I grilled a few pounds of turkey necks on the Weber Jumbo Joe in a manner nearly identical to what I did with some country style ribs; grill, braise, glaze. This is a great technique for smaller pieces of meats that have lots of connective tissue. For anybody who hasn’t tried turkey necks before you are in for a real treat. There is a ton of meat of these guys, they are cheap and they taste great. The only downside to turkey necks is that eating them is messy business.
Start by banking about two thirds of a chimney of lit charcoal on one side of the grill. Season your turkey necks (salt and pepper is fine; I marinated in Italian dressing overnight). Grill the turkey necks over the charcoal (direct high heat) top get some nice char action going on. You will need to turn the necks with some tongs every few minutes to make sure that they don’t burn. Do this with the lid off and be paying attention. This is active grilling time and is a lot of fun! This step will take about 10-15 minutes.
Add the grilled necks to a disposable aluminum pan (8 or 11 inch depending upon how many necks you are grilling) and add some aromatics (celery, onions, and carrots). Pour a cup of chicken stock into the pan, seal with aluminum foil and place the pan on the indirect heat side of the Weber Jumbo Joe. Close the lid (air vet over the pan) and leave everything covered for at least one hour, preferably two.
After the necks have braised remove the aluminum pan from the Weber Jumbo Joe and check your charcoal level. If you are running low then knock the ashes off and add about ten more briquettes. If you need to add more coals do so while the necks are still covered in the pan so you don’t get a layer of ash on them.
Use a pair of tongs and transfer the necks from the pan to the indirect heat side of the grill. Paint the necks with barbecue sauce (I used a mix of Sweet baby Ray and honey) then close the lid and let the necks cook for another 30 minutes or so while the sauce sets.
Pull those bad boys off the grill, grab a pile of napkins and start eating!
Be sure to check out some other Weber Jumbo Joe Upgrades!