your grill's instruction manual.
4. Dry the turkey thoroughly with paper towels. Brush all sides with vegetable oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper.
5. Place the turkey breast-side up over indirect heat, with the legs facing the hotter side. Cover the grill and roast the turkey until almost done (a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read approximately 145°F (65°C)), 1.5 to 2 hours. Brush the turkey on all sides with cranberry sauce. Cover the grill and continue roasting until a thermometer reads at least 165°F (74°C) in the thigh and 155°F (68°C) in the breast, another 15 to 25 minutes.
6. Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving. Serve with the remaining cranberry sauce.