This is mainly for Bruce B who wanted to know how I did my honey brine for the turkey breast below. Upon review, I realize that I got carried away with descriptions, but, hey, not the first time and probably won't be the last!
My normal brine proportion is 1 cup Diamond Kosher salt OR 3/4 cup Morton Kosher salt (Morton is "saltier" than Diamond), 1 cup sugar, and 1 gallon of water. Knowing that it wouldn't take this much for just the breast, I mixed a half batch of 3/8 cup Morton K salt, a heaping 1/2 cup sugar, a few shakes of pickling spices, a couple of Tbs of Chipotle Tabasco, and 1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning with 1 quart of water. I simmered for a bit to leech flavor from the spices, let it cool, and then added ice and water to make up 2 quarts total liquid. I then added about 1/2 cup honey, since too much heat kills honey. (I found that out the hard way... )
I set a food-grade plastic bag down into a large mixing bowl, dropped the still SLIGHTLY frozen breast into the bag, and poured the cold brine over. I tied the bag tightly shut making sure all meat was covered, and kept it in the refrigerator for a little over 36 hours. I took it out of the frig and rinsed it well, then started my charcoal and came back to the kitchen.
I used about 1/2 to scant 3/4 ring of unlit charcoal, topped with half a chimney of lit. Cherry BBQ Delight pellets for smoke - turkey doesn't get as red as chicken does with cherry, I've noticed. I was aiming at keeping a temp of 300 for the few hours that it would take to get the breast to 160. Sand in the pan, covered with HD foil and about a cup of water in a depression on the foil, because I wanted to try to keep drippings for gravy. Lid temp was 317 at 11:15 when I put the breast on the bottom (breast side up) and half a dozen turkey wing drummettes on the top.
No rub, no injecting, no smeared-on oil or butter, NOTHING on the breast - I wanted brine flavoring only. Montreal chicken seasoning on some thighs, Blues Hog on other. After meat went on, the temp dropped to about 297; I easily maintained 295 - 303 for the entire cook. The drummettes of the turkey wings reached 180 about 2:15, when I removed them and some chicken wings that I had thrown on that were destined for the stockpot. I moved the breast to the top rack and flipped to breast side down, and it hit 160 about 4:00, when I foiled it, wrapped it in a towl, and stashed it in the ice chest still breast side down. Then I went about making dressing, etc, while the bird rested.
We ate about 5:30 - the breast was still VERY hot. Didn't check the temp. I carefully unwrapped it in order to save the juices that would have accumulated in the breast cavity. For the gravy I made a light peanut butter colored roux of fat from drippings with a bit of butter to make a total of 1/4 cup fat and 1/4 cup flour, with about 1/2 and 1/2 turkey juice drippings and milk to make 2 cups liquid. Added pepper, didn't need salt, of course, due to briney drippings. Just plain ol' milk gravy, bechamel, or whatever you want to call it. Goes good over dressing, anyway.
The drippings on the foil over the sand were intensely flavored. I drizzled spoonfuls of those drippings over the dressing before baking it, and was rewarded with an absolutely lovely flavor enhancement which gave the dressing a touch of smoke as well. The turkey breast itself was very moist, with a pale pink smoke ring about 1/2 deep. It could have used a bit more smoke, but otherwise excellent results all the way around.
Okay, so it's a few months early for turkey and dressing...
Keri C, Smokin on Tulsa Time(
who can't write a short description to save her life...)
My normal brine proportion is 1 cup Diamond Kosher salt OR 3/4 cup Morton Kosher salt (Morton is "saltier" than Diamond), 1 cup sugar, and 1 gallon of water. Knowing that it wouldn't take this much for just the breast, I mixed a half batch of 3/8 cup Morton K salt, a heaping 1/2 cup sugar, a few shakes of pickling spices, a couple of Tbs of Chipotle Tabasco, and 1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning with 1 quart of water. I simmered for a bit to leech flavor from the spices, let it cool, and then added ice and water to make up 2 quarts total liquid. I then added about 1/2 cup honey, since too much heat kills honey. (I found that out the hard way... )
I set a food-grade plastic bag down into a large mixing bowl, dropped the still SLIGHTLY frozen breast into the bag, and poured the cold brine over. I tied the bag tightly shut making sure all meat was covered, and kept it in the refrigerator for a little over 36 hours. I took it out of the frig and rinsed it well, then started my charcoal and came back to the kitchen.
I used about 1/2 to scant 3/4 ring of unlit charcoal, topped with half a chimney of lit. Cherry BBQ Delight pellets for smoke - turkey doesn't get as red as chicken does with cherry, I've noticed. I was aiming at keeping a temp of 300 for the few hours that it would take to get the breast to 160. Sand in the pan, covered with HD foil and about a cup of water in a depression on the foil, because I wanted to try to keep drippings for gravy. Lid temp was 317 at 11:15 when I put the breast on the bottom (breast side up) and half a dozen turkey wing drummettes on the top.
No rub, no injecting, no smeared-on oil or butter, NOTHING on the breast - I wanted brine flavoring only. Montreal chicken seasoning on some thighs, Blues Hog on other. After meat went on, the temp dropped to about 297; I easily maintained 295 - 303 for the entire cook. The drummettes of the turkey wings reached 180 about 2:15, when I removed them and some chicken wings that I had thrown on that were destined for the stockpot. I moved the breast to the top rack and flipped to breast side down, and it hit 160 about 4:00, when I foiled it, wrapped it in a towl, and stashed it in the ice chest still breast side down. Then I went about making dressing, etc, while the bird rested.
We ate about 5:30 - the breast was still VERY hot. Didn't check the temp. I carefully unwrapped it in order to save the juices that would have accumulated in the breast cavity. For the gravy I made a light peanut butter colored roux of fat from drippings with a bit of butter to make a total of 1/4 cup fat and 1/4 cup flour, with about 1/2 and 1/2 turkey juice drippings and milk to make 2 cups liquid. Added pepper, didn't need salt, of course, due to briney drippings. Just plain ol' milk gravy, bechamel, or whatever you want to call it. Goes good over dressing, anyway.
The drippings on the foil over the sand were intensely flavored. I drizzled spoonfuls of those drippings over the dressing before baking it, and was rewarded with an absolutely lovely flavor enhancement which gave the dressing a touch of smoke as well. The turkey breast itself was very moist, with a pale pink smoke ring about 1/2 deep. It could have used a bit more smoke, but otherwise excellent results all the way around.
Okay, so it's a few months early for turkey and dressing...
Keri C, Smokin on Tulsa Time(
who can't write a short description to save her life...)
