Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook time: 3-4 hours
It’s fall, the holidays are here, and my smoker is earning her keep…big time. I may be, scratch that…I am definitely opinionated, but I don’t think you’re taking full advantage of Saturday afternoons in the fall if you don’t have football on the tube, good beer in a koozie, and the smoker billowing away on the back porch. There is just something about the smell, the anticipation, and knowing that the piece of meat you are cooking is way too much for one sitting….leftovers…and sandwiches, and tacos…..that’s where its at!
So here I am, the day after Thanksgiving, hitting up my local, super grocery store. Straight to the frozen “bin” section to grab some discounted turkeys. If you are like me, I buy my Turkeys the day after Thanksgiving, my corned beef the day after St. Patty’s, and my hams the day after Easter. If you are not aware, the price per pound drops by about half. I scored a sweet 19 pound Turkey for $.52 cents per pound. Do the math…..10 bucks. The turkey breast was a bit more per pound….$.80 cents (due to the extra labor involved and the choice cut). Anyway you slice it, for less than 20 dollars, I can feed a gang of people.
The full turkey is in the freezer and waiting for Christmas. The turkey breast is on the smoker today and will become a spicey, thinly sliced, sandwich meat for the next few weeks (if it lasts that long). Our recipe for smoking the turkey breast is not really different than any other you can find on the internet. Let’s be honest here, smoking a turkey is pretty simple.
Step one: You season, rub, and smoke with indirect heat until the damn thing hits 165 degrees. Tent the bird with aluminum foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
Step two: Eat the Turkey Breast.
Step three: Talk about how you are an amazing cook and make turkey sando’s for your friends and family.
The key to our recipe is that we try to get more flavor (out of the most boring part of the turkey) and how to get more miles out of your leftovers. So read below…this is not a traditional recipe, because…you really don’t need one. Season and smoke to 165 degrees. That is the true instructions. The rest is all in how you treat that meat!
Ok, Turkey do’s:
- Do take time to thaw your turkey breast. Overnight in the fridge is best (on a plate…or a pan). If you are in more of a hurry, you can start your brine and accomplish thawing and brining your turkey breast at the same time. If you need to brine and thaw, get a big bowl/pot/bucket and fill with cold water. COLD water, you don’t want hot water on that frozen bird (it will start the cooking process and start bacteria growth……cold water…cool?). Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a few shakes of Tabasco. Soak that bird for about 30 minutes per pound…that should get you ready to hit the smoker.
- Do brine. See above. A brine can be anything that is dissolved in water. If you are partial to certain flavors or spices…use them. If you have a favorite BBQ rub…use it. If you just want to be traditional and moisturize the bird….just use salt/pepper and water. Anyway, you can brine overnight or for a few hours. The more time in the brine, the more your bird will retain moisture during the cooking process.
- Do season LIBERALLY. Just as I said above, if you like certain flavors, spices, or rubs, use them. Cover that bird. I use a small amount of olive oil to rub the skin and then I hit it with my seasoning. And I hit it hard! I like a good crust on the outside of the breast. Trust me…when we slice up the breast “deli style” the little bits of crust and rub will be awesome.
- Do use a meat thermometer. If you don’t have one….get on Amazon now and Prime ship one…you can probably get it by the time your turkey breast is thawed. Check this one (I am an amazon affiliate so if you buy from my links…I can earn a small percent….go ahead…. And thanks). Really, I like to use a remote thermometer that connects to my phone. But any thermometer will do. Just use one. 165 is our target temp. Not 160…..and not 166. You want to pull that breast just before it hits 165. Thermometers and such are not totally exact…I pull my bird when it hits 163 degrees. The internal temp will still rise, even when out of the heat for the next 5 minutes.
- Do eat the bird AFTER you tent it with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. My purpose here is not really to eat the freshly cooked turkey breast. But….you can…and should. It is going to be awesome. Just let it rest for about 15 mins and if you choose to eat it right away….make sure to only cut what you need to eat. A hot bird will fall apart when you slice it, and that is ok. But if you want to have some kick ass “deli style” meat, cut off what you want to eat and leave the rest to cool. Then wrap in plastic wrap and put into the fridge overnight (on a plate……). Once cooled, the fat and all the good flavor and moisture will firm up that turkey meat. When you take it out the next day you can slice it super thin and it will hold its shape and form. I invested in an inexpensive deli slicer (link here)….it was an awesome purchase. I slice up my turkey breast just like you would get at your supermarket…my kids love it…..I vac seal it in ½ pound bags and it lasts forever (pro-tip…..you can do this same process with any low cost/slow cooked/smoked meats. Corned beefs are awesome, sirloin roasts make amazing sandwich meat…..and smoked and sliced prime rib will make you damned near a local celebrity.
Turkey Don’ts:
- Don’t half ass the seasoning. Turkey/white meat can be bland…..Make your seasonings count. Lots of people talk about how bland turkey is….no one….NO ONE has ever said “that turkey was too flavorful”. Cover that bird!
- Don’t overcook your breast. If you don’t watch it, your turkey can hit 175 degrees and turn into sawdust. Watch that temperature!! Really……get a cool thermometer……if you are going to be cooking awesome cuts of meat…….you just need one.
- Don’t cut that turkey before it rests.
- Don’t underestimate your leftovers. The bone/ribcage is killer for making a soup……leftover meat that does not get sliced ends up as turkey salad, turkey tacos, or my kids will make quesadillas.
- Don’t buy only one turkey breast when they are on sale. These things last forever in your freezer and you can bust them out all year.
- Don’t not leave a comment. Let us know how it turned out. Pics of your smoker get extra points.
Thanks for reading! Tell us how your bird turned out. Leave some advice or tips if you can.
~C
