INGREDIENTS:

• 12 lb. whole turkey
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare an outdoor grill for indirect medium-high heat.


2. Rinse turkey and pat dry. Turn wings back to hold neck skin in place. Return legs to tucked position. Brush turkey with oil. Season inside and out with Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper.


3. Place turkey, breast side up, on a metal grate inside a large roasting pan. Arrange pan on the prepared grill. Grill 2 to 3 hours, to an internal thigh temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Remove turkey from grill and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

It's that time of year again. The Labor Day weekend has passed and hints of Fall are in the air. It won't be long now until Summer is "officially" over. It will be time to pack up the swim trunks and lawn chairs and start getting ready for next year. But, you don't have to pack up the Ol' BBQ. That's right! There are plenty of reasons to keep the grill going all year long.

Tailgating: I know for me, I can't think of many things that I enjoy more than tailgating. I love throwing some sausage or burgers on the grill, drinking some beer or rum and watching football. That can take you all the way through January! There's baseball going on through October too!

Thanksgiving: That's right...you heard me! THANKSGIVING! I know most of you have had a chance to try a deep fried turkey. If you haven't, I recommend you to try one this year. You can cook a turkey on the grill as well. You can cook it whole (see The "Best" Grilled Turkey) or in pieces. Whatever trips your trigger! But, I have to tell you, the BEST turkey I have ever tasted was on a trip to Tennessee many Thanksgivings ago. I had the good fortune to try my first smoked turkey and it was delicious! It was moist and smokey with some of the tastiest skin ever! ? The skin is my favorite part.

Read more below...

I love meat. Not for the reasons one usually touts...it tastes good, it is good for you. No, I love meat because my family loves meat.

Dinnertime is usually comprised of frozen pizza and canned fruit, not the most fascinating dinner. This combination usually leads to kids jumping around the table, milk being spilled and a general disinterest in family bonding.

When my husband cooks meat, whether it is grilled, slow cooked, or baked- something happens to my family. We actually turn into a civilized group with table manners. We talk about our day and laugh...not argue. It is wonderful, how a family can communicate over steak and potatoes. To quote my awesome husband, "a family that eats meat together, stays together." He is a pretty smart guy.

Check out this week's World of Cow by Stik:

This weeks famous carivore is none other than
J. Wellington Wimpy. Wimpy first appeared in Elzie Crisler Segar's classic Popeye comic strip "Thimble Theater" on May 3, 1931. He was an unnamed referee in one of Popeye's prize fights. Eventually, Wimpy was given a name and became a famous character in his own rite, particularly for his insatiable lust for hamburgers.

Wimpy achieved incredible notoriety in the 1936 Max Fleischer cartoon "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor," in which Wimpy spends almost the entire cartoon following a duck with a hand-crank meat-grinder.

His character inspired one of the first restaurant chains in the United States called "Wimpy Grill" and the famous U.K. restaurant chain "Wimpy."

His meat motto:

"I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

Other choice lines:
"Let's you and him fight!"
"Come over to my house for a duck dinner. � You bring the duck."