Smoked Turkey Breast

For the second use of my new Masterbuilt Electric Smoker, I opted to cook a turkey breast and use the recipe from The Cookie Rookie for the brine and herb butter. I changed the ingredients for the butter a little and cooked it a little differently as well.  The original recipe with several pics can be found by clicking on the above link.

Smoked Turkey Breast – Adapted from the Cookie Rookie

Ingredients:

For the Brine:

3 quarts cold water or enough to cover the breast

½ cup kosher salt

¼ cup brown sugar

For the Turkey and Herb Butter:

5-7 pounds natural, unbrined whole turkey breast (not Butterball- style (boneless or bone-in)

9 tablespoons unsalted butter softened

2 cloves garlic minced

1/3 teaspoon each dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions:

For the Brining the Turkey:

1. Add two cups of water to a sauce pan over medium high heat and stir in the salt and sugar until it is completely dissolved - let cool to room temperature.

2. Put the turkey in a very large container, add the brine and a few cups of ice, then enough water to submerge all of the breast meat and refrigerate 8-12 hours (I brined for 6 hours).

3. Remove the turkey from the fridge 45 minutes before cooking, rinse, and pat it dry (inside & out with paper towels).

For the Herb Butter:

4. In a small mixing bowl, combine butter, garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, mustard, salt, and pepper.

5. Using your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the breast from the meat underneath.

6. Spread 3 tablespoons herb butter under the skin of each breast and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over the outside of the breasts. Use 2-3 toothpicks per breast to secure the skin to the breast (along the edge of the breast). Securing the skin with toothpicks prevents the skin from shrinking during cooking.

I forgot to get this pic

7. Preheat the smoker to 275F (or lower if you want a longer cooking time) and soak the wood chips (apple) in water for 30 minutes while waiting for the smoker to heat.

8. Put a wire grate on the top of an aluminum foil pan and add a cup of water or apple juice. 

I forgot this shot too.

9. When the smoker is at temp, put the turkey in the middle shelf and insert a remote probe thermometer in the thickest part of the breast.

10. Cook according to smoker directions.

11. When the desired internal temp is reached (2½ hours for this cook), remove the breast from the smoker, wrap tightly in heavy duty foil and rest in a prewarmed cooler covered by a towel or a 160F toaster oven until ready to serve.

12. Remove a breast from the carcass (Bev is stealing a bite) and slice against the grain.

We served it with gravy, baked sweet potatoes , and Malibu green beans.

The Verdict:

The turkey was very good with an excellent flavor and it was moist and tender but the skin was a little salty so I’ll rinse it next time, which I added to the directions.  We wrapped the sweet potatoes in foil and tossed them in the smoker to cook but we all agreed, we prefer them baked bare.  The green beans cooked with a ham hock were very good so it was a pretty darn good meal.  The beans and potatoes were from the Tellico Plains Mennonite Market which we have decided is closer than our normal one in Englewood.  The remaining turkey will become turkey salad which is a favorite of mine.

I believe it will be salmon or a brisket next for the smoker – I continue to be pleased with it's performance.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

10/03/21 event date