Turkey Talk


 
T

Tim O

TVWBB Fan
After having some delicious sliced smoked turkey breast the other day, I got motivated to make my own.

Anyone have a good, fool proof turkey breast recipe for the WSM?

Thoughts on wood or brining? I don’t have a deli slicer but I am sure slicing thin with a sharp knife will be just fine. Thanks!
 
I just ordered my Brine Bucket for turkey. I alway brine my Thanksgiving turkey and it turns out great. The Webers are made for turkey. Simple brine of 1 gallon water 1 cup kosher salt and 1 cup of sugar is what I use. Brine overnight and rinse, I dry the skin with paper towels and brush ghee on the outside and sprinkle coarse pepper on the buttered skin.
 
JohnTak said:
I just ordered my Brine Bucket for turkey. I alway brine my Thanksgiving turkey and it turns out great. The Webers are made for turkey. Simple brine of 1 gallon water 1 cup kosher salt and 1 cup of sugar is what I use. Brine overnight and rinse, I dry the skin with paper towels and brush ghee on the outside and sprinkle coarse pepper on the buttered skin.
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I use two gallon ziplock bags. Since I break the bird down into pieces, it all fits in a single 2 gallon bag. Brined in a saltwater solution with some herbs and spices, the meat picks up a nice flavor and it always super juicy.
 
The first time I spatchcocked a turkey i thought a few more cuts and I have a deconstructed turkey. I buy 12 to 15 lb bird and cut them up into pieces. Now it’s like cooking big chicken pieces, doesn’t seem so intimidating. Now the cook takes about 1 1/2 hrs. once the back bone is out the turkey just flops around so it’s really easy to separate the pieces. The presentation isn’t as impressive as a whole turkey but no one complains when they get super moist flavorful white or dark meat.
 
I've cooked quite a few turkeys, but I pretty much now only cook turkey breast now.

The reason is that's because it's the only part I care to eat.
And at 350, turkey breast cooks in about 2- 2.5 hrs. I usually have a couple of turkey breasts in my deep freeze. I cook a couple times a year, and then of course the holiday season.

I like a good turkey sandwich on pumpernickel or dark rye bread.
 
I like a whole bird as I love the dark meat and others like the white, finding a bird that's not injected is the tough part, you can brine them if they have been injected but it may not get much of your brine into it , I add oranges maybe a couple lemons with the salt and sugar,24 hours then into heavy smoke for 2 hours then into a cooking bag and finish in the oven is what I do.
 
Tim O said:
After having some delicious sliced smoked turkey breast the other day, I got motivated to make my own.

Anyone have a good, fool proof turkey breast recipe for the WSM?

Thoughts on wood or brining? I don’t have a deli slicer but I am sure slicing thin with a sharp knife will be just fine. Thanks!
Click to expand...
For just boneless breast, I have not brined any of them (5 this summer) and have had great results each time. On each one, I removed the skin and used Texas style methods that can be seen in a few YouTubes. I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika as a rub and let it sit on the counter for about an hour. I kept the temps between 250-275 and used oak, cherry, and pecan chunks in various combinations. Always used some amount of oak. I left them uncovered, former skin side up for at least 2 hours. If the top starts looking a little dry after a couple hours, I will sprinkle a few drops of soy sauce on it and rub it around the drier spots. When it gets to 140 internal, I pulled them for a wrap. The wrap is very simple. Just unsalted butter (half a stick per pound) and maybe a little bit more pepper and garlic. Placed the grate side on top of the butter in the foil, then put that side up back on the cooker. Pulled after 165-175, rested in the foil for at least 30 minutes.

The only turkey breasts I have used for these cooks is from a craft butcher shop that sources all their poultry locally. They shrink wrap their turkey on site, so it's not a Butterball or Tyson product. I can't tell if they add any sort of brine before packing, but I have never noticed the final product being oversalty.
 
I used to use the 5 gallon bucket method for brining - then I discovered dry brine, and have never looked back.
It works great and is so much easier. Salt the bird, put it on a rack on top of a half pan and refrigerate overnight.

For about 5 years or so, I have been cooking breasts instead of a whole bird (for Thanksgiving), and I try to find one or two turkey legs
for the one family member who prefers dark meat. Last year I wanted to try a new method, so I got a whole turkey,
spatchcocked it, and cooked it in the oven. It took about half the time and turned out great.

Back to the original question - when I want smoked turkey for lunch meat, I dry brine a breast, apply seasoning/rub, smoke
it, then slice for sandwiches. It's always moist and makes great sandwiches.
Hickory is my smoke of choice for turkey, but any will work.
 
Brenda T said:
I used to use the 5 gallon bucket method for brining - then I discovered dry brine, and have never looked back.
It works great and is so much easier. Salt the bird, put it on a rack on top of a half pan and refrigerate overnight.

For about 5 years or so, I have been cooking breasts instead of a whole bird (for Thanksgiving), and I try to find one or two turkey legs
for the one family member who prefers dark meat. Last year I wanted to try a new method, so I got a whole turkey,
spatchcocked it, and cooked it in the oven. It took about half the time and turned out great.

Back to the original question - when I want smoked turkey for lunch meat, I dry brine a breast, apply seasoning/rub, smoke
it, then slice for sandwiches. It's always moist and makes great sandwiches.
Hickory is my smoke of choice for turkey, but any will work.
Click to expand...
I spatchcocked our Thanksgiving turkey last year. Used a fresh local free range bird from Williebird. It was not brined but came out quite juicy.
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