This is a perfect way to grill a small turkey. Cutting out the spine and laying it flat speeds the cooking time, and the Yucatan rub adds tons of flavor.
To make the brine, combine the water, salt and brown sugar and heat over medium heat to dissolve sugar and salt. Allow it to cool.
Rinse off and clean the turkey. Remove anything that is left inside the turkey. Immerse it into the brine and make sure it is covered. Brine in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours.
Achiote Rub
Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and stir.
Yucatan Dry Rub
Combine all the ingredients into a bowl (make sure to add the achiote rub from above as part of it!) and stir. Set aside.
Prepare the Turkey
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold water. Pat dry and cut off any excess skin.
Use kitchen shears (or poultry shears if you have them) and cut along both sides of the spine of the turkey. It may be a little tough to do near the leg bones. Remove the spine and use it for making gravy.
Place the wings underneath the neck of the bird and swing the legs of the turkey outwards. Place the turkey on a solid surface with the breast facing up. Use both palms and press down hard on the breastbone of the turkey to make it crack and lay flat. Sometimes one press will do it and other times we have had to repeat that several times. You will notice the turkey will now lay flat.
Grill the Turkey
Heat the grill up to 350 degrees using indirect heat.
Spray a little olive oil on the turkey and then spread the Yucatan Dry Rub to thoroughly cover the turkey.
Place the turkey on a pizza peel (or other method to carry it to the grill) and slide it onto the grill grate with the breast side up. Set timer for 50 minutes.
Using the pizza peel, slide it off of the grill grate and then flip it over. Cook for another 50 minutes or until the temperature reaches 170 in the thigh. Make sure the metal probe doesn't hit the bone as it will give an inaccurate reading.
Allow the turkey to rest 10-15 minutes before cutting.
Notes
Using the pizza peel helped us to keep the bird from flip flopping all over the place. We did use long and wide tongs and that works, but you will have to spend some time rearranging the bird back into place over the hot grill. Optional: Leave the rub on for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. The turkey will start taking in the spices like a marinade and a lot of competition grillers love to do this technique. Achiote Rub adapted from Rachel Ray's Achiote Paste Yucatan Dry Rub adapted from Food Network