Injected Turkey Breast - Bone In

[Jerry N.]

Family and I only like white meat turkey so I just get bone in turkey breast. I don’t even try to get them fresh or natural and this year I didn’t even think about it. All I cared about was getting one, which I did. Of course, it’s injected. I think it said 15% salt solution. I read the bone in turkey breast recipe in the cooking section and all it says is, if you get an injected breast, skip the brine and the drying.

My question is whether there is anything I can do to spruce up the turkey any? Wondering if I can brine it with a much lower salt concentration in the brine. Maybe inject it with just an apple juice mixture? If not, no big deal, but if there’s something worth trying, I’ll give some effort.

Not sure why the recipe says not to do the drying step if the breast is already injected. Wouldn’t it still be good to get the skin dry?

Also, I’m thinking about just splitting the breast and doing it on my Jumbo Joe. I have the side charcoal baskets so I think I can do a high heat indirect on that the easiest.

Suggestions appreciated.

 

[JimK]

My thinking would be to make something like the apple brine from this site, without the salt. Warm it up to release all the flavors, then strain/filter, cool and inject. That'll give you the flavor profile, without adding all that sodium that's in that 15% salt solution.

Part of the reason (I think) brining works is that an equilibrium is established between the salty brine and the not salty poultry. As that happens, the liquid and flavors are drawn into the poultry. If you put a 15% sodium solution turkey breast into a non-salted liquid, I would think you'd draw a bunch of salt and flavor out of the meat and into your liquid. I can't imagine that you couldn't stick with the drying step to get that nice skin.

 

[John K BBQ]

In this post, Chris recommends brining a butterball turkey, which usually has an 8% brine solution.... knowing that your breast has about 2 x the brine, maybe you could try this recipe, and cut the salt in half?

Virtual Bullet Turkey Link

 

[John K BBQ]

here's another older thread to check out - https://tvwbb.com/threads/breaking-the-brining-rules.31738/

 

[Jerry N.]

So I re-read the label. It says a 15% solution of broth, salt and sugar. So yeah, maybe just some apple juice injected just to add some flavor. Or, assume the salt is not the full 15% and just go ahead and brine it with half the salt.

 

[John K BBQ]

You are on the right track - I did a frozen turkey breast last fall before thanksgiving and did not brine it. I did a rub and some herb butter, and after cooking, it wasn't salty or juicey enough. I like my food moderate to heavily salted, and my family rarely complains that my food is too salty, so this year I am going to brine the frozen bird, and I am going for the "FULL DOSE" of salt in the brine. So, take into account your family's preference for salt/spice when making the big final decision. How long you brine is also a factor - longer brining increases saltiness.